The "Biz de Varız" Project, which we submitted to the Grant Program of the "Strengthening Non-Governmental Organizations and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for the Development of Women's Rights and Gender Equality in Turkey" supported by the United Nations Women's Unit (UN WOMEN) and the European Union was initiated in December 2021 and will be completed on 30 June 2022. The general purpose of our BİZ DE VARIZ project is to increase the institutional capacity of our Rural Women's Movement Association.
-UN Women Turkey Representatives Ms. Mrs. Irmak İnan Çınar and Mrs. Gökhan Yalçın has joined the monitoring visit meeting. Vice President Ülkü TELATAR KUTANIS and Secretary of the Board of Directors Berrin TELATAR KUTANIS attended the meeting on behalf of the Biz De Varız Association.
At the meeting, the results of the Biz De Varız Strategy exploration meeting held in December and January;the Corporate Strategy of the Biz De Varız Association prepared after this meeting, the materials of the Communication Strategy of the and the Volunteering Strategy of the Biz De Varız Association, and the project financial report were examined.
The monitoring visit meeting lasted about 2 hours and ended with good wishes.
We are strengthening our knowledge, experience and our staff, with the women activists in the Black Sea Region while continuing the corporate structuring of Women’s Movement in Rural Regions Association (BIZ DE VARIZ), one of the most long-established institutions of the Black Sea Region with a 12-year history. We advocate for all human rights issues, mainly the women’s right, we took a crucial step in becoming the model non-governmental organization both in the Black Sea Region and in the entire country and moreover, we turned BIZ DE VARIZ Association into a center of attraction by joining the National Quality Movement.
During the period that started in December 2021, we, as the 18th Board of Directors of BIZ DE VARIZ Association, organized numerous events and activities in the fields of civil society and lobbying in order to empower women’s rights in the Black Sea Region with our board of directors, members, and volunteers.
Within the scope of our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, we established a corporate organization that constantly renews itself with the functional governance, performance-based human resources, sustainable financial structure, and corporate infrastructure for BIZ DE VARIZ Association. We prepared the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan of BIZ DE VARIZ Association, with a 12-year historical knowledge and experience. We defined the main strategies and targets in line with these strategies and we will take action to prevent the fundamental problems of the civil society to the extent national and international capacity allows no matter where these issues arise from.
We want to emphasize the important role BIZ DE VARIZ Association assumes in advocacy and lobbying for all human rights, mainly women’s rights in the Black Sea Region and we hope this plan acts as a beacon guide in the activities of BIZ DE VARIZ Association.
The wide extent of the activity scope of Biz De Varız Association and the fact that its activities are related to numerous stake holders necessitated an efficient and sustainable communication process with all sections engaged in this wide activity scope.
Participation, one of the major elements of a changing and improving management approach, requires sustainable activities and services to be developed in coordination with all sections. Biz De Varız Association defines individuals, groups or institutions that are directly or indirectly, positively or negative affected from its activities or that have an impact on the association as stakeholders. In this respect, the Communication Strategy of Biz De Varız Association is prepared with the purpose of regional advocacy and lobbying, based on a participatory approach, in order to resolve issues that are defined and deemed as necessities by the stakeholders and in accordance with the suggestions of its members, volunteers, and related stakeholders. The preparation efforts were evaluated at the Strategy Seeking Meetings (meeting photos are provided in Annex 2), and the final strategic document was completed. This document is also deemed as a guiding fundamental document for the 2022-2027 Corporate Strategic Plan.
The Communication Strategy Document of Biz De Varız Association focuses on the design process, strategic framework, and basic tools to be used for the communication and promotion strategy. This document also covers rules for the effective and efficient use of communication approaches, techniques, media, tools, and methods between local and national stakeholders. In this way, the stakeholders and association executives are able to view how to implement the plan step by step, how to apply the relevant strategies and are able to view and evaluate the entire process.
Why do we need a Communication Strategy?
Biz De Varız Association needs to accomplish proper communication in order to achieve its mission: “Conduct advocacy, campaigning, research, training, and lobbying works within its priority fields to improve participation and democracy in civil society, to empower organization and autonomy, and to enable that the civil society has a say in decision-making processes.” The fundamental purposes of the communication strategy are as follows:
These include:
• Transforming the results of communication and promotion questionnaires and meetings into a useful strategy document,
• Prioritizing issues, problems, needs, opportunities, and solutions defined in order to create open and realistic communication targets,
• Reviewing the characteristics of the target audience selected for messages, communication channels, tools, and activities,
• Selecting and designing efficient and suitable communication approaches in order to use information and information resources that are suitable for the relevant region in local and regional activities,
• Establishing appropriate messages for the target audience,
• Selecting appropriate media and tools for the target audience,
• Guiding stakeholder individuals and organizations to enable to most effective and suitable use of selected activities, media tools, and channels,
• Monitoring implementation of the communication strategy and assessing and inspecting the impact of the communication strategy after it is completed,
• Enhancing public awareness about Biz De Varız Association and civil society,
• Highlighting the priorities and activities to develop cooperation, values, and vision,
• Informing NGOs and associations/organizations about where they will stand in terms of corporate communication and how they will convey their views,
• Providing opportunities for more comprehensive participation for targets that are harder to reach in the society during cooperation efforts,
• Providing feedback on how views and suggestions of stakeholders are assessed and demonstrate accountability,
• Emphasizing the importance of cooperation and participation in overcoming challenges,
• Communicating with local, regional, national, and international institutions,
• Ensuring that the messages given are understood, participating to the messages of the stakeholder and ensuring communication.
A Non-Governmental Organization with an extensive volunteer network must have, primarily, detected its main problem and area of engagement, and must have conveyed these properly to the society and must have ensured that this issue is embraced by other individuals in the society. Members, volunteers, expert committees, and donors are the most crucial elements of the power of a Non-Governmental Organization. The expansion of this base enhances the legitimacy of the Non-Governmental Organization being the spokesperson for social demands. Extensive and qualified volunteer base means that a Non-Governmental Organization can benefit from human resources,one that the organization can never have without its financial resources, without any actual financial spending. Moreover, using the power of volunteers without purchasing professional services is again a crucial quality for a Non-Governmental Organization even for one with such financial power. Because ensuring participation is a skill that renders a Non-Governmental Organization really civil and social. This is one of the major differences between a private company and a Non-Governmental Organization. Almost all Non-Governmental Organizations need volunteering for various reasons. Volunteers can assume different functions from accessing material and immaterial resources, supporting the management, encouraging participation in society to the expansion of the success and services of the organization. Both the volunteer and the Non-Governmental Organization have the right to choose each other.
Based on these, with the Biz De Varız Project Strategic Seeking Meetings, the needs of the Women’s Movement in Rural Regions Association (BIZ DE VARIZ) were determined and then, the “Volunteering Handbook for Women’s Movement in Rural Regions (BIZ DE VARIZ)” was prepared.
“Biz De Varız” project, which we presented to the Project Grant Program "Strengthening Non-Governmental Organizations and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for the Development of Women's Rights and Gender Equality in Turkey" supported by the European Union (EU) and United Nations Women's Unit (UN Women's Unit) was accepted. Our project was initiated on December 1, 2021 and will continue for 6 months.
The general purpose of our BİZ DE VARIZ project is to increase the institutional capacity of our Rural Women's Movement Association.
Special objective:
Objective-1:Another aim of the project is to improve strategic and analytical capacity of BIZ DE VARIZ, create the BIZ DE VARIZ brand, and ensure robustness and institutional sustainability.
Objective-2: It is also aimed to improve knowledge and strengthen capacity of BIZ DE VARIZ regarding basic elements of the advocacy concept and advocacy process through capacity strengthening materials and training seminars,
Objective-3: Finally, the project aims to efficiently promote projects/studies carried out by BIZ DE VARIZ and improve their visibility, thereby increasing BIZ DE VARIZ Association’s recognition.
“Active and Conscious Membership” trainings were provided with the participation of all members of association. A total of 105 people attended these trainings. 100 of these participants are women and five are men.
Our association's Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn social media accounts have been activated.