Citizen election observers are facing increasing challenges to safeguard their own elections as a result of recent cuts in foreign aid. According to a survey by the Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) many members have had election monitoring funding disrupted resulting in organizations having to suspend projects and/or cut staff. Observer organizations are being forced to pivot in real-time to continue to advance credible elections during this time of crisis.

In light of these events, on October 9, 2025 GNDEM brought together the global community of nonpartisan citizen observers, along with donors, partners, and other key stakeholders for a webinar to discuss the impact of the changing funding environment, understand the shifting priorities of donors, and explore practical approaches to design effective fundraising strategies and ensure long-term sustainability for robust citizen election observation.

Almost 100 individuals participated in the webinar, including more than 65 GNDEM members from every region of the globe. The webinar was facilitated by citizen observation leader Anis Samaali formerly of Mourakiboun and NDI, and speakers included representatives from the GNDEM board, regional networks including The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON), The Electoral Integrity Observation Network (Red-OIE) and individual organizations MEMO 98, the Association for Election and Democracy (Perludem), Transparência Eleitoral Brasil, Yiaga Africa, as well as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The webinar provided citizen observers with an opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices across countries and regions, and emphasized much-needed solidarity in the midst of an otherwise daunting crisis. Some important points that were highlighted include:

  • International support for citizen observers remains high: The webinar demonstrated global solidarity among citizen observers, but also reaffirmed international commitments to find ways to continue to support their work. Though the funding environment has significantly changed, this does not mean that donors and the international community do not see the value in citizen election observation.
  • Citizen observers can fundraise on the skills and services they provide: Some civic leaders discussed how they have used their unique skill sets and credible methodologies - such as in research, audits, and analysis - to garner profits. This may mean conducting certain projects for a fee for different entities that could benefit from the knowledge observers can provide. However participants discussed the need for ongoing independence and potentially ethical and political guidelines that groups should have in place for such an approach.
  • The role grassroots mobilization can play in sustainability and financial relief: Monitoring organizations often enjoy the goodwill of the public and could fundraise in some of the ways that issue-based and other non-profit advocacy organizations do. This could include asking for small donations from citizens, or making money from the sale of merchandise. However participants did note the challenges between mobilizing citizens around popular advocacy issues - such as environmental causes - and around the more technical work of citizen observers. This may require different kinds of messaging and story-telling to mobilize public donations.
  • Strategies for strategic partnerships and approaching non-traditional donors: Observers exchanged a number of experiences in fundraising from non-traditional donors, for instance, the business community, academic institutions, and private foundations. It’s clear that there are a variety of experiences across the GNDEM community that can be utilized on this front. Fundraising experts on the call also emphasized the importance of building person-to-person relationships, which may involve groups attending more networking events and expanding contacts.
  • Managing stress and avoiding burn out: Civil society has been under unprecedented stress for the last months, weathering waves of shocks while still speaking truth to power. Fundraising in an uncertain environment can be frustrating and exhausting. Observers were reminded during this webinar that “You are enough. Take a breath. This is a marathon.”

These events were made possible by the voluntary spirit of GNDEM and its members, and are testament to the perseverance of citizen observers to continue their work by any means necessary and in spite of very real challenges. GNDEM will continue to build on this discussion and develop future avenues for groups to share their successes and lessons learned during this evolving context.