The Digital Activism Accelerator Closing Ceremony brought together nearly 80 civil society activists from organizations that were part of the Digital Activism Accelerator project funded by Google.org, coming from 15 countries, for a day packed with meaningful exchange, reflection, and inspiration in Warsaw. The event marked the culmination of a challenging yet rewarding capacity-building journey that supported organizations in areas such as digital transformation, countering disinformation, strategic communications, cybersecurity, and more (depending on the needs of organizations).

An important element of a communication strategy that works well in the long term is to reach all your target groups with messages that are as personalized as possible. In this article, we show you a method you can use when planning campaigns and posts. Although it will mainly focus on social media channels, the principle can also be applied to email communication.

How can a well-written press article help to develop the profile of your organization? How can you ensure that your organization's message really gets across? Orsolya Hering, communications and PR consultant, answers these questions in her article.

It is difficult to imagine contemporary right-wing populism–and disinformation campaigns that accompany it–without anti-LGBT narratives. These are truly globalized in scope and come in various localized guises: from the anticolonial homophobia in Central and Western Africa, through Evangelical moral panic focused on healthcare for transgender people in the US, to the Kremlin’s all-time-favorite slogan of failing “gay Europe”. Despite small adjustments made for their diverse targeted audiences, they all seem to share core topics such as falling back to imagined “family values” (i.e. heternormative patriarchy), defending against foreign influence (e.g. secularized Western culture), and finally punishing the hidden enemy within (i.e. demonizing and persecuting LGBT+ communities and their allies).

Discover how we’re bringing the "KIRA" comic book from concept to reality. Dive into our fundraising journey, the strategies we use to connect with donors, and the obstacles we've faced and overcome along the way.

To moderate, or not to moderate - who can answer me... Is it better to respond to disinformation spread in the online space, or is it better to let it be? Will I anger people who follow me more if I delete some comments from the discussion, or if people come into contact with hate and lies on my profile? Is there a right to express any opinion, or is it more the case that hate is not an opinion and does not belong in the public space? How do we choose which content is harmful? What steps can we take? And do we have to do it all ourselves?

We live in multilayered, complicated, and complex times. The ambivalence and ambiguity of the world have never been so visible on a daily basis. Alongside growth, development, and positive societal changes, we also observe rising inequalities, human rights violations, and social problems.

In this day and age of fast and easy information sharing, it is highly unlikely that any crisis involving your organization will not reach the public or at least your staff. Crisis communications should therefore be one of the core disciplines that every communications team should seriously address.

Unveiling 'Checkbot' is a pioneering media literacy project at the forefront of empowering digital audiences now live on Facebook and Instagram.

Tips and tools for SEO and website analysis.

In Makaia, we work to strengthen social development capabilities based on technology, cooperation and innovation. From the Digital Resilience project, which is based on the Hive Mind platform, we seek to create and share tools, knowledge and good habits in the digital sphere to counteract misinformation in the Latin American region.

Here are some tips on how to start measuring the effectiveness of your own organizational communication.

Ever found yourself thinking, "How on earth do I connect with these Gen Z folks?" Well, look no further – you've landed in the right place! Watch this video recording from a recent, engaging Q&A session with our Comms Expert on Gen Z, Berina Bulatović, and tackle the perpetual challenge of improving your organization’s communication with the younger generation.

There is a Hungarian, civil concept that has reached Slovakia, Romania and even South Korea, which is the 1% model. This is the only form of direct control that taxpayers in this country have over how their taxes are spent. Which organisations are we happy to support? What does 1% mean for the NGO sector? What is the history of the 1% and what role has the NIOK Foundation played?

Civilians need to have more and more skills to reach the people who can become their future supporters. In today's media frenzy, you can't just stand out by being an interesting organisation and representing a good cause. That is why it is good for NGO members to keep themselves trained and learn, for example, how to target their audience or how to check whether their campaigns have achieved their objectives.

The Association of Environmental Service Providers and Manufacturers (KSZGYSZ) is one of the largest Hungarian environmental advocacy organizations, whose members are key players in the Hungarian green industry, covering the whole spectrum of environmental activities. KSZGYSZ works to promote the aspirations of its members at national and international level. The association, which currently has 269 members, has been coordinating and training actors in the Hungarian environmental protection, nature conservation and environmental industry for more than 30 years, and is a prominent partner of policy makers and almost all actors in the business community.

Unlock the power of storytelling with the takeaways from the "How to Keep Hope Alive in the Darkest of Times: Communicating Ukraine" online workshop by Val Voshchevska.

For NGOs, face-to-face meetings are very important, but in most cases, it is still necessary to keep in touch with donors and reach new people online. In addition, virtuality is becoming an increasingly important part of our daily lives, which is why every organisation needs to find the right channels of communication. Once they have that, they need to make their issue visible through a likeable message.

We invite you to learn the digital skill of designing, implementing, and developing online campaigns that drive your social organization's objectives within the channels your audience frequents.

What needs to be thought through and then re-planned in an advocacy campaign? How is it possible to keep a message alive for years? Can one of the most vulnerable people in the society fight for change? The 'Let's move so they can move!' campaign organiser tells us how it has been built in the fight for public and social recognition of homecare as a job.

How do different opinions appear in the media? Is there a place, a space for differences of opinion? What opportunities do we have as civilians to publish our own narratives?

One of the most recurring problems in the work of NGOs is how to get the message across. Often, developing an annual communications strategy can take up a lot of manpower and time, and a targeted campaign can be particularly challenging. But in almost all cases, coordinated and planned communication is essential to ensure the stable functioning of an NGO.

How can a theatre association and a school in a small town work together effectively? How to actively involve overburdened teachers and young people with difficulties beyond school? In February 2023, the NIOK Foundation organised a workshop entitled Acting Locally in partnership with the Hive Mind community. After the training, the selected participants were able to practice what they had learnt in implementing actions with the support of NIOK. The experiences of the Tandem Theatre's Local Impact action are shared below.

In this article you can find out more about the "Free January" campaign of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ)

The focus of the activities of the Children and Youth Self-Government Association (GYIÖT) is to increase the participation of young people, to develop the Hungarian youth profession and to raise its profile and recognition, typically through non-formal learning methods, with a wide range of programmes, both at national and international level. In this article we present our communication campaign "Are you involved in youth work?"

The results and experiences of the "I would like to teach" ("Tanítanék") movement in 2022 in Hungary

As the world grapples with the increasingly pressing need to address climate change and environmental issues, online disinformation campaigns have emerged as a powerful tool in the manipulation of public perspective, inspiring scepticism, and spreading false information.

Case study on the "Invalid question, invalid answer!" campaign of Amnesty International Hungary and the Háttér Society

A család az család — Family is family. It seems so self-explanatory, yet this phrase infuriated some while bringing hope to others. But how did this statement become a slogan of a movement for social equality in Hungary?

Case study on the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) #TogetherWithOneAnother campaign

In this article, we recommend 3+1 image editing programs - including free versions for NGOs - that don't require any complex graphic design skills, just some practice and a little creativity!

In the digital age, online campaigning is crucial for political and social activism. Whether promoting a political cause, raising awareness about an issue or rallying support for a charity, online campaigning can reach a wide audience and drive real change. To help maximize the impact of your outreach efforts, this article provides tips and tricks for effective online campaigning with a focus on search engine optimization (SEO).

At first glance, it may seem daunting to have a different interface, see different data, access everything from a different place, but these changes also bring with them more accurate measurement and greater security. In this article, we'll give you a quick and reliable overview of what changes to expect, what it will mean for website and Google Analytics account managers, and why it's important to make this transition as soon as possible.

When social media communication focuses on activating the audience for a charity purpose or organisation, on increasing reputation and on growing commitment, the creation of the marketing activity's strategy needs professional planning.

Besides the written and visual content of posts, we need to bear in mind the motivations and interests of the local target groups.

In this article, we describe the transformation of the Hungarian media system after 2010 and what civil organizations and activists can do in this centralised system. In the first half of the article, we will discuss the antidotes, while in the second half we will present the current situation.

The most important function of this highly centralised system is to effectively convey government (and pro-government) messages. It is almost impossible to find an effective and systemic antidote to this incredible volume, but it is worthwhile and important to speak out.

Testing and experiments can make a huge difference when it comes to results. The secret to great leadership in campaigning is to be open, and accepting of feedback; in other words: having the growth mindset.

In NIOK Foundation's latest podcast, we talked about the 1% of personal income tax that can be donated to nonprofits.

Every year in Hungary, more than 20,000 organizations compete for the 1% of tax donated by taxpayers.

The Theory of Change is a way to quickly check your assumptions and find the best strategy for reaching your goal. It sums up your goal, strategy and reasoning in one short statement, making the connection between them clear and easy to grasp.

If you want to involve more supporters and allies in your campaign or action, you need to learn more about them. The “Empathy Map” is a tool that helps you put yourself in the shoes of others and understand how they perceive the problem you want to solve.

It is easy to jump into problem-solving without critically evaluating the problem itself. The 4Ws method is a simple way to explore the problem space and formulate a problem statement, so you actually know what you need to focus on.

Your campaign pursues a specific purpose. So, you need to understand whether your actions make the intended impact. In order to do this right, you need the right kind of metrics.

In campaigning, the problems to solve are rooted in the power balance: who's got it and who hasn’t; who makes the decisions and who is affected by them.

When getting ready to design your online campaign, first, you need to understand the scope of the challenge you are tackling. You ought to figure out what IS the specific problem you should address with your campaign and what is its cause.

NGOs and activist groups often wish to involve famous people, influencers to their communication to reach a wider audience with their help. However, perhaps even the most open-minded organisations in Hungary would not have thought to ask "Pumped Gabo", originally known for his muscles and senseless partying, to be an ambassador for their cause. A coming of age story or the true face of a previously misunderstood celebrity? We looked at why the bodybuilder-turned-activist’s story works.

You think you don’t have the necessary resources or a sufficient budget to start a fundraising campaign? Yet, it's important for your organization to raise donations? Check out these smart & simple fundraising tips!

If your organization has run a crowdfunding campaign before, you are probably familiar with the basics of campaign planning and online fundraising.

We have collected a few tips that beginner fundraisers often don’t think of, but they could boost your crowdfunding success!

Hive Mind and NIOK's podcast is curious how active and socially aware Generation Z's young adults are. We caught up with two different organisations that have been successful in engaging young people: Greenpeace Hungary can proudly name many generations of activists and volunteers, while the Amigos for Kids Foundation has only been running for seven years but has already built a very strong community of student volunteers. Based on the podcast we have put together a list of key tips, communication channels to use and activities to organise in orther to successfully mobilise and involve young people.

What are the values ​​that as organizations and communicators we are promoting to build trust with our beneficiaries and our stakeholders? Building relationships of trust requires a high dose of humility, of seeing people and not just what they represent. Trust is earned by hand, not only by sharing timely and truthful information, but also by establishing permanent communication channels beyond the day-to-day news.

Nearly 100 years ago, on Easter Sunday, a group of women with cigarettes in their mouths walked down the most prestigious street in New York - Fifth Avenue, doing what women were not supposed to do – smoking in public, which back in the day was "not appropriate”.

Knowing your audience perfectly well is the cornerstone of every successful communication. So, there are three essential questions you need to get the answers to before you start crafting your campaign. The first one is about who you’re talking to, the second - about their behaviour related to your cause, and then the last one, to look for their motivation.

The second podcast of NIOK Foundation and Hive Mind focused on philanthropy as with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, another celebration has arrived: Giving Tuesday! Unfortunately the podcast itself is in Hungarian, but for those who are yet to learn this wonderful language, we have collected some tips and thoughts for NGOs from the conversation.