The Raiffeisen Comunități program, run by Raiffeisen Bank Romania in partnership with the Association for Community Relations, has entered a pivotal stage of its 2025–2026 edition: the Sustainable Communities Incubator. This intensive workshop brings together 75 organizations forming 25 selected partnerships—chosen from 390 applicant NGOs—to co-create and refine community solutions across Romania.

Spanning two and a half days, the incubator helps participants strengthen their initiatives ahead of the program’s final phase. Built on Otto Scharmer’s U-Process methodology, it guides organizations from ideas to functional, community-driven partnerships that foster sustainable change through authentic collaboration and participatory processes.

“The Sustainable Communities Incubator is where ideas gain structure and direction,” said Cristian Sporiș, Vice-President of Corporate & Investment Banking and a member of Raiffeisen Bank Romania’s Board of Directors. “Here, organizations solidify partnerships, engage closer with communities, and clarify how their solutions can deliver long-term impact. We want initiatives emerging from this to be deeply rooted in community needs and drive lasting local change.”

Focus on Partnerships, Community, and Impact

The incubator emphasizes three core areas for sustainable community initiatives: strengthening partnerships, genuine community involvement, and clear impact strategies.

Participants define roles, decision-making processes, and collaboration models to build true teams united by a shared vision for change. They draw on prior community consultations to create participatory mechanisms that boost trust and relevance in local interventions.

A key tool is the Theory of Change, which helps map how proposed actions lead to measurable results. Organizations set community-relevant goals, indicators, and sustainable financial/organizational models to reduce reliance on single grants.

“We live in a Romania of contrasts, where communities are often fragmented by distrust and lack of dialogue,” said Dana Pîrțoc, Executive Director of the Association for Community Relations. “This incubator builds on our most vulnerable points and strengthens hope. As a long-term partnership, Raiffeisen Comunități has become a platform for growth, showing the massive impact we can achieve when we unite and trust our collective power.”