Het Actiefonds is a small non-profit organisation that is financially independent. It is an organisation “for activists, by activists”. With an intersectional approach, they support direct actions around the world, from demonstrations and strikes to petitions. They challenge every form of oppression through a “grassroots approach”. Illegal mining, gender-based violence, and defending LGBTIQ+ rights: there are all kinds of reasons why people unite locally to be heard. In all these cases, they can receive support from Het Actiefonds. This way, Het Actiefonds strives for “a fair, and just world”.
“Because we were matched by Pro Bono Connect, we felt confident that the firm really wanted to advise us.”
However, financial independence and having a small, self-managing team comes with challenges. An employee from Het Actiefonds stated in this regard: “Because we are a small organisation, we have to carefully consider what we spend our money on. Legal advice is quite expensive. We noticed, however, that some of our internal documents were outdated. We looked into options for legal help and found Pro Bono Connect. The contact with Pro Bono Connect was friendly and they matched us with one of their partner firms. Initially, we never expected that such a large law firm would want to assist an organisation like ours. However, because we were matched by Pro Bono Connect, we felt confident that the firm really wanted to advise us. The lawyer was very helpful and friendly. Her responses were quick and she proactively forwarded the necessary questions to others within the office.”
Het Actiefonds was successfully advised and helped by the law firm: “Receiving pro bono legal aid was very useful. It helped us both in drafting new statutes and regulations and in answering other legal questions we needed advice on. It is currently a difficult time for non-profit organizations, as we do not know what impact the intended budget costs will have on organisations like ours. I think that in this rapidly changing world there is a greater need for legal certainty and non-profit organisations benefit from strengthening themselves and building strong foundations. Pro bono help and advice plays an important role in this.”