The National Alliance for Social Responsibility is a non-profit legal entity performing activities for public benefit. The organisation unites and motivates and supports business entities, non-profit legal entities, municipalities, municipal and regional structures and organisations in their efforts and capacity for implementing social engagement and social responsibility policies and activities.
For over twenty years the Alliance has gained extremely useful and successful experience by implementing significant and innovative European and national cooperation projects in the field of social services, the partnership with socially responsible employers, employment, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, culture, etc.
NASO was recognized as a national umbrella organisation by Decision No. 120 of the Council of Ministers of 2 March 2011 and Decision No. 41 of 24 January 2020.
NASO is actively involved in the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, the National Council for Social Inclusion and the National Council for Child Protection.
NASO is a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Council of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy.
NASO participates in working groups tasked with consultations and legislative changes in social policies and services, the social and solidarity economy, as well as in other current topics on the agenda of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.
NASO is the Bulgarian representative of EASPD (the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities).
The mission of the organisation is to unite, motivate and support business entities, non-profit legal entities, municipalities, municipal and regional structures and organisations in their efforts and capacity by providing them with opportunities for national and international partnership and participation in the establishment and implementation of socially responsible behaviour, policies and activities in support of different social communities for a better quality of life and accelerated social development of Bulgaria.
- To perform activities for the benefit of the whole society contributing to a better quality of life of the people in need of support and the wellbeing of people living in Bulgaria;
- To support social service providers, employers hiring people with disabilities and other social structures and promote their contribution to improving social inclusion and the quality of life of the population;
- To support socially responsible employers to increase their contribution to the social development in Bulgaria, implement fair pay policies, and develop human resources capacity;
- To motivate and promote the activity of socially responsible employers supporting the society by providing employment and sponsorship opportunities, making donations, and conducting other socially engaged activities;
- To motivate municipalities, local and regional structures and other institutions to shape a socially aware environment and policies for social development and wellbeing;
- To cooperate with culture and arts-related organisations and institutions in implementing activities, initiatives and projects contributing to personal development and cultivating public attitudes to positive and socially responsible behaviour.
To support its members and structures in developing and providing high-quality and efficient social services;
To promote employment development policies by actively boosting supported and inclusive employment resulting in personal and professional fulfilment and overcoming barriers to lead active lives;
To develop the CSR idea focusing on people and their right to an adequate standard of living;
To build up a national network of socially responsible companies contributing to the social development in Bulgaria:
To stimulate social entrepreneurship by changing the regulatory framework and giving benefits to the social and solidarity economy entities;
To build up a national network of socially responsible employers who introduce new forms of employment for persons with disabilities and other groups in need of support;
To promote the use of arts and culture as an effective tool for influencing social activity and inclusion;
To participate in updating the regulatory framework and formulating active social policies through a partnership with national and local authorities in the social sector;
To build bridges of interaction and cooperation with all stakeholders at European and national level;
To raise awareness, promote sharing good practices and give support for all organisations contributing to the social development in Bulgaria.
To forge international and national partnerships;
To launch and develop efficient social services and employment in support of people with disabilities and others in need and improve the standards for those working in the social sector;
To take part in the decentralizing of the social service system by stimulating and involving municipalities and NGOs in the deinstitutionalization process of social services;
To develop new local and national disability employment policies and services;
To provide supported and inclusive employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and others in need in the open labour market in regular workplace settings;
To share information and expertise and provide domestic and foreign innovative experience to stimulate the social innovation in Bulgaria;
To build up and maintain a database of analyses of topics on the NASO agenda;
To encourage and take part in cultural and spiritual activities focused on social engagement;
To hold national, regional and local forums and conferences, carry out projects and provide training courses;
To participate in national, consultative, expert and professional councils;
To develop the social and solidarity economy and CSR throughout the country;
To participate in European professional events for sharing and acquiring knowledge, gaining experience and seizing opportunities;
To encourage an active social commitment with the NASO cause through its media and in partnership with leading national and regional print and electronic media;
To attract new members and partners;
To increase the members’ capacity and create conditions for active and effective involvement in the NASO activity;
To build up a network of collaborators, experts, trainers, volunteers, partners and others;
To provide the NASO members and representations with methodical support for performing the organisation of on-site activities.
NASO activities are conducted by its members that include:
Organisations of service providers for persons with disabilities and other social groups;
Socially responsible employers contributing to CSR and social engagement;
Municipalities and structures implementing innovative social policies and practices to improve living conditions in municipalities and regions;
Culture and arts-related organisations performing socially significant activities, projects and products.
The local partnership with the regional cities is established and maintained by the NASO representations.
The NASO operational activity is conducted by a Secretariat functioning at a national office in Sofia and an administrative office in Varna.
The NASO team consists of experts, trainers, part-time associates and others.
The National Alliance for Social Responsibility has agreed to continue the tradition established by its founders to give national awards. This is aimed at fulfilling the NASO objectives of motivating, stimulating and promoting social responsibility policies and activities in Bulgaria.
Since 2010 NASO has given its traditional annual awards for contribution to the social development in Bulgaria in various categories, as winners have been municipalities, corporations, NGOs, social services, employers, universities.
In 2019, on the occasion of the NASO 10th-anniversary, the Board expanded the circle of award recipients and significantly increased their number to emphasize the importance of founders, members and partners.
The awards were given in the main categories: Municipalities, Corporations, NGOs, Social Services, Employers, Universities and Individual Awards; and a State Institutions category was added to honour the anniversary.
According to the NASO Board decision, the 10th-anniversary awards were set up to be given for active social policies and significant contribution to the social development in Bulgaria.
In 2020 the NASO Board set up national awards for inclusive employment, CSR and social entrepreneurship that were the main topics at the conference held in Varna.
Within the conference, the NASO President Georgi Georgiev presented Plamen Nikolov, director-general of Esetere Bulgaria – Dobrich, with an award for active, effective and innovative disability employment policies and inclusion practices for people with disabilities in Bulgaria.
Nikolay Chudotvorets Foundation – Dobrich was also awarded for implementing ‘The Wonderful Garden’ project and an effective and efficient social entrepreneurship. The ‘Wonderful Garden’ supports and employs 22 persons with disabilities, 15 of whom with intellectual disabilities at age 20 to 55.
