Since 2015, the NGO Leadership Workshop has equipped civil society leaders to think strategically, build resilience, make difficult decisions, and lead their organizations more effectively. It has also grown beyond a training program into a trusted network of civil society leaders. Participants have built lasting relationships, exchanged ideas, and formed partnerships, continuing to draw on one another long after the workshop ends.
This impact report on the NGO Leadership Workshop, a partnership between WDI, the University of Michigan’s Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, and Slovakia-based Hekima, details the results of 10 years of training for civil society leaders from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Balkans, and Central Asia
Launched with support from the Weiser family, the program has held 17 workshops for 436 participants from 375 organizations in 23 countries. WDI experts Julie Felker and Linda Gasser are among the program’s 30 trainers, and keynote speakers have included former Presidents Zuzana Čaputová of Slovakia and Aleksander Kwaśniewski of Poland.
Among the findings, a survey of 84 alumni from the 2021 to 2025 workshops found:
- 90.5% said the workshop increased their self-awareness as leaders
- 83.3% built valuable professional relationships across organizations and countries
- 78.6% improved their ability to make strategic decisions under pressure
- 75% strengthened their ability to contribute to social and democratic change
- 67% reported improvements in their organization’s strategy, management or culture
