In their activities, the director and experts of BISS (‘team’) are guided by the principles of professionalism, transparency and accountability.
Professionalism presupposes three things: (i) competencies in a given field; (ii) striving for the fullest possible use of these competencies; (iii) permanent self-improvement in the field.
There are two opposites of professionalism: dilettantism - performing some important works without appropriate competencies and professional stagnation - lack of self-improvement.
NGOs are often in a paradoxical situation: in order to carry out certain work professionally and improve themselves, civil activists (including experts) must have enough time, and in order to have enough time, they must have the means of subsistence, the source of which is are usually grants. However, in order to win grant calls, it usually takes time and a 'parallel set of competencies' (monitoring calls, negotiating, writing applications, etc.).
There is always a risk that a civil activist (including an expert) will at some point become a 'professional fundraiser' and a 'stagnating activist (expert)'. Aware of this risk, the BISS team strives to build fundraising activities so that it does not become an end in itself and is always subject to the basic goals of the organization.
One of the organizational mechanisms for keeping the institute within its main mission is the meetings of the BISS Council and the implementation of its control and advisory functions. The team and the Board should care about closer interaction and organize more regular meetings, at least in the online format.
Approved by the BISS Board in April 2019