B92 Fund chief discusses humanitarian campaigns

B92 Fund chief discusses humanitarian campaigns Q: B92 has become a media company that is recognizable for its launching and successful implementing of humanitarian campaigns. Nowadays, Battle for Maternity Wards is underway. To what extant are you satisfied with the response of the companies in this particular campaign? Veran Matic: Battle for the incubators had finished with great success, as for only several months, we managed to collect double number of incubators than initially planned, and we created national consensus pertaining to the need that our babies and parents should have better conditions for care, medical treatment and growing up, that our medical workers should do their job with modern equipment, in order to give their best… This campaign was horizontal in its character, as we have collected one type of equipment for more than 60 medical institutions in 50 Serbian cities. While touring the maternity wards and children hospitals, we have found out that almost all institutions are faced with great problems with deficient equipment, starting from birth tables that are virtually falling apart, being more than half a century old, via the lack of elementary devices such as reanimation tables, pulse oximeters, respirators, aspirators, etc., to the lack of diapers, air conditioners, etc… We have thus decided to perform this campaign vertically, by providing necessary equipment for every maternity ward, bringing them into starting position when it comes to the basic equipment. In this way, we wanted to get organized on a local level as well, gathering local community around every maternity ward, as well as individuals, small and medium companies, craftsmen, big companies, public companies, local self-governance, schools and sports clubs. By gathering this local energy, we have realized that we could solve the problems, in the same time providing coalition in the long run that will maintain the equipment and restore it regularly, and stand as a kind of controlling power of the work of maternity wards’ staff, all this with the aim of gaining maximum trust of the parents when they decide to bring their baby to the world, thus making this act really magnificent, instead of troublesome, fearing whether the equipment will be operative, whether the staff will overcome the problems with outdated equipment, whether the baby will end up infected, etc. The campaign started successfully, although we have change of ruling authorities, followed by frequent changes of the coalitions on the local level, and despite the fact that the crisis is reaching its peak, and the subsidies for the corporate socially responsible campaigns are getting cut, along with other costs that are not elementary. Starting from July, we have managed to fully restore one maternity ward, by the investment of a single donor Milan Popovic, who donated EUR 90,000 to the maternity ward in Vrsac. The same donor had decided to renew all the outdated equipment of the Pancevo maternity ward as well. Actavis Company will restore the equipment in the maternity ward situated in Leskovac, and we hope that this trend will continue more dynamically. Q: This campaign, as a follow up of the campaign Battle for the Babies, is expanding abroad. What is the goal of launching the same campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and what are the results so far? Veran Matic: First, we got invited to help in launching similar campaign in Croatia. And we have managed to organize media coalition around this campaign, thanks to my good connections with the editors of leading media and politicians, so we have managed to provide President Josipovic’s patronage for the campaign entitled “Thumbs Up“, led by the parents organization of the prematurely born babies. As for Bosnia and Herzegovina, health institutions had invited us to help since they are also deficient in incubators. We have first realized the donation to the Pediatric unit in Banjaluka, and afterwards, M:tel had joined us in this campaign as local partner, and after investigation how much incubators they need, we have realized that the whole territory of BiH lacks some 70 incubators, launching the campaign for its acquisition. Up till now, we have managed to provide 25 incubators to the medical institutions all over BiH, and we hope that we will satisfy all the needs. I believe that by sharing our experiences with the neighboring countries, we build the bridges of trust, offering hope that the babies and parents can have better conditions, as well as people in general in those regions, should we decide to help each other, if we show solidarity and foster empathy. Motives were primarily humane, and afterwards also socially important, as a kind of an experiment promoting new way of establishing and strengthening communication in the region. German company Draeger, the biggest international incubator manufacturer, informed us that there are some indications that various organizations from the countries all over Africa and Asia would like to help them in creating a strategy for conveying similar campaigns, and we will most certainly do that should we be approached with concrete invitations. Q: What is your goal? When will you be able to call the campaign over? Veran Matic: Our campaigns are rather voluminous and multifaceted. Usually, we don’t have a single goal, and that is why we implement the campaigns in cycles. We haven’t planned to expand it to maternity wards, but when we found out that the situation with equipment is alarming, and since Battle for the Babies had become a powerful brand, we have decided to continue with it. Moreover, when we realized that most of the parents are in a difficult financial situation, we have launched signing of the petition for abolishing VAT or its reimbursement on baby equipment and food. Despite skeptical opinions, we have gained victory. Now, this initiative should be expanded further so that the babies and the parents could be helped to the greatest extent. We have constructed five safe houses within the project of fighting domestic violence, but Serbia still needs a dozen of safe houses and a range of national programs for fighting violence in the family and violence in general. So this is a permanent campaign. As the number of cancer patients is getting higher, we continue with the campaign “Serbia fighting cancer“, for the prevention of the breast cancer, and similar, through the activities pertaining to the digital mobile mammography unit, and through the educational campaigns for regular medical check-ups. Every single campaign is still active, although we launch new ones. I hope that in future we will have support of the government and the elite, so that philanthropy will be further stimulated. Q: To what extent had B92 contributed to developing the awareness with the companies that do business in Serbia, when it comes to CSR activities? Veran Matic: We have managed to expand voluntary donations and philanthropy. Our goal was not only to collect certain funds for meeting the needs, but to include as many as possible companies, individuals, small businessmen, local self-governments, to become regular participants in the solidarity campaigns, thus making them sensible to the corporate socially responsible businesses within the company, but also towards the community as a whole. The largest part of those who once took part in one of our campaigns, usually join us in other campaigns as well. Some of the companies had started, using B92’s campaigns as a role model, to create and implement their own campaigns, to establish CSR department, thus maintaining certain standards, etc. Q: According to your opinion, is social responsibility just an option or moral obligation? Veran Matic: For me, socially responsible attitude is integral part of every activity, whether it is the attitude in the building where you live, relationship with the neighbors that are in need for your help, relationship towards your own resources (that should not be wasted and destroyed, that needs the best possible management, from the household trash to the budget). Since I started working, I have strived to make the issues such as public interest protection and the interest of the citizens, individuals, marginal groups, minorities, dominant in my radio shows, etc. Promotion and verbal advocating for certain values is not enough. I have always made efforts to implement in practice what I stand for. That is why B92 could be called media movement more than a standard radio station. We have always been active, organizing campaigns, thus moving the boundaries. I believe that every citizen, especially the ones that stand for leaders that are at the helm of some companies, organizations, must integrate and develop socially responsible attitude of the community as the core of their business dealings. Especially when it comes to the institutions that could exert additional power and responsibility, such as media outlets. Q: B92 Fund had been presented with numerous awards for the greatly designed PR of its humanitarian campaigns. How do you encourage the companies and the individuals to join you? Veran Matic: Firstly, the owners and teams of Leo Burnett, and afterwards Saatchi & Saatchi had offered to do one campaign per year for B92 Fund, the main campaign of the year. We have started with “Hunger Strike against Hunger”, followed by the campaign “Food for All”. This campaign had toured the world, and also helped us in saving soup kitchens. The campaign “Battle for the Babies” was prepared for two months, and some twenty creative directors had worked on it pro bono. Later on, in the course of the campaign, they got also involved as volunteers, apart from their precious creative contribution. High quality campaign that is able to express our sympathy with those in need, authentic quality of our desires and intentions can be of utmost importance. When people become aware of the information we share with them, and when they are offered possibility to be part of positive action, not only that we get donations, but we also gain full devotion to the cause of the campaign and the need for stronger involvement. Usually it happens that the goals that we set in the campaign they perceive as their own. So we get the wide front of highly devoted allies. Q: To what extent was the state ready to support humanitarian campaigns that you launched? Veran Matic: We got much more verbal than practical support. General miscomprehension stands in the fact that the state representatives think that our campaigns, designed to temporarily solve the problems that state is not capable of, should be perceived as our permanent obligation. On the national level, there are no concrete activities in way of promoting or expanding social responsibility, so that philanthropy could gain its importance. There is also no attempt to promote this field with some systematic moves. There are no tax incentives or benefits that would help in making socially responsible activities more spread. We are not satisfied, as no breakthroughs were done. Still, this does not impact our activities and our determination to develop our mission further. Q: To what extent is the campaign Battle for the Babies and its follow up Battle for Maternity Wards your personal satisfaction? Veran Matic: This is the field that compensate for all the difficulties and problems I face with in my other business dealings. The feeling that you are in a position to help the most impoverished and the weakest that fight for their lives with all their strength is really the best possible motive and satisfaction. Q: Do you perhaps already have some other field in mind to engage in in future that will be encompassed by humanitarian battle of B92 Fund? Veran Matic: There are a range of initiatives, but we cannot decide right now, as we are in for large number of challenges pertaining to the “Battle for Maternity Wards“. This interview originally appeared in Business Info Groups's Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders publication Veran Matic (file) "We have always been active, organizing campaigns, thus moving the boundaries. I believe that every citizen, especially the ones that stand for leaders that are at the helm of some companies, organizations, must integrate and develop socially responsible attitude of the community as the core of their business dealings." "We have always been active, organizing campaigns, thus moving the boundaries. I believe that every citizen, especially the ones that stand for leaders that are at the helm of some companies, organizations, must integrate and develop socially responsible attitude of the community as the core of their business dealings."

B92 Fund chief discusses humanitarian campaigns

Q: B92 has become a media company that is recognizable for its launching and successful implementing of humanitarian campaigns. Nowadays, Battle for Maternity Wards is underway. To what extant are you satisfied with the response of the companies in this particular campaign?

Veran Matic: Battle for the incubators had finished with great success, as for only several months, we managed to collect double number of incubators than initially planned, and we created national consensus pertaining to the need that our babies and parents should have better conditions for care, medical treatment and growing up, that our medical workers should do their job with modern equipment, in order to give their best… This campaign was horizontal in its character, as we have collected one type of equipment for more than 60 medical institutions in 50 Serbian cities. While touring the maternity wards and children hospitals, we have found out that almost all institutions are faced with great problems with deficient equipment, starting from birth tables that are virtually falling apart, being more than half a century old, via the lack of elementary devices such as reanimation tables, pulse oximeters, respirators, aspirators, etc., to the lack of diapers, air conditioners, etc… We have thus decided to perform this campaign vertically, by providing necessary equipment for every maternity ward, bringing them into starting position when it comes to the basic equipment. In this way, we wanted to get organized on a local level as well, gathering local community around every maternity ward, as well as individuals, small and medium companies, craftsmen, big companies, public companies, local self-governance, schools and sports clubs.

By gathering this local energy, we have realized that we could solve the problems, in the same time providing coalition in the long run that will maintain the equipment and restore it regularly, and stand as a kind of controlling power of the work of maternity wards’ staff, all this with the aim of gaining maximum trust of the parents when they decide to bring their baby to the world, thus making this act really magnificent, instead of troublesome, fearing whether the equipment will be operative, whether the staff will overcome the problems with outdated equipment, whether the baby will end up infected, etc. The campaign started successfully, although we have change of ruling authorities, followed by frequent changes of the coalitions on the local level, and despite the fact that the crisis is reaching its peak, and the subsidies for the corporate socially responsible campaigns are getting cut, along with other costs that are not elementary. Starting from July, we have managed to fully restore one maternity ward, by the investment of a single donor Milan Popovic, who donated EUR 90,000 to the maternity ward in Vrsac. The same donor had decided to renew all the outdated equipment of the Pancevo maternity ward as well. Actavis Company will restore the equipment in the maternity ward situated in Leskovac, and we hope that this trend will continue more dynamically.

Q: This campaign, as a follow up of the campaign Battle for the Babies, is expanding abroad. What is the goal of launching the same campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and what are the results so far?

Veran Matic: First, we got invited to help in launching similar campaign in Croatia. And we have managed to organize media coalition around this campaign, thanks to my good connections with the editors of leading media and politicians, so we have managed to provide President Josipovic’s patronage for the campaign entitled “Thumbs Up“, led by the parents organization of the prematurely born babies. As for Bosnia and Herzegovina, health institutions had invited us to help since they are also deficient in incubators. We have first realized the donation to the Pediatric unit in Banjaluka, and afterwards, M:tel had joined us in this campaign as local partner, and after investigation how much incubators they need, we have realized that the whole territory of BiH lacks some 70 incubators, launching the campaign for its acquisition.

Up till now, we have managed to provide 25 incubators to the medical institutions all over BiH, and we hope that we will satisfy all the needs. I believe that by sharing our experiences with the neighboring countries, we build the bridges of trust, offering hope that the babies and parents can have better conditions, as well as people in general in those regions, should we decide to help each other, if we show solidarity and foster empathy. Motives were primarily humane, and afterwards also socially important, as a kind of an experiment promoting new way of establishing and strengthening communication in the region. German company Draeger, the biggest international incubator manufacturer, informed us that there are some indications that various organizations from the countries all over Africa and Asia would like to help them in creating a strategy for conveying similar campaigns, and we will most certainly do that should we be approached with concrete invitations.

Q: What is your goal? When will you be able to call the campaign over?

Veran Matic: Our campaigns are rather voluminous and multifaceted. Usually, we don’t have a single goal, and that is why we implement the campaigns in cycles. We haven’t planned to expand it to maternity wards, but when we found out that the situation with equipment is alarming, and since Battle for the Babies had become a powerful brand, we have decided to continue with it. Moreover, when we realized that most of the parents are in a difficult financial situation, we have launched signing of the petition for abolishing VAT or its reimbursement on baby equipment and food. Despite skeptical opinions, we have gained victory. Now, this initiative should be expanded further so that the babies and the parents could be helped to the greatest extent.

We have constructed five safe houses within the project of fighting domestic violence, but Serbia still needs a dozen of safe houses and a range of national programs for fighting violence in the family and violence in general. So this is a permanent campaign.
As the number of cancer patients is getting higher, we continue with the campaign “Serbia fighting cancer“, for the prevention of the breast cancer, and similar, through the activities pertaining to the digital mobile mammography unit, and through the educational campaigns for regular medical check-ups.

Every single campaign is still active, although we launch new ones. I hope that in future we will have support of the government and the elite, so that philanthropy will be further stimulated.

Q: To what extent had B92 contributed to developing the awareness with the companies that do business in Serbia, when it comes to CSR activities?

Veran Matic: We have managed to expand voluntary donations and philanthropy. Our goal was not only to collect certain funds for meeting the needs, but to include as many as possible companies, individuals, small businessmen, local self-governments, to become regular participants in the solidarity campaigns, thus making them sensible to the corporate socially responsible businesses within the company, but also towards the community as a whole. The largest part of those who once took part in one of our campaigns, usually join us in other campaigns as well. Some of the companies had started, using B92’s campaigns as a role model, to create and implement their own campaigns, to establish CSR department, thus maintaining certain standards, etc.

Q: According to your opinion, is social responsibility just an option or moral obligation?

Veran Matic: For me, socially responsible attitude is integral part of every activity, whether it is the attitude in the building where you live, relationship with the neighbors that are in need for your help, relationship towards your own resources (that should not be wasted and destroyed, that needs the best possible management, from the household trash to the budget). Since I started working, I have strived to make the issues such as public interest protection and the interest of the citizens, individuals, marginal groups, minorities, dominant in my radio shows, etc. Promotion and verbal advocating for certain values is not enough. I have always made efforts to implement in practice what I stand for. That is why B92 could be called media movement more than a standard radio station. We have always been active, organizing campaigns, thus moving the boundaries. I believe that every citizen, especially the ones that stand for leaders that are at the helm of some companies, organizations, must integrate and develop socially responsible attitude of the community as the core of their business dealings. Especially when it comes to the institutions that could exert additional power and responsibility, such as media outlets.

Q: B92 Fund had been presented with numerous awards for the greatly designed PR of its humanitarian campaigns. How do you encourage the companies and the individuals to join you?

Veran Matic: Firstly, the owners and teams of Leo Burnett, and afterwards Saatchi & Saatchi had offered to do one campaign per year for B92 Fund, the main campaign of the year. We have started with “Hunger Strike against Hunger”, followed by the campaign “Food for All”. This campaign had toured the world, and also helped us in saving soup kitchens. The campaign “Battle for the Babies” was prepared for two months, and some twenty creative directors had worked on it pro bono. Later on, in the course of the campaign, they got also involved as volunteers, apart from their precious creative contribution. High quality campaign that is able to express our sympathy with those in need, authentic quality of our desires and intentions can be of utmost importance. When people become aware of the information we share with them, and when they are offered possibility to be part of positive action, not only that we get donations, but we also gain full devotion to the cause of the campaign and the need for stronger involvement. Usually it happens that the goals that we set in the campaign they perceive as their own. So we get the wide front of highly devoted allies.

Q: To what extent was the state ready to support humanitarian campaigns that you launched?

Veran Matic: We got much more verbal than practical support. General miscomprehension stands in the fact that the state representatives think that our campaigns, designed to temporarily solve the problems that state is not capable of, should be perceived as our permanent obligation. On the national level, there are no concrete activities in way of promoting or expanding social responsibility, so that philanthropy could gain its importance. There is also no attempt to promote this field with some systematic moves. There are no tax incentives or benefits that would help in making socially responsible activities more spread. We are not satisfied, as no breakthroughs were done. Still, this does not impact our activities and our determination to develop our mission further.

Q: To what extent is the campaign Battle for the Babies and its follow up Battle for Maternity Wards your personal satisfaction?

Veran Matic: This is the field that compensate for all the difficulties and problems I face with in my other business dealings. The feeling that you are in a position to help the most impoverished and the weakest that fight for their lives with all their strength is really the best possible motive and satisfaction.

Q: Do you perhaps already have some other field in mind to engage in in future that will be encompassed by humanitarian battle of B92 Fund?

Veran Matic: There are a range of initiatives, but we cannot decide right now, as we are in for large number of challenges pertaining to the “Battle for Maternity Wards“.

This interview originally appeared in Business Info Groups's Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders publication