The second session of the training course “Collaborative Community Budgeting: From Needs to Analytics” has concluded in Lviv. Over four days at the Ukrainian Catholic University, ideas emerged that have the potential to transform communities across the country.
This time, more than 20 participants from different regions of Ukraine came to the city of Lviv, including representatives of local governments and civil society organizations. Those who usually work in parallel came together at one table to learn how to collaborate and develop new approaches to community budgeting.
Day 1: Finance and Dashboards
The first day of lectures was opened by Viktor Maziarchuk, Head of the Fiscal Policy Research Center. The discussions focused on financing recovery, mechanisms for mobilizing funds for community needs, open government registries, analytical tools, and dashboards.
“At times, it felt like you could step outside the classroom and not interrupt the lively discussion — participants had such a deep understanding of the subject,” he noted.
Andrii Pelekhatyi, Deputy Mayor of Pustomyty, added a practical perspective: real cases of public investment, common mistakes to avoid, and how to operate in an environment where legislation has not yet caught up with reality.
Day 2: Anti-Corruption, Plain Language, and Facilitation
Iryna Basova from Transparency International demonstrated how the Prozorro system can be used to identify “gaps” in budgets and plan procurement without corruption risks.
Ostap Protsyk spoke about effective communication, the barriers created by bureaucratic language, and why it is important for public officials to communicate with citizens in plain, human language. “A successful training is one where you take away at least one inspiring idea. One meaningful connection. And the motivation to apply it. That’s the minimum foundation for change,” he noted.
Kateryna Shuvarska focused on facilitation and strategic thinking: how to properly assign roles so that projects do not fall apart halfway through.
Day 3: From Numbers to Needs
The third day in Lviv was led by Oleksii Kovalenko, who focused on two major areas:
- engagement with communities and needs assessment
- budget advocacy and public investment
“Effective budgeting is only possible when you deeply understand the needs of the community and have the tools for both financial management and public participation. Only then can these needs be transformed into real financial decisions that shape development and preserve human capital,” he explained.
Oksana Dashchakivska continued the discussion, emphasizing that “dry numbers” have no value without outcomes: “Budgeting must be tied to tangible results. And there are different ways to achieve those results — through strategic development, programs that address people’s needs, or institutional support.”
Day 4: The Final Stretch
After three intensive days focused on budgeting tools, effective communication, and community needs assessment, participants turned to a key question: how to make their projects sustainable and viable in the long term.
Oksana Bryndzak shared the experience of Teple Misto, a platform that has been implementing projects in Ivano-Frankivsk for over 10 years. She emphasized the importance of having a clear mission, a flexible yet stable funding model, and a strong network of partnerships.
Zoreslava Liulchak presented the case of Dzherelo, an organization that supports people with disabilities. She demonstrated that project sustainability is not only about finances, but also about community trust, team commitment, and the ability to adapt to new challenges. The final part of the day featured presentations of participants’ own projects. They showcased the ideas they will be developing throughout August, integrating the knowledge and tools gained during the course.
Ahead lies mentorship support, further refinement of concepts, and the transformation of these ideas into tangible changes in their communities.
The training course “Collaborative Community Budgeting: From Needs to Analytics” was organized by the Fiscal Policy Research Center in partnership with the Ukrainian Catholic University and the UCU Institute of Leadership and Management, with the support of Transparency International Ukraine.