TechSoup Romania offers to all Romanian NGOs support and inspiration to use technology to make Romania a better place. Since 2009, together with our donor partners (Adobe, Microsoft and CISCO), we have helped almost 800 Romanian nonprofit organizations save more than 1,7 million US dollars by accessing technology donations.

1. 2013:
TECHSOUP ROMANIA
ANNUAL REPORT

2. We empower NGOs to
operate at their full
potential.
TechSoup Romania offers to all
Romanian NGOs support and
inspiration to use technology to make
Romania a better place.
We work towards increasing the
adoption rate of the newest software and
online technologies: from cloud software
solutions to online marketing, social
media or online fundraising.
We have made it our purpose to also
develop programs that link the very
active and enthusiastic local IT industry
to the NGO sector, such
as ReStart Romania, Restart in
Education, Innovation Labs or Opening
Opportunities.
Since 2009, together with our donor
partners (Adobe, Microsoft and CISCO),
we have helped almost 800 Romanian
nonprofit organizations save more than
1,7 million US dollars by accessing
technology donations.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
2

3. 2013:
OUR RESULTS
2013: OUR EVENTS
3

4. We believe that technology
empowers NGOs to do even
more good.
Software
products
available
$2500 - the average value
of a software donation to
an NGO in 2013
156
NGOs in the community
781
9
Donations
processed
236
Total savings to the NGO sector in 2013
$597,753
Licenses donated
1345
Online and
Offline
technology
trainings
288
NGO
employees
trained
1921
$1,706,588
Market value of software and hardware donations
between 2009-2013
Facebook
community
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
4

5. 33 NGO representatives
daily average number of
visitors
Online media mentions
Unique visitors www.techsoup.ro
12,228
477
twitter followers @techsoupromania
503
Online impressions
Facebook mentions
204
1,584
NGOs receiving our news
441,000
20,637
Unique visitors on all our websites
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
5

6. In 2013, we have diversified
our funding sources.
Microsoft grant for Opening
Opportunities
$50,000
Private Donations
$10,000
Microsoft grant for Innovation Labs
$30,000
Operational Revenues
$19,300
$25,000
In-kind support in 2013
$4,200
Microsoft grant for
Connections
$138,500
Total revenues in 2013
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
6

7. 2013:
ACTIVITIES AND
TIMELINE
2013: OUR EVENTS
7

8. 23rd April
www.sexulvsbarza.ro launch in
Restart Romania
21st January
Microsoft Romania
21st January webapp
training for ReStart Romania
Microsoft Romania
26th June
launch of Opening Opportunities
at Gandul live
17th April
Boost Day Innovation Labs
webapp training for
ReStart Romania
14th January
Google Romania training for
ReStart Romania
January
14th-15th March
TechSoup Romania @ Connection
by Impact Hub
February
21st February
IT Spark webinar on the
new Office
March
2nd-3rd March
Innovation Labs
Hackathon
16th April
Digital Storytelling Global
Tweet Chat
April
9th May
Techsoup Romania @
TechHub launch
May
22nd May
Demo Day
Innovation Labs
1st August
on TechSoup Romania /
webinar
18th June
NGOs Connection Days at
Microsoft Romania
June
July
August
15th July
Excel tips and tricks for
NGOs / webinar
27th March
www.lipsatratament.ro launch
in Restart Romania
2013: OUR EVENTS
8

9. 15th October
train the mentors in Opening
Opportunities
15th November
Opening Opportunities launch
in Onesti
14th November
Opening Opportunities
launch in Târgu-Jiu
14th October
train the mentors in Opening
Opportunities
10th October
train the mentors in Opening
Opportunities
September
26th September
Crowdfunding for NGOs with
PotSiEu / webinar
1st November
train the mentors in Opening
Opportunities
October
30th October
TechSoup Romania @ Future
Communities by IREX
12th November
Opening Opportunities launch
in Iasi
22nd November
Opening Opportunities
launch in Segarcea
21st November
Social Media for NGOs /
webinar
20th November
Opening Opportunities
launch in Cluj-Napoca
November
9th December
The challenge of new technologies
at NGO Forum
4th December
Opening Opportunities
launch in Sibiu
8th December
TechSoup Romania @ Impact Festival
by Impact Hub
December
26th November
Opening Opportunities
launch in Craiova
27th November
Coding workshop for NGOs
with ROSEdu
27th November
Opening Opportunities
launch in Târgoviste
12th December
Online forms for NGOs with
123ContactForm / webinar
16th December
Launch of the 2013: the year in
TechSoup Romania stories
28th November
Opening Opportunities
launch in Focsani
29th November
Opening Opportunities launch
in Medias
2013: OUR EVENTS
9

10. www.openingopportunities.ro
Timeline
May 2013 - June 2014
OPENING OPPORTUNITIES
Find out more about the project
www.openingopportunities.ro
www.facebook.com/OpeningOpportunities
In 2013, together with IREX Romania/Biblionet
and Microsoft Romania, we have opened the
complicated road of career mentorship in
Romanian highschools.
Outcome
61 mentors
17 librarians
347 high-school students
10 local events, over 1400 high-school
students
47 mentoring groups
Opening Opportunities is a national mentoring
program for high school pupils and students,
implemented in 10 strategic locations in Romania:
Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Focsani, Iasi, Medias,
Onesti, Targu-Jiu, Targoviste, Segarcea, Sibiu
Partners
The project is directly facilitated by the local
public libraries network in those cities, together
with our partner Biblionet.
IREX România / Biblionet
Microsoft Romania
Zitec
In October and November 2013 joined by our
amazing Microsoft mentors, we visited all these
cities and discussed with more than 1400 highschools students about career opportunities.
In 2014, we will continue the activities on the
platform developed to support the mentorship
activities and the best students will have shadow
mentorship opportunities at the Bucharest offices
of Microsoft.
Opening Opportunities at Onesti, photo credit: Bogdan Grigore
Visual identity created by Simon Dietrich, www.simon-dietrich.com
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
10

11. 2013.innovationlabs.ro
Timeline
May 2012 - June 2013
Find out more about the project
www.innovationlabs.ro
www.facebook.com/ILabsRo
www.twitter.com/ILabsRo
Outcome
50 mentors
17 companies
3 events
11 teams graduated with functional
prototypes
teams finalists in How to Web 2013 and
RICAP
1 winner of IXIA Innovation Award at the
How to Web 2013
Partners
TechLounge
Microsoft
Universitatea Politehnica din București
Adobe Systems Romania,
Intel Romania, Ixia,
Electronic Arts Romania, Misys,
RevoGames Solutions, Ubisoft,
Good Afternoon,
ANIS, TechAngels,
TechHub Bucuresti, How to Web
Simon Dietrich, DasCloud
Adevărul Tech, Softbinator
INNOVATION
LABS 1.0
In 2013, we supported the mapping of the first
tech accelerator for students in Romania, together
with TechLounge and Microsoft Romania.
In 2014, the amazing journey will be continued by
our partners: TechLounge, Microsoft, ANIS and
University Politehnica of Bucharest.
Innovation Labs is a learning-by-doing quest
for students to nurture a hatching idea into an
amazing tech product - the first tech accelerator
for students in Romania, implemented for the
first time in 2013 by TechSoup Romania and
TechLounge.
12 student teams participated in the project and 11
teams graduated in front of 100 representatives of
the local IT industry and angel investors.
The students participated in 8 extensive
mentoring sessions, covering everything from
leadership and product management to branding
and storytelling.
8 public talks organized in the Politehnica
University introduced students to leadership and
management concepts presented by IT leaders.
3 public events helped the teams polish their
public presentation and pitching skills.
Visual identity created by Simon Dietrich, www.simon-dietrich.com
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
11

12. www.restartromania.ro
Timeline
May 2012 - April 2013
Find out more about the project
www.restartromania.ro
RESTART
ROMANIA
In 2013, we ended our challenging journey
empowering online civic participation in
Romania.
Partners
Supported by Trust for Civil Society in
Central and Eastern Europe.
We facilited the creation of 10 websites in 2012
and 2013 that showcase the power of technology
in empowering civic participation:
ReStart Romania was one of six challenges in
the CEE region – all supported by TechSoup
Global and the local United States Embassy – that
create a platform for civil society activism in each
country and aim to return civil society’s power
base to the people.
Outcome
102 ideas received
3 functional project
1950 users on the platform
2500 Facebook community
15.650 unique visitors
599 online media mentions
1.023.000 online impressions
2012
www.banipierduti.ro
www.cineceapromis.ro
harta.plantamfaptebune.ro
www.medalert.ro
www.orasulmeu2020.ro
www.piatadespaga.ro
ReStart Romania was a challenge, inviting the
pitching and discussion of ideas that tackle
difficult issues in Romania with the help of webbased tools.
Microsoft România, Senior Interactive,
Romanian American Foundation,
Erste Foundation, GTS Telecom,
Oracle România, Zitec, Webikon,
Drupal România, Good Afternoon.
With the support of a strong community, the
ideas are shared online, then narrowed down
to seven finalists, who receive help to build
prototype versions of their technical solutions. At
the culminating awards event, three winners are
selected. The winners received ongoing support to
launch their applications and engage Romania’s
citizens in improving their lives.
Supported by the US Embassy in
Bucharest.
With the support of UK Embassy, Canada
Embassy, Austrian Embassy
Media campaign supported by
Gândul.info, Mediafax, Business Magazin,
Decât o Revistă, Gazeta de Sud,
Craiova.ro, ZeList Monitor
2013
www.lipsatratament.ro
www.orasultuturor.ro
www.sexulvsbarza.ro
The initiative will be continued by the amazing
community of Restarters that created these
projects of online civic participation.
ReStart Romania Gala in 2012, photo credit: Andrei Cojan
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
12

13. www.restartedu.ro
Timeline
November 2011 - December 2013
RESTART IN EDUCATION
Find out more about the project
www.restartedu.ro
www.facebook.com/RestartinEducatie
Outcome
650 ideas received
7 community events
(Imaginarium, Gala, Unconference, Camp)
33.500 unique visitors
11.000 votes
5022 Facebook community
Our partners
CROS
Romanian-American Foundation
Microsoft Romania
RestartEdu Camp, photo credit: CROS
Started in 2011, as a online challenge to bring
new ideas in education in Romania, RestartEdu
is now an independent community of education
innovators, thanks to our partner CROS.
More than 50 members are regurarly participating
in the meeting organized by CROS and they will
continue to develop the community in the next
years.
In 2013, this community grew in strenth and
after the RestartEDU Camp in September 2013
becomed more powerful and connected.
Don’t forget to visit www.timebank.ro, one of the
projects developed within the project.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
13

14. 2013:
TECHSOUP
TEAM
2013: OUR EVENTS
14

15. TECHSOUP
ROMANIA
TEAM
TECHSOUP
ROMANIA
BOARD
Radu MOTOC
executive director
President and founder
Christopher WORMAN
Elena COMAN
programs manager
Board member
Ildiko PETER
Madalina OPRISAN
communication coordinator
Board member
Hunor HEGYI
Steliana MORARU
NGO community manager
Adina ANGHELACHE
intern April - September 2013
www.techsoup.ro
contact@techsoup.ro
RAF House, 6 Gina Patrichi Street,
Bucharest
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
15

16. Thank you all for your
consistent and generous
support to our activity.
OUR FRIENDS
AND PARTNERS
We are grateful to our donations partners
that have made TechSoup possible for
Romanian NGOs:
Adobe
Cisco
Microsoft
Our activity in 2013 was supported by our local
and global partners:
Microsoft Romania
Romanian-American Foundation
Bitdefender
Fundcja TechSoup
TechSoup Global
Thank you to all our
partners in 2013:
IREX Romania / Biblionet
123ContactForm
UberVU
TechLounge
ANIS
TechHub Bucharest
HowToWeb
Google Romania
Zitec
ROSEdu
Good Afternoon
EuroCloud
IT Spark
Softbinator
TechAngels
Simon Dietrich
Zelist Monitor
SeniorHyper
MediaIQ
Adevarul Tech
DasCloud
StiriONG
Romania Pozitiva
Al Treilea Sector
RedBull
Staropramen
Starbucks
Ateliere fara Frontiere
Impact Hub
DreamCatchers
Gala Societatii Civile
Societal
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
16

17. 2013:
THE YEAR IN
TECHSOUP
STORIES
2013: OUR EVENTS
17

18. We believe that technology
empowers NGOs to do even more
good.
We strongly believe that having access
to the right technology at the right
moment can empower NGOs to do more
good: from better outreach to their
constituents and delivery of services to
the people they help, to more effective
advocacy and fundraising for the causes
they promote.
Here are some true stories about
Romanian NGOs and how technology
has made them stronger in 2013.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
18

19. “
- The donated Cisco
equipment - helps us a lot
in our daily work because it
is professional. We have no IN
BRIEF
errors with it. None at all.”
Ilie Preda, ARAS IT Coordinator
Who are they?
ARAS (Romanian Anti-AIDS Organization)
www.arasnet.ro
CISCO DONATION HELPS GROUP FIGHT
AIDS IN ROMANIA
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They inform and educate people about the
dangers of AIDS and ways to prevent HIV
infections.
How big are they?
75 employees; 30 volunteers
What did they receive?
Cisco 2960 Series 48-Port LAN Lite Ethernet
Switch
Cisco Rollover RJ-45 Serial Console Cable for
Wireless LAN Products
Cisco 890 Series Gigabit Ethernet Security Router
Cisco 2960 Series 48-Port LAN Lite Ethernet
Switch
Cisco Rollover RJ-45 Serial Console Cable for
Wireless LAN Products
Cisco 890 Series Gigabit Ethernet Security Router
What was the outcome?
ARAS became more efficient and
increased its workflow.
ARAS (Romanian Anti-AIDS Organization) has
helped more than 5,000 people who are drug
addicts to find a new path, working on harm
reduction in drug use since 2004. Sixty percent
of the people it serves are between the ages of 24
and 35.
An important part of the group’s work is to patrol
the streets each night with an ambulance and offer
sterile syringes in exchange for used ones — an
effort to stop the spread of AIDS. But that’s just
the first step in the organization’s harm-reduction
strategy. ARAS also provides drug users with
psychological assistance, access to medical care,
and help in finding a job. For people who are
often considered social pariahs, being treated
and accepted as normal human beings is almost a
miracle.
“The biggest success is when you see that the
person you serve is well today, here and now.” said
Ludmila Verdes, who works on monitoring and
evaluating the ARAS programs. “Your success
means that for a certain period you offer him a
normal, healthy life and try to protect him from
getting ill.”
photo credit: ARAS volunteers, www.arasnet.ro
In 2010, ARAS received a donation of Cisco
networking equipment through TechSoup
Romania. The equipment helped the organization
connect almost 60 PCs on an intranet network.
As a result, the group’s work has become more
efficient.
“[The donated Cisco equipment] helps us a lot in
our daily work because it is professional.
We do not have any errors with it. Not at all.” said
Ilie Preda, IT coordinator for ARAS, adding that
without the new technology the organization
could not exist.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
19

20. “
I don’t think we could
have afforded this kind of
software. TechSoup’s offer
was right for our needs.” IN
Roxana Turcu, Program Coordinator,
A.R.T. Fusion
Who are they?
A.R.T. Fusion Association
www.artfusion.ro
Where are they?
BRIEF
ADOBE DONATION SPARKS GROUP THAT
USES THEATER TO HELP KIDS
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
A.R.T Fusion’s mission is to contribute to
the process of personal development and
competence improvement of young people
by using the methods of Forum Theatre.
How big are they?
2 employees; 30 volunteers.
What did they receive?
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Production
Premium Mac ESD WW
What was the outcome?
The software helped the organization edit
photos and create a video presentation.
A.R.T. Fusion is a small nonprofit in Romania
that uses theater to foster personal development
and social engagement among young people. The
organization’s main goal is to increase youth social
participation and community involvement, which
are key elements in a sustainable society.
Since it was founded eight years ago, A.R.T.
Fusion has used the Forum Theatre’s method
to work with a variety of disadvantaged groups,
including Roma people, convicts, youngsters
with few financial resources, and children with
autism. In one recent program, teenagers from
four Bucharest high schools participated in an
informal School of Forum Theatre designed by
A.R.T. Fusion.
photo credit: A.R.T. Fusion Association
“With each workshop, the teenagers grow a little
bit.” said Roxana Turcu, program coordinator at
A.R.T. Fusion. “They learn how to work in a team,
to communicate, to overcome shyness, and to
become those youngsters willing to get involved
and change something in their society.”
an important role in keeping up the flow of the
team’s communication. In 2012, with the help of
TechSoup Romania, the organization received
donations of Adobe software. This helped A.R.T.
Fusion create and edit a video presentation
introducing the Forum Theatre’s method.
Although part of A.R.T. Fusion’s work involves
working offline with teenagers, technology plays
“I don’t think we could have afforded this kind
of software.” Turcu said of the Adobe donation.
“TechSoup’s offer was right for our needs.” As a
result, A.R.T. Fusion was able to redirect funds to
organize more meetings with teenagers and work
on different theater plays.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
20

21. “
the donations lowered the
organization’s expenses for
IT&C equipment.” IN
Florentina Gheorghiu, Financial and
Administrative Assistant, WWF Romania
Who are they?
WWF Romania
romania.panda.org
Where are they?
Bucharest, Brasov, Baia Mare, Romania
What to they do?
WWF-Romania works to preserve
biodiversity in the Carpathians and along
the Danube river.
BRIEF
DONATIONS HELP ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUP SAVE VIRGIN FORESTS
IN ROMANIA
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which
has over 50 years of experience in saving and
preserving wildlife around the world, works in
Romania to save brown bears and the virgin
forests, among other priorities.
How big are they?
50 employees; 200 volunteers
What did they receive?
Office Professional Plus 2007
Windows 7 Professional Upgrade 32
Office Standard 2010
Windows 7 Professional
Office Standard 2010
What was the outcome?
Helping the organization save money for
other projects, such as protecting virgin
forests in Romania.
In 2011, because over 80 percent of Romania’s
virgin forests were not benefiting from any form of
protection and were in danger of being destroyed,
WWF-Romania started a national awareness and
lobby campaign. The group sought legislation
to ensure that all the virgin forests were given
protected status. In only 33 days, 100,000 people
signed an online petition. Many prominent
Romanians joined the campaign, and the minister
of environment and forests signed a protocol with
WWF, committing to protect the virgin forests.
The document states that Romania’s virgin forests
will receive the status of protected forests and that
the ministry will work with WWF to identify, map,
and protect the forests.
WWF-Romania helped complete the necessary
papers and contributed over 100,000 euros from
its own funds to evaluate and map the virgin
forests. It also compiled additional information
for a future National Catalogue of Romania’s
Virgin Forests.
Through TechSoup Romania, WWF-Romania
received donations of several Microsoft products,
including Windows 7 Professional and Office
Standard 2010.
Florentina Gheorghiu, financial and
administrative assistant at WWF Romania, said
“the donations lowered the organization’s expenses
for IT&C equipment”. Moreover, she added “those
savings were invested in other projects WWFRomania is working on”.
photo credit: WWF Romania
WWF-Romania is among the first 100 nonprofits
that applied for the donation program run by
TechSoup Romania. The money it saved by
requesting software donations through TechSoup
has helped the organization protect brown bears,
rivers, endangered species, and virgin forests —
and to turn off the lights in over 53 Romanian
cities during Earth Hour.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
21

22. My Dear Bucharest
magazine is edited using
Adobe Creative Suite. The
publication is available to IN
BRIEF
the public for free, both in
print and online.
Who are they?
My Dear Bucharest Association
www.orasul.ro
Where are they?
ADOBE SOFTWARE ADDS PUNCH
TO BUCHAREST PHOTO MAGAZINE
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Photos of memorable places in
Bucharest.
How big are they?
50 volunteers; no employees
What did they receive?
Adobe Creative Suite 6
What was the outcome?
Publishing a professional monthly photo
magazine about Bucharest.
My Dear Bucharest Association is about
Bucharest, photography, photographers, history,
good places, and great memories. It is a treasury
of Bucharest’s most memorable places and
moments in time, helping both locals and tourists
to discover the inner beauty of a city full of
surprises.
Association President Andrei Birsan has lived
his entire life in Bucharest and has been a
photographer for more than 30 years. He
inherited his passion for Bucharest from his
father. “I like Bucharest, and I like to capture it in
photos,” Birsan said. “For me, Bucharest is similar
to a family member. Maybe he is not always in the
best mood, but he is still ours. We have to respect
and to understand him, with his good and bad
parts.”
One of the association’s most daring projects is
its monthly magazine — My Dear Bucharest.
Among the themes the magazine covers are street
photography, Romanian photography, seasons
in Bucharest, traditional holidays, discovering
Bucharest by bike, and historical places in
Bucharest. The magazine is available to the public
for free, both in printed and online format (www.
orasul.ro). The purpose of My Dear Bucharest
is not only to keep its readers up to date with
stories and pieces of history, but also to build a
visual memory of the town, from recent history
to contemporary events. The magazine’s motto is
“Live the moment, keep the moment.”
My Dear Bucharest is edited using Adobe Creative
Suite, requested through TechSoup Romania. The
association was among the first nongovernmental
organizations to request a donation when
TechSoup Romania opened the Adobe program to
its community in October 2012.
Anyone who discovers the pages of My Dear
Bucharest will find himself taking an interesting
journey among buildings, places, family
portraits, local personalities, exhibitions, public
transportation, and old crafts.
Together they paint a colorful portrait of one of
the youngest capitals in the European Union — a
city always ready to be discovered by its visitors.
photo credit: Mihai Petre, My Dear Bucharest Association
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
22

23. Journalists with right
tehnology tools can be pioners IN
in their profession. BRIEF
Who are they?
THE UNTOLD STORY OF INDEPENDENT
PUBLISHERS IN ROMANIA
Decât o Revistă – an independent magazine
www.decatorevista.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Long-form quality journalism
How big are they?
4 employees; 60 volunteers
What did they receive?
Creative Suite 6 Production Premium Mac
What was the outcome?
Help the independent publishers in
Romania explore the tablet/e-reader
publishing model.
You wouldn’t call Romania an apocalypse
for independent media, but it’s not a media
environment with solid journalistic conscience
either, not no mention financial conscience.
It’s more than the usual token paid by media
organizations these days: the shrinking
newsrooms, the poor payment of journalists, the
lack of editing – which in most happy cases is
a glorified proof-reading –, the plagiarism and
“lolcats” videos broadcasted as public interest
news. It’s something that Romanian media never
quite understood about journalism, something
that has to do with political independence and, in
most cases, with basic fact-checking.
Decât o Revista (DoR) is a magazine born from
the need to create a space for good journalists
– of which Romania has plenty – to create what
they couldn’t write or fact-check anywhere else.
Invented at first as a one-time magazine, Decât
o Revista is now 3 years and 10 editions later on
the road to creating the biggest community for
narrative journalism in Romania – responsible
also for now two editions of an international
conference on narrative journalism in Bucharest,
featuring guests like Chris Jones (Esquire), Mike
Sager (Esquire) of Evan Ratliff (Wired).
But DoR and their association does so much
more than this – documenting untold stories in
Romania, helping journalists receive editorial
grants, creating a space for the best narrative
journalists in Romania to tell truths and be heard.
Combining graphics inspired by the style of Wired
and The New Yorker, DoR is one of the best
designed Romanian magazines and one of the
first to illustrates articles with large infographics.
Obviously, Adobe is one important part of their
life.
photo credit: cover Decât o Revista
TechSoup was there to provide operating systems,
document processing and design software to help
them continue the narrative journalism revolution
they’ve started 3 years ago.
On their way to explore a tablet/e-reader
publishing model, DoR used Adobe to create a
photo trailer for one of the magazine features
- „The clouds are your friends”, a story about
dealing with autism, as a kid and as a parent.
Decat o Revista’s team proves that journalists with
right tehnology tools can be the pioners in their
profession.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
23

24. “
The Creative Suite 6
proved to be extremely
useful especially when
fundraising .” IN
Carmen Ghia, Communication
Coordinator, Habitat for Humanity
Who are they?
Habitat for Humanity Romania
www.habitat.ro
BRIEF
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN ROMANIA
They’ve built 11 new houses and consolidated
other 3 houses in Oradea city and in Preajba, Dolj
county, in Romania.
Affordable technology from TechSoup was a
fulfilled promise for them. Through our donation
system, they were able to receive Adobe Creative
Suite 6 and then went on to create, design
and manufacture in-house all their posters,
flyers, promotional visual materials and annual
reports. This made quite a big difference in their
organization and help them save money for other
projects.
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Build houses for low-income families.
How big are they?
18 employees; 1.300 volunteers
What did they receive?
Adobe Creative Suite 6
What was the outcome?
Help the organization design promotional
visual materials “in house”.
photo credit: Habitat for Humanity Romania
Worldwide, every 5 minutes and half, Habitat
for Humanity serves a family in need of decent
housing.
In Romania, there are 16 years since Habitat for
Humanity has started working for better living
conditions for poor families. In all this time, they
have managed to help more than 3.000 Romanian
families.
Nowadays, the organization has 7 local offices
and more than 1.300 national and international
volunteers. New technology is part of their daily
basis work, helping them being in touch with one
another and work together for the same goal.
Last year, one of their biggest projects was Big
Build - two days build marathon with the help of
500 volunteers.
“The Creative Suite 6 proved to be extremely
useful especially when fundraising - we had to
create a large number of promotional visual
materials for our media partners” says Carmen
Ghia, communication coordinator within Habitat
for Humanity.
They’ve invested the saving in launching an online
shop – Shop for Humanity, www.shopforhumanity.
ro - in a creative effort to raise more awareness
and fundraise for the organization.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
24

25. “
Donations received via
TechSoup helped the
organization design better
materials for different IN
BRIEF
campaigns.”
Irina Bandrabur, Communication Officer,
Greenpeace Romania
Who are they?
Greenpeace Romania
www.greenpeace.org/romania
SOFTWARE HELPS SPICE UP
GREENPEACE CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They work toward saving the forests,
abating climate change, sustaining local
agriculture, and fighting nuclear energy.
One of the biggest environmental organizations
in the world, Greenpeace is present in more than
40 countries around the globe. In Romania,
Greenpeace has worked since 2007 for forests
preservation a Common Fisheries Policy,
renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture,
and against climate change and nuclear energy.
“Donations received through TechSoup helped the
organization design better materials for different
campaigns, both online and offline,” said Irina
Bandrabur, communication officer of Greenpeace
Romania.
“It’s easier now to edit materials and to test new
ideas. Definitely, Greenpeace managed to make
savings, and this is very important for us, taking
into consideration that our entire activity is made
possible by individual donations.”
How big are they?
9 employees; 30 volunteers.
What did they receive?
Office Standard 2010
(includes Software Assurance)
Windows 8 Pro 64 – Get Genuine (English)
InDesign CS6 Win ESD WW
What was the outcome?
The organization is now able to design
better promotional materials in-house.
Recently, Greenpeace Romania launched a
boat that is traveling from the Black Sea port of
Constanta across Europe to promote sustainable
fishing by coastal communities, where local
fishermen have an important role in maintaining
fish stocks. The Common Fisheries Policy was
created in 1983 out of concern that industrial
fishing was threatening the future of fish stocks,
seas, and coastal communities in Europe. The
boat will travel around Europe, carrying messages
encouraging fishermen to practice sustainable
fishing. These messages can be also sent online at
www.myboat.gp
In June 2013 when Greenpeace Romania’s boat
tour ends, all supporting messages and initiatives
related to sustainable fishing will be handed to
European Union officials in Brussels.
photo credit: Greenpeace Romania
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
25

26. “
It makes no sense ... to
spend lots of money on IN
BRIEF
software. Especially
when TechSoup can
make this Microsoft
technology affordable for
an NGO.”
Horia Roman, IT Specialist, Green
Revolution
Who are they?
Green Revolution Association
www.greenrevolution.ro
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ON A
SPACESHIP IN DOWNTOWN BUCHAREST
In one of Bucharest’s parks, about 10,000
Romanian kids learn how to save Planet Earth
while travelling to space.
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Bike sharing, urban bike fests, advocacy
for a better urban environment.
How big are they?
25 employees
What did they receive?
Windows Server
Windows Remote Desktop Services
Office Professional Plus 2010
Office for Mac 2011
Windows 7 Professional
What was the outcome?
Equipping a replica spaceship for kids.
„Youth Park” is one of the biggest parks in
southern Bucharest, a creation of the communist
regime that was supposed to create an
ideologically correct environment for Romanian
kids to engage in the right ideological activities.
Communist-style entertainment buildings
dating back to the 70s are still around to remind
everyone of the times Romanian kids learned that
the Soviets where the first to land on the Moon.
Today a new kind of spaceship is waiting for
Bucharest kids, from 6 to 14 years old. The
intergalactical journey guided by 2 actors starts
on their touch screen monitors, where they visit
other planets and see what’s going to happen in
the future if they don’t care for their planet. They
also learn how they can act now so they can save
the planet and its resources in the future.
10 computers using Microsoft Windows and
Office licenses, attached to touch-screen monitors
and a huge LCD monitor create a Star Trek-like
environment where kids are learning to protect
Earth’s vital resources: water, oxygen, forests, life.
But kids don’t only learn how important resources
are, but also that technology plays a vital role
in saving them and helping us understand the
universe.
The intergalactic mission to save the planet takes
around 45 minutes, and roughly 10,000 kids have
already embarked on it, while more than 5,000
people have joined the Facebook page: https://
www.facebook.com/GreenBeeProject
“It makes no sense, no sense at all for an NGO,
especially under Romania’s current economic
situation, to spend lots of money on software.
Especially when TechSoup can make this
Microsoft technology affordable for an NGO”,
says Horia Roman, IT Specialist with Green
Revolution.
photo credit: Green Revolution
Green Revolution is a Bucharest-based NGO
that works on urban environmental education.
They run 5 bike sharing centers in Romania and
actively try to convince companies in Romania to
go green.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
26

27. “
Using TechSoup’s
programs, we efficiently
implemented our projects.”
Adrian Oros, Database Administrator,
HHC
IN
BRIEF
DONATIONS HELP BRING
HOPES AND HOMES TO
ROMANIAN ORPHANS
Who are they?
Hopes and Homes for Children in Romania
www.hhc.ro
Where are they?
Baia Mare, Romania
What to they do?
Imagine if you never had a chance to choose the
clothes you wear or the food you eat. Imagine if
you never had a mother to care about you or to
show up at a Mama’s Day show. Imagine if you
grew up in a facility that resembled a prison more
than a real home. This was the plight of many
Romanian orphans.
Work towards closing the old communist
orphanages and offer the children a family
environment.
How big are they?
31 employees
What did they receive?
Today, more than 8.000 children are still
abandoned in Romania, in old-type and remodulated placement centers. Sixty percent of
these kids suffer from disabilities, and most of
those who are 3 or older will never be adopted.
By 2020, Hopes and Homes for Children (HHC)
expects to close down all the old communist
orphanages in Romania and help these kids find
a warm home with a real family. And HHC knows
how to do it. In the last 12 years, the nonprofit has
helped more than 5,000 Romanian children leave
old orphanages and saved 1,074 other kids from
being abandoned in institutions that cripple their
lives.
Project Professional 2010
Office Professional Plus 2010
Office for Mac 2011
Outlook for Mac 2011
Windows 7 Professional
What was the outcome?
Help the organization be more efficient
and improve workflow.
including Project Professional, Office Professional
Plus, and Windows 7 Professional — has helped
the staff of the organization work more efficiently.
The donations have also enabled HHC to offer
some of the kids they work with the opportunity to
learn computer and Internet skills.
“Our complex programs need powerful software,
adapted to our needs,” says Adrian Oros, database
administrator for HHC. “Using your [TechSoup’s]
programs, we efficiently implemented our
projects.”
The new and upgraded Microsoft software HHC
has received through TechSoup Romania—
photo credit: HHC România Facebook page
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
27

28. “
TechSoup’s donation
program made it possible
for the group to save
IN
money and reinvest it.” BRIEF
Mihai Ghebrea, President and
Founder, Association of Orphans from
Orphanages
Who are they?
The Association of Orphans from Orphanages
www.aocc.vl.ro
DONATIONS BOOST INTERNET CLUB
FOR ROMANIAN ORPHANS
and Microsoft Windows software from TechSoup
Romania. The technology is nothing out of the
ordinary, but what the association is doing with it
is anything but ordinary. It helps institutionalized
orphans to learn computer skills and be better
prepared for a very different life.
Where are they?
Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
What to they do?
Help over 500 orphans in Romania find jobs
and have a normal social life.
How big are they?
8 employees
What did they receive?
8 recycled computers
Windows 7 Professional Upgrade
Office Professional Plus 2010
What was the outcome?
Opened an Internet club to give kids
access to computers and the Internet.
photo credit: AOCC Vâlcea
In 1991, the images of Romanian orphanages
shocked the world, prompting lots of international
helping and adopting hands to reach out to
Romania for a couple of years. But in 1996, kids
just exiting the Romanian institutionalized system
decided to contribute a helping hand, too. So they
founded the only social service association build
by orphan kids for orphan kids — a lesson in selfhelp and empowerment.
In 2011, the Association of Orphans from
Orphanages requested several recycled computers
First, the association distributed the computers to
orphans who were enrolled in colleges and needed
to finish their final theses and take their final
exams. Then, it taught those students to design
their CVs and apply for better jobs. As a result, 20
young orphans already found jobs in Romania and
some are even working abroad.
of funds,” says Mihai Ghebrea, president and
founder of the association, and an orphan himself.
TechSoup’s donation program made it possible for
the group to save money and reinvest it in other
activities for the 500 orphan kids it works with
and the 300 orphan members of the association.
This year, it will organize a social inclusion camp
for Romanian orphans — the “I can” camp, as the
group proudly calls it.
ITs goal for the future is to open other Internet
clubs for kids closer to where they live — some of
the children still have to walk five kilometers just
to use a computer.
Now the organization has an Internet club for
all the children in their organization. Kids learn
how to use the computers to work on their school
projects or to find things that interest them. The
children also use the computers to research other
financial resources for their organization. Last
year, they won a 10,000-euro educational project
award for the association.
“We wouldn’t have thought about buying this
software, considering the price and our lack
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
28

29. “
The foundation’s
activity would be
extremely slow
IN
without technology.” BRIEF
Alina Sima, Programs Coordinator,
Pentru Voi Foundation
Who are they?
Pentru Voi Foundation
www.pentruvoi.ro
Where are they?
Timisoara, Romania
CISCO DONATION LIFTS ROMANIAN
GROUP HELPING THE DISABLED
There are more than 600 000 persons with
disabilities — including more than 100 000 with
intellectual disabilities* — in Romania.
What to they do?
They provide community-based services
and advocate for the rights, inclusion,
and welfare of persons with intellectual
disabilities.
How big are they?
60 employees; 10 volunteers
What did they receive?
Cisco 890 Series Wireless Gigabit
Ethernet Security Router
Cisco 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch
What was the outcome?
The organization was able to build
an intranet network and work more
efficiently.
Only 1 percent of these people have access to
government-funded services and less than 1
percent is employed. Most of the people with
intellectual disabilities do not have access to
public assistance services when finding a job.
The mission of Pentru Voi Foundation is to
increase the quality of life for people with
intellectual disabilities and their families. The
foundation has 60 employees and 10 volunteers
who serve more than 200 people in three
centers in Timisoara. They proved that with the
right support and opportunities, people with
developmental disabilities are able to make a
valuable contribution in the community and in the
workplace.
Part of the foundation’s work would not be
possible without the proper technology. Cisco
routers donated though TechSoup Romania
enabled the organization to connect 30 PCs and
create an intranet network.
“If we did not receive this equipment we would
probably have had to buy it, and that would
photo credit: Pentru Voi Foundation
have been difficult”, said Alina Sima, programs
coordinator for Pentru Voi.
“[As a result of the Cisco donation], all our saved
funds are redirected to help our beneficiaries.” she
added. The Cisco donation had another benefit - it
enabled some of the foundation beneficiaries to
learn how to use a computer and do some basic
digital graphic design. One of the foundation’s
business units runs a copy center workshop where
20 people with intellectual disabilities work. Some
of these people joined IT essentials lessons and
now they are able to use a computer — writing
text, editing the photos or preparing the paper for
being printed in their copy center unit.
* The American Association on Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities defines Intellectual
disability as “a disability characterized by
significant limitations both in intellectual
functioning and in adaptive behavior, which
covers many everyday social and practical skills.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
29

30. “
The technology is essential
(…) in almost all the
projects.” IN
Cristina Enache, Regional Coordinator,
Romanian Angel Appeal
Who are they?
Romanian Angel Appeal
www.raa.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They work to help children and young
people in need, including those with HIV/
AIDS and other chronic diseases, by
offering medical, psychological, social,
and material support.
How big are they?
40 employees; 150 project-based
experts
What did they receive?
Exchange Server 2010 Standard Edition
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition
(32-bit)
What was the outcome?
The organization built an internal network
to increase security and enable faster
communication.
BRIEF
DONATIONS REV UP COMMUNICATIONS
FOR HEALTH-CARE ADVOCATES
Some of the greatest challenges in the Romanian
health care system are drug shortages. From
ordinary painkillers to lifesaving drugs for HIV/
AIDS, cancer, hepatitis, and tuberculosis, and
even morphine to ease the pain of the dying, drug
stock-outs occur frequently across Romania.
But Romanian Angel Appeal develops many other
national projects of social inclusion for women,
people with autism and children with HIV/AIDS.
Cristina Enache, regional coordinator at
Romanian Angel Appeal, said technology plays a
vital role in the organization.
Romanian Angel Appeal has been fighting with
the medical system for more than 20 years to help
people in need: unemployed women, children
with autism and their parents, TB patients,
drug addicts, and people with HIV. Today, the
organization helps more than 40,000 individuals
— the population of a medium-sized Romanian
town.
The Microsoft donated software received with
the help of TechSoup Romania enabled the
organization to build its server network.
The organization’s latest project, www.
lipsatratament.ro (Romanian for “lack of
treatment”), is an online tool that allows medical
professionals, NGOs, and patients to report when
their prescribed treatments are unavailable.
This is the first centralized, transparent, and
freely available system for monitoring treatment
availability in Romania. This project was one of
the winners in the ReStart Romania Challenge in
2012.
“The technology is essential because in almost all
the projects — which are really complex in terms
of budget and their national coverage — you need
a lot of information for these projects and for
the reporting activity that follows,” said Enache.
Completing an internal network and server setup
has helped the staff communicate and have access
to information throughout the team.
photo credit: Romanian Angel Appeal facebook page
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
30

31. “
If you don’t have what
you need, there is no way
you can keep in touch IN
with 750 people via BRIEF
telephone.”
Georgiana Ilie, Project Coordinator,
United Way
Who are they?
United Way Romania
www.unitedway.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They involve an increasing number
of companies and individuals in
corporate social responsibility activities,
philanthropy, and volunteerism to help
social services NGOs.
How big are they?
7 employees; 750 volunteers
What did they receive?
Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit – Get
Genuine (English)
Office Professional Plus 2010
(includes Software Assurance)
What was the outcome?
The organization became more efficient
and increased the workflow.
UNITED WAY TEACHES ROMANIAN
SENIORS TO SKYPE
United Way Romania selects, assists, finances, and
evaluates more than 35 social projects each year
that help some 6,500 individuals.
The organization accomplishes this with a staff
of just seven people. The employees coordinate
the work of 750 volunteers and raise funds from
3,000 individual donors and 55 companies.
Technology plays a vital role in enabling United
Way Romania to accomplish so much with so
little. Software donated via TechSoup Romania
has made the organization’s work easier and given
the staff extra time for their social projects.
One of United Way’s special projects was to invite
a team of IT volunteers to visit a social center for
the elderly.
The volunteers taught eight grandmothers and
grandfathers how to call their relatives via Skype.
The organizers say it was an overwhelming
experience. “The words ‘mouse’ and ‘icon’ have a
total different meaning for them,” said Georgiana
Ilie, project coordinator with United Way.
photo credit: United Way
United Way offers social service organizations
much more than time and money — it also
provides these groups with management
assistance.
“All this won’t be possible without a computer
running software programs like Excel,” Ilie added.
“If you don’t have what you need, there is no
way you can keep in touch with 750 people via
telephone.”
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
31

32. “
The technology is
indispensable for us (…)
We depend on online IN
communication.” BRIEF
Cristi Gherghiceanu, Project Manager,
Fundația Adept
Who are they?
Adept Foundation
www.fundatia-adept.org
Where are they?
SOFTWARE EASES THE TRAIL FOR
ROMANIAN CONSERVATION GROUP
Tarnava Mare, Romania
What to they do?
Biodiversity conservation and community
development in Transylvania, Romania.
How big are they?
10 full-time employees, 30 – 100
volunteers
What did they receive?
Creative Suite 6 Design and Web Premium
Mac ESD
Windows 7 Professional 32 — Get Genuine
Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit — Get
Genuine
Office Standard 2010
Office for Mac 2011 Standard Edition
What was the outcome?
The new software improved the
organization’s online communication and
workflow.
The Adept Foundation’s mission in Romania is to
protect Transylvania’s unique landscapes and the
farming communities who live within them.
Ten full-time employees work to benefit more
than 27,000 residents of the Sighisoara–Tarnava
Mare area. Besides advocating for preserving
the biodiversity of this region, the foundation
promotes rural tourism and supports farmers
in producing and selling local products. It even
has developed a mobile application* designed to
guide tourists who want to visit these marvelous
Transylvanian landscapes.
One of the foundation’s most ambitious projects is
to build a network of about 60 miles of mountain
bike trails to help attract visitors to the area and
stimulate the local economy. This year, with the
help of local residents, it will build about 10 miles
of these trails. They will link three villages with
70 green tourism providers, five schools, and
hundreds of small-scale farming families.
Through TechSoup Romania, Adept Foundation
was able to request an array of Microsoft
and Adobe software that not only helped the
organization save money but also increased its
workflow.
photo credit: Adept Foundation facebook page
“We had before types of Windows and Office
different, and we had problems when opening
different files,” said Cristi Gherghiceanu, project
manager with the foundation.
“The technology is indispensable for us,”
Gherghiceanu added. “We work on 14 projects and
10 of them are with international partners. For
financial reasons, many of our meetings take place
online. We share information, documents and
forms and organize conferences. We depend on
online communication.”
Discover the Tarnava Mare mobile app
on Google Play
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
32

33. “
With the help of
technology we’ve managed
to have a national IN
coverage for our work BRIEF
and to collaborate with
hundreds of NGOs across
the country.”
Dana Temelie, Programs Coordinator,
Pro Vobis
EMPOWERING VOLUNTEERING
THROUGH ONLINE DONATIONS
Who are they?
Pro Vobis — national resource center for
volunteering
www.provobis.ro
Where are they?
Cluj Napoca, Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They empower volunteering through
training, consultancy, research,
and networking for all interested
stakeholders.
How big are they?
5 full-time employees; 1 long-term
volunteer
What did they receive?
Windows 7 Professional Get Genuine
(English)
Office Standard 2010
What was the outcome?
The organization built a safe IT
environment and increased workflow
within the team.
The mission of Pro Vobis is to promote
volunteering in Romania as a viable and
irreplaceable resource in solving society’s
problems.
They started working in Romania in 1992 as an
NGO that offered social services. Then, due to
the huge demand for volunteer services, they
became the first National Resource Center for
Volunteering.
Nowadays, with only five employees who work in
two different cities, they manage to implement
transnational projects and change the way people
see volunteering in Romania.
“With the help of technology we’ve managed
to have a national coverage for our work and
to collaborate with hundreds of NGOs across
the country,” says Dana Temelie, programs
coordinator for Pro Vobis. “Our online campaigns
raised volunteerism awareness among youngsters,
organizations, and institutions.”
The new technology helps the staff work as a
team, communicate and develop national and
international partnerships, edit publications, and
photo credit: ProVobis Facebook page
organize webinars. Some of their projects, such as
the National Week of Volunteerism, bring together
hundreds of local NGOs and volunteers from all
over the country each year.
Access to affordable technology with the help of
TechSoup Romania enables the organization to
reduce its IT costs.
“Because we work on many projects with different
contributors, we need a stable IT infrastructure
to support our work,” says Temelie. Most of
the organization’s projects do not have special
IT budgets, and TechSoup donations were
meaningful and needed.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
33

34. “
Without technology and
online communication,
the projects’ IN
implementation would BRIEF
not be possible.”
Bianca Voinescu, Founding Member, Give
Life Association
Who are they?
Give Life Association
www.daruiesteviata.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Help children and adults with cancer
access medical treatment.
How big are they?
1 president; 3 founding members; 20
volunteers
What did they receive?
Office for Mac 2011
Outlook for Mac 2011
Windows Professional Get Genuine
What was the outcome?
The donations helped the organization
access the latest technology and save
money for other projects.
SOFTWARE DONATIONS EMPOWER
ROMANIA NGO TO FIGHT MEDICAL
SYSTEM
Give Life Association works toward changing the
Romanian medical system in order to raise the
life expectancy of those who suffer from cancer.
In five years of constant actions, campaigns, and
programs, they have raised 3 million euros for
medical equipment in hospitals. Moreover, they
have changed a government policy so that patients
can have access to medical treatment in other
countries if it is not available in Romania.
Give Life Association has been working with
children and adults with cancer since 2009.
But their work is not easy. In Romania, because
national statistics on cancer patients do not exist,
no one knows how many people are suffering from
the illness. Also, children and adults with cancer
do not have free access to oncological treatment
in Romania, even though such care is guaranteed
by law.
This is because in Romania, children with cancer
can’t be correctly diagnosed. Moreover, there
is a cytostatics crisis, and modern radiotherapy
equipment and medical specialists are lacking.
would not be possible,” says Voinescu.
Being able to access affordable technology enables
the organization to save money and maintain its
administrative costs under 10 percent.
Bianca Voinescu, a founding member of Give
Life Association, says, “Even though the children
with cancer have a real survival chance — in
Europe, children are successfully treated in
proportion of 80 to 90 percent — in Romania
the survival chances are down to 50 percent.”
A large part of organization’s work takes place
through email: discussions with patients,
documentation, communication with volunteers,
promotions of projects, and fundraising
campaigns. “Without technology and online
communication, the projects’ implementation
“We use the donated software in our daily basis
work. Windows and Microsoft Office licences
are essential for emails, databases, informative
presentations for volunteers, donors, and partners,
etc.,” concludes Voinescu.
photo credit: Visual for fundraising campaign. (Give Life Association)
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
34

35. “
Our colleagues who work
on PCs … are pleased IN
because their work became BRIEF
easier after receiving
licenses for professional
programs.”
Mihai Andrei Nicolae, PR assistant,
CARP Elena Cuza
Who are they?
CARP Elena Cuza
www.carpbarlad.ro
Where are they?
Barlad, Romania
TECHNOLOGY BOOSTS GROUP
DEVOTED TO HELPING
ROMANIAN RETIREES
The Association for Social Services and Benefits
for Pensioners “Elena Cuza” (CARP Elena Cuza)
has helped more than 30,000 Romanian retirees
access proper medical care, social services, and —
when needed — financial help.
What to they do?
They help retirees access medical care,
food, and financial aid.
How big are they?
92 employees; 100 volunteers
What did they receive?
Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit — Get Genuine
Office 2013 Professional Plus
Visio Professional 2013
Photoshop Extended CS 6
Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere
Elements 11
Acrobat Pro XI
What was the outcome?
The software improved the organization’s
workflow and efficiency.
One of organization’s most daring projects was
to protest against plans to explore for shale gas
in the city of Barlad. CARP created informative
flyers, held press conferences, and recruited 3,000
people from the organization to join a protest in
Barlad in February 2013.
In addition to providing social services, CARP
offers financial help for those in need. Technology
plays an essential role in monitoring and keeping
the financial records. Acquiring affordable
technology though TechSoup Romania has made a
big difference in helping the organization improve
its workflow. Moreover, CARP was able to upgrade
to the newest and fastest technology.
“Our colleagues who work on PCs (to create
graphic projects, a magazine, and material
promoting the association) are more relaxed and
pleased because their work became easier after
photo credit: CARP press article
receiving licenses for professional programs,” said
Mihai Andrei Nicolae, PR assistant for CARP.
In addition, updated programs for editing and
graphic design have helped the organization
communicate better with beneficiaries.
“This is a real achievement because we work
mainly with elderly people, most often people
overwhelmed by life’s difficulties,” Mihai noted.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
35

36. “
With SMARTnet licenses
for Cisco routers we are IN
always guaranteed to BRIEF
have the latest software
version for Cisco routers
and to replace them if
needed.”
Mihai Ion, National IT Coordinator, SOS
Villages in Romania
Who are they?
SOS Children’s Villages in Romania
www.sos-satelecopiilor.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Sibiu, Bacau, Romania
What to they do?
They protect the interests and rights of
children and offer family-based care.
How big are they?
175 employees
What did they receive?
Cisco 5505 Security Plus appliances
(Smart Net licenses included).
What was the outcome?
The organization was able to build an
intranet network with Cisco routers.
DONATIONS HELP LINK
CHILDREN’S VILLAGES IN ROMANIA
The mission of SOS Children’s Villages begins
when a child has lost the love and security of
his or her biological family. As an independent,
nongovernmental international development
organization, SOS Villages has been working
to meet the needs and protect the interests and
rights of children since 1949.
In Romania, the organization began building
houses for children in 1991; two years later, 24
family houses in Bucharest and Sibiu were ready
to welcome children in need. In 20 years of
activity, at least 15,000 children have interacted
with one of SOS Villages’ programs.
Currently, the organization provides more than
1,000 children and youth with family-based
care. An SOS family provides individualized
care to promote the development, education,
and health of each child. In partnership with
communities, SOS Children’s Villages develops
local infrastructure and runs kindergartens, day
care centers, schools, vocational training centers,
and medical facilities.
Children with no family arrive in an SOS family
house when they are two years old. With the help
of a “social mother” and five to six other kids, each
child joins a long-term education program until
they are 26 years old and fully integrated into
society. Kids live in the SOS Children’s Villages
until they are 14 or 15 years old and then join the
SOS Youth Communities. After that, they learn
how to live independently with the help of social
workers. All expenses are covered until they are
18 years old, when they either go to study at a
university or find a job. In both cases, they are
helped and supported.
Currently, in every SOS Village, in each house,
there is a computer with Internet access. Thanks
to the Cisco hardware donations the organization
acquired through TechSoup Romania, they were
able to build an intranet network to connect all
villages. Each child can now play computer games,
navigate on the Internet, and access personal
documents from anywhere.
Moreover, because of the SMARTnet licenses
included in the Cisco donations, the organization
can relay on a virtual private network with
gateway security.
“With SMARTnet licenses for Cisco routers, we
are always guaranteed to have the latest software
version for Cisco routers and also to replace them
if needed,” said Mihai Ion, national IT coordinator
for SOS Villages in Romania. Moreover, he added,
the budget the organization saved on licensing
fees for Cisco upgrades will be used to buy new
computers to replace the old ones.
photo credit: SOS Satele Copiilor facebook page
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
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37. “
Similar to a startup, our
costs are important, so
it was extremely useful IN
to lower them so much BRIEF
by accessing TechSoup
donations.”
Alina Kasprovschi, Executive Director,
Bucharest Community Foundation
Who are they?
Bucharest Community Foundation
www.fundatiacomunitarabucuresti.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Connect the needs of the inhabitants of
Bucharest with available resources.
How big are they?
3 employees; 20 volunteers
What did they receive?
Windows 7 Professional – Get Genuine
Office Standard 2010
What was the outcome?
Increased and secured the work flow
within the organization.
SOFTWARE DONATIONS HELP
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Bucharest Community Foundation invests
time, money, and energy in developing new
communities. Acting locally, they have started
changing the world around them in 2011, and now
they are part of a national movement that includes
11 other community foundations.
Their vision is different from that of a classical
nonprofit organization: they work as a hub for
those who need financial support and those who
can offer it. In doing so, they help people create
and support local communities. In 2013, they
have helped close to 50 community projects get
financed.
One of their biggest fundraising events,
Swimathon, attracted 138 people who swam for
20 charitable causes. About 660 people donated
an average of 20 euros.
Because more and more communities are created
online, technology plays an important role within
the organization.
photo credit: Swimathon event. (Catalin Gheorghe)
large part of the donor’s money to be used within
the project. So, similar to a startup, our costs are
important, so it was extremely useful to lower
them so much by accessing TechSoup donations,”
says Alina Kasprovschi, Executive Director.
“For an NGO that intermediates the connection
between a donor and a project, it is essential for a
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
37

38. “
We could say that not
only TechSoup helped us
have access to the most IN
recent software but also BRIEF
indirectly contributed
to implement one of our
projects.”
Marius Jula, Vice-President of Projects,
Youth Association
PROJECTS FOR YOUTH HELPED BY THE
RIGHT TECHNOLOGY
“For an NGO that relies on volunteers, the lack of
online technology would surely mean the failure
of achieving the goals,” said Marius Jula, APT’s
vice-president.
Who are they?
Projects for Youth Association (APT)
www.aptineret.ro
He added that being able to access affordable
technology with the help of TechSoup Romania
has made a huge difference in the organization’s
budget and enabled it to save money for cofunding other projects.
“We could say that not only TechSoup helped us
have access to the most recent software but also
indirectly contributed to implement one of our
projects,” concluded Jula.
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They develop projects for youths.
How big are they?
4 founding members; 20 volunteers
What did they receive?
Office 2013 Standard
photo credit: APT facebook page
What was the outcome?
Money saved could be used for other
projects.
The Projects for Youth Association (APT) works
toward promoting the professional, social, and
cultural interests of young people through local,
regional, and national initiatives.
Currently, one of the association’s most important
projects is to empower youth entrepreneurship
while promoting volunteer work as an essential
key to personal development.
It supports the youngsters in their development
of adulthood by promoting the right to education,
freedom of expression, and equality.
Being a small organization, with no full-time
employees, APT has integrated new technology
into its everyday work.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
38

39. “
The real world’s
achievements would
not be possible without IN
the virtual world’s BRIEF
communication and
instruments.”
Catalin Gheorghe, Communications
Director, ARC Romania
EMPOWERING LOCAL NGOS WITH THE
HELP OF ONLINE DONATIONS
Who are they?
Association for Community Relations
www.arcromania.ro
Where are they?
The Association for Community Relations (ARC)
works towards encouraging individual donations
for empowering charitable initiatives in local
communities.
Cluj Napoca, Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
They support the mobilization of
resources in community in Romania.
How big are they?
15 employees; 2-3 volunteers
What did they receive?
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design
What was the outcome?
Helped the organization design in-house
visual materials.
One of its most important projects is an online
platform that enables people to donate via
SMS or by direct debit: www.donatie.ro. Even
though an online donation tool for charities is
something rather new in Romania and people are
not very familiar with it, the first reactions are
encouraging. With ARC’s website - www.donatie.
ro — it has managed to raise almost US$900,000
for nonprofit causes.
“The real world’s achievements would not
be possible without the virtual world’s
communication and instruments,” said Gheorghe.
Access to donated technology from Adobe with
the help of TechSoup Romania has helped the
organization design informative materials without
the need for outside help.
“The software helps us save money on two levels:
we save money for our IT budget and we do not
pay for extra design services,” says Gheorghe.
The right technology at the right moment enables
the organization to be fast and flexible.
photo credit: ARC facebook page
“The local organizations have started using these
mechanisms, which demonstrates that fundraising
is not the big organizations’ privilege,” said Catalin
Gheorghe, communications director of ARC.
With 15 employees in two different cities in
Romania, ARC considers online communication
an important asset for keeping up with the flow
of work, developing donation platforms, or
communicating with their beneficiaries.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
39

40. “
Because of these donations, our
financial efforts for accessing
the right technology were IN
diminished. The products were BRIEF
used to equip two computers in
the playroom for kids and one
laptop.”
Olga Cridland, President, P.A.V.E.L
Association
Who are they?
P.A.V.E.L Association
www.asociatiapavel.ro
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania
What to they do?
Help children and young people with
cancer and support their parents.
How big are they?
6 full-time employees; 10 part-time
employees; 20 volunteers
What did they receive?
Windows Professional – Get Genuine
Windows 8 Pro – Get Genuine
Office 2013
Windows MultiPoint Server 2012
Windows Server 2012
What was the outcome?
Increased and secured the workflow
within the organization.
SOFTWARE
DONATIONS
HELP
ACTIVISTS
FIGHT
CANCER
Cancer is a major public health problem in
Romania and the second largest cause of death
among children and youth aged 4 to15 years. Each
year, 500 children are diagnosed with cancer,
and 5,000 children and young people are under
medical observation.
Ignorance, lack of public information, and the
limited involvement of authorities can be blamed
for late diagnosis of the disease. For many people,
being diagnosed with cancer is equivalent to being
sentenced to death. “Early diagnosis is essential
for healing, and this is medical proof,” says Olga
Cridland, the president of P.A.V.E.L Association,
a nonprofit organization of parents with children
diagnosed with cancer. “Eighty percent of
cancerous tumours diagnosed early in children
can be cured.” P.A.V.E.L Association benefits 400
cancer patients aged 1 to 26 and their families.
photo credit: Asociatia Pavel facebook page
One of the organization’s most important projects
is The School from Hospital, which serves
patients who have had to stop or abandon school.
The program offers an educational curriculum
adapted to children and young people who are
hospitalized . Each patient can learn math,
history, biology, or geography and also learn to use
the Internet. Their parents participate in special
therapy sessions. More than 200 have joined the
program.
Aside from working with hospitalized children, a
large part of the organization’s work takes place
online. A reliable technology for keeping up with
donors and partners was a promise fulfilled by
TechSoup Romania.
“Because of these donations, our financial
efforts for accessing the right technology were
diminished. The products were used to equip
two computers in the playroom for kids and one
laptop,” says Cridland. She added that receiving
software donations from TechSoup Romania
helps the organization save money and redirect it
toward helping children.
“Considering the variety and complexity of
programs and services we run, for many
beneficiaries, without proper technology, the
team’s work would be harder. That is why we
really appreciate Microsoft donations for being
extremely useful and precious for our organization
and the good run of our programs,” she concluded.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
40

41. THANK YOU!
We are grateful to our donations partners
that have made TechSoup possible for
Romanian NGOs:
Adobe
Cisco
Microsoft
Our activity in 2013 was supported by our local
and global partners:
Microsoft Romania
Romanian-American Foundation
Bitdefender
Fundcja TechSoup
TechSoup Global
Thank you to all our partners in 2013:
IREX Romania / Biblionet
123ContactForm
UberVU
TechLounge
ANIS
TechHub Bucharest
HowToWeb
Google Romania
Zitec
ROSEdu
Good Afternoon
EuroCloud
IT Spark
Softbinator
TechAngels
Ateliere fara Frontiere
Impact Hub
DreamCatchers
Gala Societatii Civile
Societal
Simon Dietrich
Zelist Monitor
SeniorHyper
MediaIQ
Adevarul Tech
DasCloud
StiriONG
Romania Pozitiva
Al Treilea Sector
RedBull
Staropramen
Starbucks