In our first newsletter of 2013 we want to highlight some of the main achievements of last year.

One of the milestones we want to celebrate is that once again during 2012 more than $1 million was donated to HelpArgentina for the benefit of Argentinian social organizations. Passing this goal for two consecutive years is a testament to the ongoing support we receive from donors, organizations and companies that allow us to continue working for the Argentine social sector.

We are also pleased to report that 16 Argentine social organizations joined HelpArgentina´s Member Network in 2012.

In order to provide our members with additional tools, we organized two seminars for the Member Organizations which offered them a space for interaction and provided them training in the ​​fundraising techniques. In addition, we launched two Matching Challenge to incent the organizations to expand their search for resources from abroad.  As a result of these campaigns the number of monthly donors to the organizations in our network more than doubled.

We also continue to work to provide additional benefits to both donors and organizations. During 2012, we formalized an agreement with APARU (Association of Argentinian Professionals in the United Kingdom) with provides tax benefits to residents of the United Kingdom who donate to Argentinian social organizations through HelpArgentina.

Another achievement was the launch of the digital version of the Nonprofit Transparency Report which provides donors with objective and detailed information about social organizations in Argentina.

And for the third consecutive year we organized the HelpArgentina High Goal Polo Challenge in New York with the presence of renowned Argentine polo player Ignacio ¨Nacho¨ Figueras. More than 300 people attended to the event and their contributions allowed the construction of new classroom facilities in school No. 4219, located in the department General José de San Martín in the province of Salta.

And to end the year we organized a Charity Auction of Photographs “Celebrando Argentina” to which we invited the Argentine donors, companies and organizations that collaborated with us during 2012.

In 2013 we will celebrate the 10^th anniversary of HelpArgentina and we look forward to continuing working together for the Argentinian social sector.

Sincerely,

HelpArgentina´s Team

With the goal of expanding the connections between Argentine expats and social organizations in Argentina, HelpArgentina collaborates with Argentine groups in several countries that work to improve the social situation in Argentina.  Among these are Sumando Manos and Manos del Sur, two foundations based in Miami, United States.

Sumando Manos Foundation is a non-profit organization created by a group of Argentinian friends living in Miami. They work with HelpArgentina to provide food for children at the Proyecto Hogar Casa Ligüen - Hogar Marcelino, in the City of Buenos Aires.

Sumando Manos’ mission is to help at risk children and adolescents in Argentina so that they can have access to a better present and future. Since its creation in 2005, the foundation has organized various fundraising events and has coordinated and implemented projects involving nutrition, health, education and infrastructure that have benefited more than 7,000 children in 12 Argentine provinces.

With the assistance of HelpArgentina, Sumando Manos provides support to the Proyecto Hogar Casa Ligüen - Hogar Marcelino, located in Parque Patricios, in the city of Buenos Aires. These facilities provide housing, food, health care and recreation to 23 children aged 6 to 16 who are under the guardianship of the juvenile courts.

Manos del Sur Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in Miami by Latin American professionals in order to help children in the countries of origin of the members. In Argentina Sumando Manos collaborates with HelpArgentina to provide support to the Virreyes Rugby Club, located in the district of San Fernando, province of Buenos Aires. The club serves more than 550 children between 6 and 22 years who come from households with unsatisfied basic needs.

In 2012 Manos del Sur’s support allowed 50 new young players to get involved in rugby, providing a tool for social integration through sports and giving children 6 to 9 years old access to a space that allows them to develop personal skills and learn the values ​​of rugby:  solidarity, respect for rules, tolerance and the teamwork.

Since 1999, the foundation has established a bridge between donors and organizations that help children in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Nicaragua. To this end, they created the Integrated Assistance Program (PAI), a system of distribution of funds to help with health care, nutrition and education of children in need.

HelpArgentina is pleased to support and facilitate the financing of social projects in Argentina by foreign donors and institutions.

For the first time, donors now have easy access to detailed institutional, financial and program information about the organizations of Argentina’s social sector with HelpArgentina’s on-line Transparency Reports.  This digital database is designed to promote transparency and increase confidence in Argentina’s nonprofits by making comprehensive, up to date information easily available to both institutional and individual donors. The on-line tool was launched in mid-March with the profiles of 74 of HelpArgentina´s member organizations and all argentine nonprofit institutions are now invited to join the initiative.

Nonprofits can participate by completing their ¨Transparency Report¨, a disclosure document developed by HelpArgentina based on international standards.  By creating a profile organizations not only increase their visibility in front of the donor community but they will also find it easier to participate in the selection processes of different foundations and companies evaluating social investment alternatives.

The new portal also gives donors the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the various organizations working in different social issues and to proactively identify organizations that align with their social investment objectives.  Institutional donors can also use the database’s online portal to facilitate the management of their grant selection processes. Several companies, foundations and embassies are currently evaluating the potential to use this tool to support their grant making activities. The Fundación Andreani was the first institution to partner with the initiative by requiring the transparency report from each social organizations applying for its support.

The information available via the Transparency Report includes institutional, financial and extensive program information that details the objectives, target population, geographic area and impact for each project. The report also offers information about the institutional support received by each organization.

You can visit the Transparency Report database at

http://www.helpargentina.org/transparencia

(In Spanish)

For more information, please, contact us to

organizaciones@helpargentina.org

The two organizations will integrate their activities in order to enhance international fundraising opportunities for Argentine nonprofits and to unify their efforts in promoting transparency and best practices in argentine social sector.

RACI was created to improve access to resources from international institutional donors: embassies, international foundations, and government agencies.  HelpArgentina focuses on helping individual donors identify and support high impact nonprofits within Argentina and offers them a secure and efficient infrastructure to deliver their support.

The new strategic alliance between the two organizations will allow them to coordinate their support to nonprofits seeking international support and to provide a unified message designed to foster increased awareness and engagement among international donors.

The two organizations will operate under the executive direction of Guillermo Correa, who currently serves as the executive coordinator of RACI and who has more than a decade of experience in both the social sector and international development.  Together, RACI and HelpArgentina will represent a network of almost 130 of Argentina’s leading civil society organizations.