Highlights from the NEF Collaborative Day - May 12, 2026, Brussels
This year's Collaborative Day, held on 12 May 2026 in Brussels, tackled a question at the heart of NEF's work: what does funder learning within a collaborative actually look like, what enables it, and how can it be intentionally supported? Working with Isis Krause of Philanthropy Together, participants co-developed a Funder Engagement & Learning Framework - a practical tool purpose-built for collaborative funds.
Built around three levels of funder transformation - personal mindset shifts, institutional change, and field-level impact, it offers both a common language and a clear roadmap. Whether a fund is just starting out or looking to go deeper, the framework helps teams evaluate their engagement approaches against intended outcomes and set realistic objectives accordingly. A key takeaway: rather than multiplying initiatives, funds should identify the few approaches that are genuinely moving the needle, and invest in those.
The framework is designed to serve the wider philanthropic community well beyond this room.
The day also included a guest session on engaging high net worth individual donors - a growing area of interest as collaborative funds look to diversify beyond institutional philanthropy. Cultivating these relationships calls for clear-eyed preparation: the time and relational investment is considerable, but the potential rewards are significant.
Across the day, one theme recurred: as the donor landscape evolves, so must the ways collaborative funds learn, engage, and grow alongside their funders.
Opening a new chapter for the European Fund for the Balkans
The European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) is a unique organization in the Western Balkans landscape – a distinctive regional platform dedicated to supporting democratic transformation, regional cooperation, and European integration from a genuinely regional, independent perspective. As it approaches its 20th anniversary, it has become a trusted platform connecting local realities with European policy debates and actors.
Since September 2025, as Executive Director, I have had the privilege of contributing to EFB’s work to build bridges across societies, institutions, and ideas.
What I have found upon joining is a strong, committed, and experienced team that has recently been further strengthened and expanded, with a clear shared motivation to enhance the organization’s impact. Going forward, our focus will be on further strengthening internal coherence and integration across EFB’s work. While our programs have always been impactful and relevant, we are now working to ensure they are even more connected, mutually reinforcing, and aligned with a shared strategic direction. This is a natural step forward that builds on existing strengths and reflects a strong collective will to evolve further. In line with this direction, we will introduce a new system to better track change, strengthen a results-driven approach, and support evidence-based decision-making.
I will bring to this endeavor all the knowledge and experience I have gained through my work in governance, institutional reform, and international development, leading cross-sectoral programs from concept to implementation across international organizations and government institutions.
At its core, EFB remains committed to strengthening democracy, fostering regional cooperation, and supporting the European perspective of the Western Balkans. Looking ahead, our work will span different formats, including capacity development, policy dialogue, advocacy, and cultural exchange.
In times of change, our role as a connector and facilitator of dialogue is more important than ever. This strength lies not only in our mandate, but also in our credibility as a non-partisan platform that builds trust and enables meaningful exchange across the region.
