Npo Fundraising Through Tourism

Abstract

Purpose -Civil society associations, the most common form of non-profit organizations in Croatia, have a wide range of possibilities for operating in the tourism system and integrating their own activities and goals with the tourism goals of the area in which they operate. Associations engaged in tourism have a broad spectrum of opportunities to raise funds for their activities which, ultimately, helps to enhance their financial stability by increasing the share of their own earned income (self-funding) and reducing the share of public grants, which currently make up the largest share in the income structure of associations in Croatia. The objective and purpose of this paper is to determine to what extent associations (that have an effect on tourism) have recognized the possibilities of raising funds, available to them through tourism system. Methodology: For this purpose, an online survey was conducted among the members of associations in four of the most developed tourism destinations in Croatia according to the tourist traffic data for the last 10 years (Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Poreč, Medulin). The research was conducted on the sample of 205 associations, which, according to their scope of activity, have a direct or indirect impact on tourism. Findings -Based on the conducted research, it is evident that associations operating in tourism fail to use, to any significant extent, certain potentially very effective methods of fundraising and they do not perceive tourists as potential donors and a source of funding. One of the underlying reasons is certainly insufficient knowledge about the possibilities of fundraising in general, and especially about the possibilities of fundraising for associations operating in tourism destinations. Contribution -The contribution of this paper is that it regards associations as part of the tourism system and provides an overview of fundraising opportunities for associations whose activities affect tourism.