SivilFest in Karşıyaka: 104 NGOs met at the Social Impact and Volunteering Festival
Organised by Karşıyaka Municipality in partnership with Social Business Global, SivilFest brought 104 civil society organisations together with free trainings and social impact sessions on 5-7 December 2025.
Social Business Global
SivilFest: Social Impact and Volunteering Festival, organised by Karşıyaka Municipality in partnership with Social Business Global, took place on 5-7 December 2025 at the Sancar Maruflu Civil Society Campus in Karşıyaka, İzmir, as part of International Volunteer Day on 5 December. The festival brought 104 civil society organisations together for three days of trainings, social impact programmes and volunteering networks.
NGOs opened stands and attended trainings free of charge. The programme included sessions on project writing, volunteer management, digital tools, revenue models and sustainability and social impact, as well as Canva Nonprofit, Google Nonprofit and Help Steps trainings. The festival was made possible by grants and support from Google, hangel, Canva, Microsoft, AbilityPool and Help Steps.
Speaking at the opening, Karşıyaka Mayor Yıldız Ünsal said: "Volunteering is the purest act that turns small kindnesses into a great transformation." İzmir Provincial Civil Society Relations Branch Director Himmet Uygun also attended the ceremony.
Social entrepreneur İsmail Hilmi Adıgüzel, Country Leader of Social Business Global and founder of hangel.org, said: "This is the sixth gathering we have organised. I thank our Mayor Yıldız Ünsal for turning it into a festival, and every institution and person who supported it."