WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE WORK

We work to better understand and leverage domestic philanthropy for the social transformation of the countries of the Western Balkans

Our Goal

To support the development and expansion of locally-sourced philanthropy and to increase knowledge exchange within the philanthropy community in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.

Our Strategic Directions

Catalyst believes it can best expand the philanthropy ecosystem in the Western Balkans by concentrating its efforts in 6 key areas:

  • Gather and Analyze Data
  • Disseminate Data and Promote Philanthropy
  • Facilitate Networking and Events
  • Develop New Tools and Approaches
  • Deliver Consulting and Advisory Services

Our Products

Catalyst’s current knowledge products include:

  • Annual Reports on Philanthropy – country level and regional analysis of information and data on domestic philanthropy drawn from the media and public domain, providing both quantitative and qualitative insights into the growth and structure of the philanthropy sector.
  • Philanthropy Sector News Feed – a daily feed of stories on corporate, individual and foundation giving – available through the Catalyst website, Facebook page and through a weekly news digest (Subscribe Now)
  • PhilanthropyBalkans – a blog and online publication that engages nonprofit and corporate philanthropy experts in an open dialogue about topical issues of concern to the sector (Check It Out Here)
  • GivingBalkans – a first-of-its-kind database of giving in the region pulled from public domain sources and available for use in resource development or allocation planning (check out the database by clicking on Database link)

Nathan Koeshall

Director and Co-Founder

Nathan has lived and worked in the Western Balkans for the past 22 years, developing an ever-increasing interest in engaged citizenship, social change, and catalyzing and advising local-sourced philanthropy. He has worked within/led international development programs focused on community engagement and civil society capacity building and grantmaking in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Aleksandra Vesić

Senior Adviser and Co-Founder

Aleksandra has over 15 years of professional experience in civil society development and non-profit management in Western Balkans and CEE region, both as a CSO leader/manager as well as professional consultant/facilitator. From 2003 to 2009, Aleksandra was Executive Director of the Balkan Community Initiatives Fund (BCIF), now known as Trag Foundation. Her specific expertise includes assessments, strategy development, organizational development and sustainability, grantmaking, and impact evaluation.

Jelena Bekčić

Data Quality Manager

Jelena joined Catalyst in early 2015 to become part of the team working on collecting and analysis of philanthropic data in the Western Balkans region. Long-year experience in the Serbian civil society sector on various projects supported by international donors equipped her with in-depth knowledge in provision of capacity development assistance to civil society organizations throughout Serbia and familiarity with the situation on the field. Jelena leads the team of analysts and researches dedicated to tracking philanthropy and is responsible for the data gathering and annual reporting process.

Vanja Širbegović

Finance and Administration Manager

Vanja joined Catalyst team in April 2017 where she is obtaining the position as Financial and Administration Manager. Long year of experience in civil society sector in Serbia and working on more then fifty projects funded by variety of donors made her competent in the field of Financial Management for non profits.

Marko Galjak

Chief Data Scientist

Marko runs Data Products and Services team at Catalyst Balkans working on a wide array of projects including: AI, Research, CRM integration, all with the goal of strengthening the capacity of CSOs through application of IT, data science and philanthropy intelligence. Marko has a PhD in Demography and two Master's degrees, one in Demography the other in Computing in Social Sciences. He is an activist at heart, and has been part of civil society beginning from his high school days.

Miloš Janković

Partnerships and Engagement Director

Miloš has been part of the Catalyst Balkans team since 2017, first as a Content Coordinator, then as a Communications Manager, and now as Partnerships and Engagement Director. He was in charge of the strategic development of the Donacije.rs platform, advising nonprofits and independent media on crowdfunding and membership models, and running workshops on fundraising, community building, and marketing for NPOs. As a speaker at conferences and events, he covers crowdfunding, tech for good, CSR, and philanthropy. He is a Board member at the Serbian Philanthropy Forum.

Milica Antić

Nonprofit Digital Transparency Manager

I've finished the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade, and since high school, I have been involved in activism and volunteer work. I worked on human rights projects at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, assisted on reconciliation and regional cooperation projects at the No Borders Orchestra and coordinated projects for the development of civil society and social entrepreneurship in Civic Initiatives. At the Catalyst Foundation, I work as a CRM Coordinator and help civil society representatives to build their community so we all can make a better impact on our society.

Ivana Minović

Marketing & Communications Manager

Ivana joined Catalyst Balkans in a quite challenging moment, during COVID-19 crisis.
Before choosing the philanthropy, had 20 years of experience in advertising.
Extensive experience in developing and driving holistic advertising communication within many industries. Experienced in managing client relationships at a senior level and a team lead with extraordinary problem-solving skills and a positive attitude towards people and business.Leading one of the most successful CSR campaigns in Serbia “Battle for the babies “.

Milica Đustebek

Fundraising Services Manager

Milica is an experienced fundraiser with a background in peer-to-peer fundraising, events, corporate partnerships, and donor management. Her previous positions include leading a fundraising team at BELhospice and working as Philanthropy and Partnerships Advisor at Trag Foundation. At Catalyst, Milica works closely with organizations on their crowdfunding campaigns and mentors them in fundraising models. She runs crowdfunding workshops and accelerators along with fundraising trainings.

Vuk Vuković

Research and Analysis Manager

Vuk holds the position of Research and Analysis Manager, coordinating and performing research in the field of philanthropy and communicating its findings to the policy-makers throughout the Western Balkans region. He graduated from the Central European University, Department of Political Science. Therefore, besides philanthropy, the main areas of his research interest are related to political attitudes and political parties. As a Research Executive, he worked at Ipsos in the Public Opinion sector and as a Country Manager at the PPDB project, he initiated data collection on political parties in Serbia. 

Goran Bekić

Giving Serbia Data Coordinator

Goran is holding the position of the Philanthropy Data Analyst at the Catalyst Foundation since January 2015, when he found his new passion for philanthropy and research in this field. He is currently a student at he Faculty of Security Studies in Belgrade. Besides being interested in philanthropy, Goran likes basketball, history and IT.

Zorana Brozović

Philanthropy Data Analyst

Zorana is active in civil society since 2004. She was researcher in Belgrade Center for Security Policy engaged on policy research analysis, advocacy, capacity development and networking of civil society projects. Zorana joined Catalyst Balkans in 2016 at the position of the Philanthropy Data Analyst. Tracking philanthropy is her major task.

Nikola Mladenović

System Administrator

My name is Nikola and I’m a working as System and Web administrator in Catalyst Balkans. Technology has held my interest since I was a kid and I always found my way around computers, from video games to understanding the functions of the internet. My parents were very supportive about my interest and encouraged me to pursue education in IT field. My goal primarily, was to be a programmer, however, that interest didn’t last long when I found myself in another profession. That is to strive to be a successful administrator that can handle any problem in the system and the network itself.
 

Tomas Bueno dos Santos Momčilović

Research and Analytics Coordinator

Philanthropy Research and Analytics Coordinator, whose activities include coordination of active research projects, open-source data collection and processing, development of new methodologies, and writing of studies and reports. Main goal is to improve the global and academic understanding of philanthropy in the Western Balkans, and deliver actionable research
to regional nonprofits, partners and other organizations.

Danijela Pejatović

Content Coordinator

Danijela joined Catalyst in 2019. and she is holding position of Content Coordinator.
She is experienced Communications Specialist with a demonstrated history of working
in the nonprofit & social organizations. Skilled in Public Relations, Digital Marketing and Content Writing. Communication professional, graduated from Faculty of Political Sciences.

Nevena Đurić

Philanthropy Data Analysis and Verification Assistant

Nevena is holding the position of the Philanthropy Analysis and Verification Assistant at the Catalyst Foundation since August 2019. Nevena graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Department of Pedagogy. Through her previous professional experience she had opportunity to work in profit, as well as non-profit sector, and to volunteer. She deeply believes that philanthropy can make the world a better place, and through her every day work she strives to create a content that helps people to recognize the importance of giving and helping others.

Milan Tešić

Nonprofit CRM Implementation Coordinator

Milan graduated from the University of Belgrade majoring in Serbian language and literature.
While he was a graduate student, he worked in the non-profit sector as a trainer on different projects and within Debate club Open communication. After graduation, he went to teach. In 2017 he joined the team of the Belgrade Center for Digital Humanities working on projects of Digitalization Vuk Karadžić's and Gliša Elezović's dictionaries. He joined Catalyst in February 2020 on a position of CRM coordinator to help non-profits to create change through the use of digital tools.

Maja Gligorić

Research and Analytics Officer

I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of organizational sciences and I am currently studying for a Master's degree. During my studies I have been involved in voluntary work in student organizations. My passion for data analysis, research, statistics and philanthropy is what brought me to Catalyst. I joined Catalyst in early 2020 as a philanthropy research and analytics assistant. I always wanted to help those in need and contribute to the community. Working at Catalyst provided me the opportunity to be a part of a team that promotes philanthropy. I like learning new things and creating new ideas. My hobby is painting. I love animals and nature.

Nela Mojsoska

Philanthropy Data Researcher (External Associate)

Nela Mojsoska has joined our Catalyst Balkans family, shortly after she become Bachelor of Psychology. She has more than 9 years of experience in the CSO sector in Macedonia, working in different organizations, on various projects, trainings and workshops.

Adelina Ajdari

Philanthropy Data Analyst (External Associate)

Youth activist and social entrepreneur, always seeking challenging tasks that build up knowledge and experience. Experienced in project management-full cycle, event organizing, data collecting and analyzing, peer-to-peer mentoring, undertaking leadership roles, confident communicator and advocate for youth and knowledgeable in economic principles – as demonstrated throughout my projects and university degree. Self-motivated, polyglot and enthusiastic with a proven ability to deliver results, resolve problems and inspire team members.

Martina Petrić

HR & Operations Coordinator

Martina is a Graduated Economist with major in International Business. Over the years, she has been working within HR Teams in Education and IT industry. She has a proven track record in creating happy working environments, employer branding strategies implementation and reducing staff turnover. Martina has joined Catalyst in August 2020. as an HR & Operations Coordinator with a mission to optimize employee engagement and is very excited for having the opportunity to contribute to society.

Bojana Latinović

Crowdfunding Platform Coordinator

I have finished the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, Regional Master's Program in Peace Studies, which offers a unique perspective and education on preventing and solving conflicts. I have been active in civil society for almost a decade by volunteering and engaging in projects to build community and institutional capacities. I joined Catalyst Balkans as a Crowdfunding Platform Coordinator with the desire to build community capacities for crowdfunding and its promotion - not just as a way of raising money but as a possibility to raise your voice.

Luka Koković

Community Coordinator

Luka joined Catalyst in 2021 as a Community Coordinator after falling in love with the organization during his design internship in 2019. With a background in design and an interest in social media as well as social studies, he aims to be the creative voice on the team and in the non-profit sector at large. Besides his work at Catalyst, Luka is pursuing a bachelor's degree in journalism and communications at the University of Belgrade.

Sofija Nikić

Content Coordinator

I am a animal-lover, photography-enthusiast, nonprofit-sector-learner who came to Catalyst Balkans to do something more meaningful. I have a lot of great friends, I am an art lover, I am stay-at-home person who is the happiest to get some alone time in this era that is overly consumed with information. This is my response in order to do marketing – to give yourself a break from the noise, from time to time. I love yoga. I do not like jokes and I am very uncomfortable to listen to them. I wish to get more involved with social issues and to work with people who promote real, important issues. I want participate in causes that have a greater meaning, for individuals as well as for the whole society.

Katarina Veselinović

Philanthropy Analyst and Verification Assistant

I am working as a Philanthropy Analyst and Verification Assistant at Catalyst Balkans. I graduated from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy with a degree in Psychology, where I discovered my passion for statistics and research. Being a naturally curious person, during my studies I conducted research in clinical, educational and industrial psychology. My first contact with philanthropy was through ''Mind the Mind - to Combat the Stigma of Mental Disorders'' campaign, where I first volunteered, and then became a local coordinator for Serbia. The campaign's aim was to educate children in Serbian high schools about mental health and trying to break the stigma surrounding it.

Dea Džanković

Fundraising Services Coordinator

Dea is an interdisciplinary artist by education, former producer and digital marketer, and now - a proud NGO fundraising coordinator. She had the luck to live in different places worldwide, such as the USA, Turkey, Germany, and experience different cultures and languages. She has many other passions and interests in my life, and decided to put that energy to good use and make a positive shift in her environment and what she does daily.

Our Board

Catalyst’s current board members include:

  • Andrea Brbaklić – Chair and Board Member, CEO at FromA Consulting Ltd
  • Vesna Bajšanski-Agić – Board Member, Executive Director at Mozaik Foundation
  • Chris Worman – Vice President, Alliances and Program Development at Tech Soup
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