National
Development Agency

Civil Auction was launched in 2008 as a special sustainability event, which chose an unusual method for linking the corporate and civil sectors and strengthening the dialogue between them. “Both our short and long term goals are to present to both parties the market and business opportunities hidden in them”, said Gyöngyvér Kiss, spokesperson for the Civil Auction. “We consider it important to raise awareness that civil groups are not only the potential target groups of donation activities but also a source of knowledge representing potential financial value for companies. That is why we encourage them every year to attempt to establish services for companies based on their special know-how which could mean potential benefit, competitive advantage and applicable knowledge for companies. This way real business could be established between the two sectors as an outstanding manifestation of sustainable operation and development”, the spokesperson added.

Main consideration: corporate usability

Civil organisations may win the right to participate in the Civil Auction by way of applications. Applicants may submit applications focusing on almost any field of environmental and social sustainability, they must, however, consider that the service should fit in the operation of a company, be usable by a company and offer a proposal for solution for a real market demand, mixed of course with the features of its own field. The organisers expect even more applications from civil organisations this year as the application conditions have been eased: "We would like to see more and more civil organisations every year opening up to the for-profit sector this way as well since we believe that organisations not selected among the top 10 will be given a new guideline on how to approach companies", added Gyöngyvér Kiss. Civil organisations may submit their applications by 31 July 2012, which will be assessed by an independent jury consisting of CSR experts, sociologists and company experts.

Successfully implemented projects in corporate practice

During the past four years of the sustainability auction of Civil Auction forty civil services were sold, the hammer value amounted to nearly HUF nine million. From among the services of the last year several have already been implemented. OTP successfully purchased two services last year, the Welcoming Workplace Programme of GAK Oktató, Kutató és Innovációs Nonprofit Közhasznú Kft, and the volunteer programme of Egyesek Youth Association called GAMEkapocs. Within the framework of the Egyesek Youth Association’s programme ten volunteers of the bank were invited to spend one day with mentally handicapped and healthy young people in the building of Speciális Oktató és Foglalkoztató Intézmény (SOFI – Special Training and Activity Institution). The programme organisers said that the most important gift given by the participants was spending a day with handicapped children and paying attention only to them. From the accounts of the bank’s volunteers, however, it turned out that it had just happened to be the other way around, the givers being the children, not them.

Nextent Informatika Zrt was the most successful bidder of last year purchasing a total of four civil services at the auction, of which it gave two to its corporate partners as a gift.
"From among the services offered to our partners I wish to highlight the one called ‘Professional customer service for special people’ sold by Szempont Foundation, which we offered to the customer service department of one of our biggest telecommunication partners”, said Tamás Gátfalvi, Deputy Chief Executive of Nextent Informatika Zrt. “The training focusing on appropriate service to be given to blind and partially sighted people did not only give theoretical knowledge to our partner but also a practical one easy to put into practice in the everyday customer service work, therefore in an unusual manner we could perhaps make our small contribution to the future successes of our partner”, added Mr Gátfalvi. Employees of the company participated in the “Theatre volunteer programme” of Salva Vita Foundation, providing all with a unique and unforgettable experience. Nextent presented the environmental and nature protection camp of Szada Meseház Cultural Foundation to 30 primary school children of the Fekete István Primary School of Galgamácsa; the children will participate in a useful training combined with camping at the end of June. ”We will, of course, be among the sponsors of the Civil Auction this year as well. We are convinced that all the programmes offered by the civil bodies will help us understand and accept each other, making us also better people at the end of the day” the deputy chief executive said.

Value-based thinking as a token of development

In line with the traditions of the previous years the professional sponsor of the programme is the National Development Agency. “The incorporation of knowledge, good practices and experiences gained and accumulated by the civil organisations via the programmes supported by European Union resources in the operation of companies is of key importance”, said Zoltán Petykó, President of the National Development Agency. “The growth of enterprises should not only mean financial growth, but a knowledge-based welcoming approach, the development of internal company culture and the effective realization of sustainability ideas which should also help to narrow the gap between Hungary and the leading European countries. The foundations of today’s economic structure are obviously shaking, so the strictly profit-maximizing model will sooner or later be replaced by a new economic paradigm based on solidarity, responsibility and values. It is our common task to support this, and the Civil Auction’s sustainability auction is a remarkable contribution”, the president added.
The sustainability auction of the Civil Auction will be held this year at the Design Terminal on 6 November 2012, accompanied by an exciting event worthy of the “round anniversary” in line with the traditions of the previous years, however, the organisers will only disclose details later.