What Was It About?
Topics of the seminar included fundraising, management, communication and strategy building.
When and Where?
The Think Tank School took place on April 5-6, 2012 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Program
Day 1, Thursday, 5 April
9:15 – 09:30 Welcome and introduction to ELF (Susanne Hartig, Executive Director, European Liberal Forum)
09:30 – 11:00 Introduction session (Zilvinas Silenas, President, Lithuanian Free Market Institute)
11:00 – 11:45 Why does the idea of Liberty matter? How our agenda can improve the future of Europe (Richard Durana, INESS, Slovakia, Corina Hendriks, Mr. Hans van Mierlo Stichting, ELF member, The Netherlands)
11:45 – 12:05 Break
12:05 – 13:00 The world we work in: An overview on Europe’s current problems, tendencies of federalization and how it will influence the localization of national think tanks (Remigijus Simasius, Ministry of Justice of Lithuania)
13:00 ‐ 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Methods and means of a think tank: What tactics should we use to influence European policy? (Svetla Kostadinova, President of Institute for Market Economics)
15:00 – 16:00 A success story: Establishing a think tank. What I did and how (Richard Durana, INESS, Slovakia)
16:00 – 16:30 Break
16:30 – 18:30 Workshop: Creating the programme for a 21st century think tank (Karin Zelano, FORES, ELF member, Sweden, Zilvinas Silenas, Lithuanian Free Market Institute)
19:00 Departue to restaurant from the Hotel lobby
19:15 Dinner (La Boheme, Šv. Ignoto Street 4/3)
Day 2, Friday, 6 April
9:00 – 09:45 Managing and coordinating the work of a think tank (Corina Hendriks, Mr. Hans van Mierlo Stichting, ELF member, The Netherlands)
09:45 – 10:25 Managing and coordinating projects (joint projects, networks) Best tools for networking, how to react promptly and take a successful joint action (Zilvinas Silenas, Lithuanian Free Market Institute)
10:25‐ 10:40 Break
10:40‐13:00 Workshop: Developing a communication strategy. How to communicate our joint actions in EU to interest groups: politicians, academia media, and general public (Matthew Elliott, Taxpayers Alliance, UK, Ruta Vainiene, Lithuanian Free Market Institute)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 17:00 Workshop: Developing a strategy for fundraising. Presentations: Selling to sponsors: faith, fundraising and techniques; Experience of a think tank. Discussion: how to raise resources for joint projects (Tim Evans, The Cobden Centre, UK, Edita Maslauskaite, Lithuanian Free Market Institute)
15:45 – 16:00 Break
17:00 Closing remarks (Zilvinas Silenas, Lithuanian Free Market Institute)
18:15 Departue to restaurant from the Hotel lobby
18:30Farewell dinner. “Esse” restaurant, Gedimino Ave. 50/2
