After decades of Soviet rule, Armenia faces the daunting task of building a non-profit/non-governmental sector in which civil society organizations have the resources and know-how to create political, economic, and social change on behalf of their constituents – all from scratch. Counterpart - through its Civic Advocacy Support Program (CASP) - is ensuring that such infant organizations have a place to obtain proper advocacy-related training, organizational development consultations, and learn about fundraising opportunities. Counterpart has been assisting three competitively selected organizations in building their capacities to serve as intermediary service organizations (ISOs) to meet the needs of civil society organizations throughout all of Armenia. The three ISOs are boldly stepping into their roles by providing comprehensive packages of services designed to help local organizations sustain themselves financially, conduct successful advocacy campaigns, and collaborate among each other. By providing the services for a fee, the ISOs are also building their own means of financial sustainability.

Since 2005, two of the ISOs—NGO Center Vanadzor (NGOCV) and Goris Teachers Union (GUM)—have generated an unprecedented 9,065,000 ADM (25,000 USD) in revenues through their for-profit subsidiaries. Since becoming ISOs, the organizations have increased their number of training modules to 35 - triple the anticipated increase - and expanded their client base from 48 to an astounding 457. Clients, which include businesses and government organizations, enjoy a wide variety of trainings and consultations, such as Advocacy Strategic Planning, How to Work with Mass Media, Proposal Design, Project Financial Management, Presentation Skills, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Research Design-Implementation-Analysis, Event Management/Logistical & Administrative Support, and computer courses.

Counterpart’s hands-on consultations on revenue-generating techniques have helped the ISOs establish solid financial footings and ensure financial sustainability. Counterpart’s customized business plan development support along with consistent advocacy, organizational development, and grants management assistance, have helped the ISOs to better market themselves, create more effective pricing schemes, build solid reputations with clients, and strategically invest in developing more attractive service packages in a competitive training and consulting market. Counterpart’s support has built the professional capacity of the ISOs’ staff, enabling them to deliver trainings and consultations rather than hiring external consultants to do so.

The rapid advancement and success of the ISOs’ service provision is an excellent indicator that when Counterpart’s Civic Advocacy Support Program concludes in two years, it will have left behind an integral component to a robust Armenian civil society infrastructure: three self-sustaining intermediary service organizations able not only to make grants available to local organizations, but also to provide them with sophisticated trainings and consultations so they might be effective links between citizens and their government.