In Monopoly, players buy up properties and build houses and hotels on them in order to drive opponents into bankruptcy by charging exorbitant rent. Crushing the competition is the goal; overdevelopment is the means.
Eco Heroes takes a different approach to winning. In Eco Heroes, a board game idea developed by the World Wildlife Fund Bulgaria (WWF Bulgaria), the best business isn’t the biggest, and riches don’t necessarily buy you influence. The game promotes sportsmanship and amiable competition, responsible use of resources, and development in tune with nature. Players learn about wildlife and sustainable development as they attempt to build the most interesting eco-friendly businesses. And although a single player always wins at the end, she always does so in a responsible way, so that nature doesn’t come out on the losing end.
WWF Bulgaria’s board game idea is one of five business plans that will be developed with funding from the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Bulgaria’s primary advocacy group for nonprofits. A winner of the Center’s NGO business plan competition, WWF Bulgaria plans to use the award for the production and initial marketing of the game. Earnings from sales will support the organization’s efforts in promoting sustainable businesses that use resources sparingly and invest in resource renewal.
Another one of the 8,000-lev awards will be used for the production of branded teddy bears and other items, whose sale will help disadvantaged youth get professional training and find employment. Our Preemie Children Foundation will develop a paid consulting service to help cover the cost of its free services. Future for the Children, an organization working with young people with physical and mental disabilities, will open a bakery staffed by disabled youth, and the Initiative for Social Growth will offer employment to women at risk by training them to make herbal products such as lavender sachets and candles.
The five winners were selected among a group of twelve civic organizations participating in the Center’s annual entrepreneurship program for nonprofits, supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation. Program participants receive entrepreneurship training and individual consultations with lawyers and accountants. Networking opportunities with nonprofits that have already developed successful businesses are another highlight of the program.
In addition to encouraging entrepreneurship among nonprofits as a means of sustainable development, the Center works to implement legislative changes supporting nonprofits. Its efforts helped pass the 2001 Not-for-Profit Legal Entities Act and its later amendments and 15 other laws and strategies supporting the activities of civic organizations. A summer school for NGOs and a co-working space for nonprofits in Sofia are among the Center’s additional activities in support of the nonprofit community. More than 3,000 organizations have benefited from its work so far.
