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Participation of Civil Society in Addressing Community Needs in Baja California Sur

Participation of Baja California Sur’s civil society has become more specialized over time as nonprofit organizations have gained training, external partnerships, and the ability to finance their various programs and projects. This is due as much to the search for alternatives to remedy problems, as to having established long-term substantive solutions to meet complex needs. The arrival of external organizations and foundations has considerably favored the maturing process of civil organizations in the state by bringing financial resources to implement longer-term projects.  Nonetheless, the state still has a large number of under-capitalized organizations that have no access to sources of international financing, many of which lack the most basic infrastructure such as computers, archives, office space, and Internet access). Without this critical operating support, these nonprofits can stagnate or disintegrate, even if they are addressing a real need in the community. 

The conditions under which the majority of local nonprofits operate are further aggravated by the still incipient culture of philanthropy that prevails in the country.  Although history shows that Mexicans have undertaken extraordinary feats of solidarity and volunteerism, the mechanisms for effective philanthropy have not been concretely established in Mexico. Many donations are thwarted by complicated fiscal procedures and insufficient tax incentives. Under such conditions, nonprofit organizations depend on scarce government resources to attempt to solve large and complex national problems, as well as on their own ability to encourage interested individuals to work voluntarily.

 

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