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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy pp 118–136Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Giving in Bulgaria: A Nonprofit Sector in Transition

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Abstract

Nonprofit organizations emerged in Bulgaria at the start of the 19th century (Encyclopedia of Giving, 2012). A cornerstone institution accredited as the origin of Bulgarian civil society is the chitalishte, a multi-functional community center (Gavrilova & Elenkov, 1998; Kabakchieva & Hristova, 2012). The first chitalishte appeared in the 1850s, when the country was still a part of the Ottoman Empire. The centers were critical in preserving and developing Bulgarian culture and played an important role in the national revival and independence movement: ‘The chitalishte was both an educational and a nationalist institution, linked therefore to democracy (via education) and national identity’ (Valkov, 2009, pp. 431–432). Even after gaining independence, the state provided very little financing to nonprofits. Instead, donations from membership dues, fund-raising, entrepreneurial activities and donations from wealthy Bulgarians financed these organizations (Valkov, 2009). Close to 3,000 community centers exist today and continue to serve as libraries, education centers, music schools, theaters and more.

Keywords

  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • European Union
  • Social Capital
  • Civil Society
  • Social Trust

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors
  1. Franziska Bieri
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  2. Neven T. Valev
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Pamala Wiepking (Assistant Professor) (Assistant Professor)

  2. School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, USA

    Femida Handy (Professor) (Professor)

Copyright information

© 2015 Franziska Bieri and Neven T. Valev

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Bieri, F., Valev, N.T. (2015). Giving in Bulgaria: A Nonprofit Sector in Transition. In: Wiepking, P., Handy, F. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137341532_8

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