Information interchange with like-minded persons is the basic part of social life. Thus, “networking” is a new name for an ancient practice. The meaning of “net” and “networking” is still not clearly defined.
A net is actually a communication means. That is a mechanism that links people/organizations that share common aim and value system. The network success depends on personal pledge and contribution of members, who are promoters of each network.
There are various kinds of networks of NGOs:
- Networks for information interchange;
- Organizations that function as networks.
It is very important to be part of a network and in many cases it is necessary. That necessity was felt by the 13 autonomous independent women's organizations from Kopje, Riva Palatka, Probishtip, Kalahari, Negation, Vales, Bravo, Pileup, Gevgelija, Strung, Ship, and from Kumanovo WO Roma “Dana” and H.O. “Mother” which, following the society transformation in 1990, dedicated themselves to work in the NGO sector with basic aim women's rights as human rights. They conveyed activities in accordance to the needs of the period and the target group of each life and working spot. The long cooperation and information interchange brought about the idea for foundation of a common formal organization.
The Union of Women's Organizations of the Republic of Macedonia (UWOM) was founded in Probishtip in 1994. The founders were 13 local autonomous women's organizations. UWOM counted modest 13 local organizations-founders, but now it numbers 64 autonomous organizations in the network.
Today UWOM is a multiethnic women's network of 64 autonomous independent organizations from the Republic of Macedonia, regardless of their marital, or social-economic status and political or religious background…
The various memberships are good, because it enables interchange of different experience and fulfillment of various needs. Each woman's organization was founded according to the target group needs and they initiated the foundation of women's organizations in the rural areas, among university cadres, women veterans, businesswomen, and young girls and women in Women's center and Women's studies. Later all those initiatives transformed into autonomous women's organizations with specific needs and aims.
The UWOM network developed in different conditions, as many others in the world. It represents a mechanism for linking women's organizations with common aim and ideas.
Each member, a women's NGO, regardless of its membership number has one representative in UWOM Presidency, which meets every first Saturday in the month. The decisions are brought by consensus, since there is no unacceptable and not-accomplishable action suggestion, when all present help in the idea realization.
UWOM works in seven regional centers, four thematic sectors and an executive office that provides services and gives information to the local and regional centers. The majority of work is conveyed on national and regional level.
The organizational structure differs, yet there is cooperation and coordination among the regions and among the members on the regional level. Informal meetings are often held with aim to share the needs and problems and to strengthen the smaller organizations.
In order to work more successfully, the regional coordinate bodies are being currently founded. The network efficiency is linked to the level of independence of the organizations comprising the network of UWOM. Namely, the independence of each NGO member of UWOM is respected. Furthermore, we urge each of them to become more firmly independent, which is one of the most important factors in keeping the network structure and cooperation with other networks.
Lessons learnt:
Networking is building common vision to create a united NGO front everywhere they can act. Since the steam locomotive and telegraph inventions we keep hearing that the world shrinks and that distances are no problem. Still, those are only suppositions and not empirical conclusions. The necessary infrastructure that enables fast international communication is not developed everywhere and where it is present, is not always confidential and cannot always be counted on. Therefore, it is a good rule that meetings are better than letters, not only in the oral tradition of Africa, but also in the post-modern countries. Nearness is a basis for effective net working. There are many factors that support the network formalization, yet there is a broad awareness or doubt that the formalized networks will be used as a “spring board” for personal career building or further reputation improvement of certain NGOs.
Networks usually develop into stable, powerful structures and elite groupings.
There are different kinds of networks:
- Information interchange networks
- Organizations that function as networks
Recently, net working or nets have come into fashion. Obviously, everyone wants to have a network. This is realistic for a large number of aims but sometimes one should stop and think what one wants to achieve with net working. Namely, most of the networks are purpose made.
So, there is a tendency of people-outsiders to initiate networks in our (or other) country for very different reasons. Often, they tend to look at the network as a way to donors' money, or something else, and hope for financial support. Here, a better approach would be individuals or NGO potential members to ask themselves “What is it that my organization and I can do for our country, what motivates our participation in the network”?
From the experience of many authors, many personalities or NGOs do not want to face this question. Still, raising this question can be one way of differentiating serious from not serious network participants.
Some so called networks are founded with aim to fill in the gap in information and news spreading, and often play the role of institutions' or other NGOs' opposition. They begin as small informal groups with common vision and later merge or reform their structure. So, networks are various, as loose and informal networks and others are formal networks, which tend to become something more than short-lived ad hoc creations. Formalization is imperative for each network.
…There is a critical dilemma for these networks: the more the donors try to strengthen them, the less they are efficient in providing firm basis in the local agendas and the less efficient they are in the fulfillment of long-term institutional activities.
There is a frequent case of animation of various feelings for the formalization level and for the way of network membership.
For example:
“We are for open network of participants, not for a formal, law limited…organizational structure” or “The continual proving that networks should remain informal is like saying that people should eat but not build a kitchen”.
That means, according to world experience, that networks are more open and democratic than the organizations. They unite all which have same ideas with the initiative group.
Our message is:
To be part of a network is very important and in many cases necessary.
Networks are a means to achieve the aim; they are not aim for themselves.
Sake Todorovska
UWOM |
