ACTION PLAN FOR DIASPORA PHILANTHROPY
MAY 17-20, 2018
Establishment of a Global Albanian Foundation
PURPOSE
The purpose of this component of Germin’s Action Plan is to establish and develop the Global Albanian Foundation (GAF), which will promote Albanian Philanthropy in the Diaspora and support non-profit organizations in all Western Balkan countries where Albanians live. Additionally, we aim to develop a decentralized, 21st-century approach compared to the centralized methods of the past century.
OUR OBJECTIVES
- Establish the Global Albanian Foundation (GAF) in the USA and at least one other EU country to oversee donations from Albanians worldwide to non-profit organizations in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Southern Serbia.
- Develop a digital philanthropy platform for fundraising, enabling the global Albanian community to contribute directly to organizations and projects they wish to support based on location, sector, or other criteria they consider important.
- Over time, transform into a large humanitarian foundation with significant Albanian and non-Albanian donors (individuals and corporations) to serve as a Donor-Advised Fund, distributing small and large grants to deserving non-profit organizations in the Western Balkans.
SUPPORT FOR NON-PROFIT FUNDRAISING
The GAF will assist non-profit organizations in raising funds through the following:
- Providing a reliable link from a diaspora-based organization (GAF) that potential donors, both from the Albanian Diaspora and beyond, can trust to evaluate recipient organizations’ credibility, competence, impact, and transparency.
- Offering an online donation mechanism for all non-profit organizations in the Western Balkans, which currently does not exist, thereby making philanthropy more accessible and reducing costs (starting at a 1% fee for donations).
- Providing a tax advantage mechanism for donors from the Albanian Diaspora, which is not possible when donating directly to non-profits in the Western Balkans.
PROFILE
The Albanian nation consists of approximately 10 million people across several countries, with a significant proportion living outside their countries of origin—Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. As a percentage of the total population, it represents the largest European diaspora and one of the largest worldwide, with over 25% of its population emigrating in the last 25 years.
Historically, the diaspora’s most significant financial contribution has been through remittances. However, remittances have declined dramatically by over 50% in the past 5–10 years as the diaspora has become more settled outside Kosovo and Albania. This trend is expected to continue as the Albanian Diaspora remains outside its countries of origin. It’s worth noting that, due to higher income levels in emigrant countries compared to the countries of origin, the Albanian Diaspora holds a significant concentration of wealth. The question arises: how can we attract a portion of this wealth back to the region to promote 21st-century economic and social development?
Albanian Diaspora Philanthropy provides such a mechanism. Albanians in the diaspora are less inclined to invest large amounts of wealth in their countries of origin due to high investment risks and the inability to oversee investments due to distance. However, many are willing to donate hundreds or thousands of dollars to organizations in their countries of origin, particularly as the Albanian Diaspora now includes millions of middle-class individuals in Europe and the United States.
To read the full Action Plan by the Task Force on Albanian Diaspora Philanthropy, please click HERE.