24 April 2018 the House of the Russian Government hosted an award ceremony of the NGO Profi competition. The national Russian media project was launched in autumn 2017 to present stories of personal and professional success in the NGO sector. The competition was run by the Agency of Social Information, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation and STADA Group in Russia, and supported by the Board for Social Welfare under the Russian Government.

The media project included a cycle of interviews with NGO leaders and successful professionals working in the non-profit sector. Their personal stories were published in various media.

“There are over 143,000 NGOs in Russia, employing more than 850,000 professionals and 3,800,000 volunteers. It is hard to imagine any major state initiative without NGOs today,” said deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets in her welcoming speech. Ms Golodets also believes that competitions for social media are significant for civil society development.

Oksana Oracheva, General Director of the Foundation, noted that “the NKO-Profi project gives a wider audience an idea and flavor of NGO work. For them the work with the NGO sector is not only a source of inspiration but also an opportunity for the development of their personal skills and competences. We hope that examples of dozens of experts help young people pursue their career in the non-profit sector.”

The best radio and TV broadcasts, the best publication and series of stories received awards at the ceremony, including special prizes from Olga Golodets and the Agency of Social Information. 

“It is crucial that journalists address social topics. After the competition, many questions were raised, evoking us to analyze materials, make necessary amendments, enabling journalists to be more professional in the subject," said Elena Topoleva, Deputy Chairman of the Board for Social Welfare under the Russian Government, Director of the Agency of Social Information.

The broadcast of the ceremony and list of winners are published by the Agency of Social Information.