Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)
The evaluation is open to all active CSOs operating in Greece. Certain restrictions have been set, such as the submission of data for at least 2 financial years or more, which concerns the optimal functioning of the evaluation process and not the exclusion of any organisation.We are constantly mapping the ecosystem to identify all interested organisations, but you can also contact us or recommend other organisations.
The Thalis II Service is currently provided to organisations based only in Greece.
The process will be repeated every two years. Each evaluation cycle consists of two phases: quantitative research in the first year and qualitative research in the second.
No, taking part in the evaluation is a choice of each organisation.
Firstly, participating organisations will receive an assessment based on international best practices. In addition, they are given the opportunity to improve their internal processes before submitting the final questionnaire. At the same time, by receiving the badge they can use it as a certification for fundraising and for promoting their organisation.
Experience from previous years has shown that the size of the organisation does not play a critical role in its score. Nevertheless, the Scientific Committee monitors the process and in the case where a relevant issue arises, distinct categories of organisations will be created not only in terms of the field of activity but also in terms of their size.
The process is designed to assign sub-scores in three main areas of the organisation’s operation: effectiveness, internal organisation and transparency. This reduces the chance of overall low scores and ensures that organisations’ participation in the process is positive. At the same time, the discussion with donors/funders focuses on the fact that participation in itself is positive, while weaknesses in certain areas are grounds for further support rather than exclusion.
If the Greek Organisation is the program’s Coordinator, it is considered as an International Activity. However, if the action takes place in the country of one of the partners and the CSO participates in the context of the project, then it is not.
Activities are considered international if there are direct beneficiaries abroad.
To record the activities, organisations must follow the instructions below per field and subfield in category C. Activity Fields:
- Select a field from the list of fields.
For each field, list at least three (3) activities. - If you select a subfield, assign three (3) activities for each subfield.
- For example, if you select field 04. Social Welfare/Inclusion, record at least three (3) actions related to this field.
- Note that if you do not have three actions corresponding to a field or subfield then you cannot select that field/subfield.
There is a fee to participate in the service, which is determined according to the turnover of each organisation’s last financial year.
HIGGS aims to repeat the evaluation process every two years. The organizations participating in each cycle will remain posted on the website until the next evaluation cycle is completed. In addition, we are exploring the possibility of creating a timeline to show the organizations that participated in each cycle.
The evaluation process for THALIS II will take place every two years. This means that the platform will open at the beginning of each new cycle to welcome organizations that choose to participate. Each cycle will include organizations participating for the first time and organizations that have participated in previous cycles.
Organizations that have already participated will only need to reactivate their account by paying for the new evaluation. In the questionnaire, it will not be necessary to fill in all the information from scratch, but only the new data from the last three years, which will be evaluated in the first year of the cycle (quantitative phase).
The final score of each organization will be the weighted sum of the scores in three (3) categories of criteria: Effectiveness, Internal Organisation, Transparency. You can find all the information in detail here
The badge you receive based on the results of the evaluation process bears the year in which it was obtained. We recommend that you participate in each new evaluation cycle so that you always have the most recent badge and can better monitor your organization’s progress, as well as present the most up-to-date image of your organization to third parties.
HIGGS has adopted a participation fee for the THALIS II service in order to cover part of its operating costs. Our intention is to keep the cost of participation stable but any increases in various service offering costs (such as platform upgrade, researcher costs for qualitative research) may lead to some increases.
You can find it in the HIGGS main menu ➤ Our Activities ➤ Other Support Activities ➤ THALIS II: Platform for the Evaluation of Civil Society Organizations in Greece or at the following link
