What is 60 Million legislature for Poland? About Polonia, philanthropy and soft power

Zbigniew Klonowski and I are discussing the activities of legislature of 60 Million, the importance of soft power in global politics, as well as the prospects of philanthropy improvement in Poland.

(Interview is simply a edited and completed version of the podcast Are you aware? p. Congress 60 Million – Polonia, geopolitics and soft power).

Rafał Górski: Do you agree that without soft power, called public or civic diplomacy, an effective global policy cannot be pursued in the 21st century? Is soft force a very crucial complement to the military and economical force of Poland? Is legislature 60 Million a soft force of the Polish state?

Zbigniew Klonowski: To answer the first question, this is surely difficult. On the another hand, I would reverse the position and point out that thanks to soft power we are able to accomplish our goals much easier. Similarly, it is easier for us to do the tasks we were prepared to do.

Does legislature 60 Million fit in soft power? Definitely so, even though his main thesis speaks about building a relation between the 60-million-dollar diaspora of Poles in the world, 1 of the main topics that have been changing for 7 years during meetings is to advance Poland, build a strong position of the country and establish its good name. Our goal is besides to make abroad partners aware of what Poland looks like today, who we are as Poles and what we have achieved.

Although legislature focuses on the economy, it definitely fits into soft power.

In his erstwhile editions there was no shortage of topics specified as Polish media, promotion of Poland utilizing the chance to scope citizens of another countries or authorities of another countries through Poles surviving abroad.

As Polonia in the United States, we have held a much better position until recently, but over the last 2 decades we have neglected these actions. The situation related to the war in Ukraine has made Poland recognisable among the countries active in this conflict, which express large respect for what Poles have done for Ukraine. From a policy perspective, we should not avoid utilizing this due to the fact that strong Poland is able to aid and build its position in the world.

Congress of 60 Million is an innovative initiative which does not match the actions taken to date in the area of the networking of Polish and Polish organizations. This is not yet another effort to establish a union organization or to make another convention, which brings together a tiny percent of Polish communities fighting for the right to represent the full primarily in the political arena. Are we witnessing a revolution in the approach to the Polish subject, and on a global scale?

The legislature was created as a consequence of discussions between Poles surviving in the country and American Polonia, starting with 3 co-founders, through people who joined the group.

The main driving force of his organization was the request to make a platform with an innovative approach to talking about Poland.

I would not usurp the right to lead this subject precisely due to the fact that legislature is an inclusive platform that does not intend to prosecute any competitive goals for the organisations that exist.

The reflection of relations on the Polish-US line shows that the largest Polonia, which is in the USA, has the most hard access to Poland, for example due to the time difference. 90% of American Polish, declaring Polishness in the heart, no longer speaks Polish. This is the first of the elements that we have noticed and we then agreed that legislature must be held in English.

We organize many events for the Polish people in order to keep tradition, but it is besides crucial for us to be modern and quality, so we effort to implement congresses in prestigious places and at a advanced level. The success of legislature is besides evidenced by the expanding number of participants each year.

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How do you measure the activity of NGOs in Polish activities? Is Polonia powerfully based on the alleged 3rd sector, utilizing the opportunities that specified organisations have for improving the situation of Polish communities in the country of residence, or in the context of developing cooperation with Poland? Do you meet interesting programmes and projects in your business, which Polish representatives carry out with NGO’s, e.g. in the areas of culture, social assistance, entrepreneurship development, global cooperation?

There are many specified NGOs. They function in Miami, fresh York, Chicago, Los Angeles, where they advance Polish culture and history. They do quite a few good.

When creating Congress, we want to see that NGOs besides have meetings there.

I believe that we do not make maximum usage of the opportunities of these organisations because, as a state, we deficiency a coherent policy that is simply a determinant for everyone, operating at the Polish-Polonia interface – for entrepreneurs, NGOs, artists, athletes. There is no direction of improvement that we can submit to our actions and maximize effects by building soft power in a more thoughtful way. These organizations and Polonia have been expecting the Polish Government to inform them of our strategy and function and what they can do for their country.

Are Polish NGOs besides participating in the 60 Million Congress? Did you, as founders of this global platform, besides foresee a place for Polish associations and foundations? If so, what function do social organisations play in your activities?

Congress is 2 days of meetings, so not all topics worth raising can be discussed in specified a short time. With the largest NGOs specified as the Kościuszko Foundation, Copernicus and the Polish Institute in Miami, we discussed respective aspects. The first is how we can support each another and exchange good practices. I was greatly impressed by the fact that Polish NGOs draw cognition from American experience. As an example, I will give the Polish foundations that, as American legal entities, undergo an yearly audit and show what percent of funds goes straight to those they help.

Each donor can see that out of a 100 donated organizations of dollars or gold, ninety went straight to the mark that the donor indicated.

Another aspect is building our consciousness as donors. Donation is 1 of the essential elements of support, which consists in voluntary transfer of funds to sport, cultural development, promotion to form our country's position and improve the well-being of citizens. In the United States, it is much more widespread than in Poland. This is 1 component that we could draw and apply, and the action of the donation can be seen, for example, in the example of the judaic diaspora, which is frequently seen as 1 of the strongest in the world.

The Institute of civilian Affairs is presently implementing a task on building iron capital. The thought of iron capital is understood as a unchangeable origin of financing, independent of state funds and European grants, which only support selected actions. We know that Polish organizations are frequently besides dependent on financial resources obtained from grants both in Poland (and unfortunately there are fewer for Polish people), as well as on public backing in the country of residence (which may in turn restrict independence). Do you think that iron capital is simply a real chance to “allocate” NGOs operating in Poland and abroad?

This is not a substance of real independence, due to the fact that most of these organisations, however, have public-funded support and promotion programmes.

Every action requires labor, time, finance to be effective.

If we want to fund a scholarship in which a million dollars per year will be allocated to youth training or education support, in Poland our approach is focused on getting this million from grants, and then, as they say, "we will be worried".

In the United States, the approach of institutions that already have iron capital focuses on expanding it by 15 million so that the profit is about $1 million a year. At that time, the programme has the chance to proceed in the long term, with only these funds. This is an example of independence, due to the fact that as an organization we are not forced to give in to force from a change in power or a situation, and the long-term objectives of the organization can be achieved through built iron capital.

I support this approach and the education of our Polish organizations, which do not yet apply it. You gotta think about it very seriously, due to the fact that it gives large comfort to work. So it doesn't turn out that we've put quite a few work into getting grants, we've developed any kind of action, but we gotta halt it, due to the fact that the next year, there's not adequate money.

What do you think it means that philanthropy is so developed in the United States, and in Poland it is just crawling?

Since 1989, Poles have made a immense economical leap, which is noticeable among American investors who see us as 1 of the most industrious nations.

The difference is that in Poland only the first or second generation begins to build household capital, which in the United States has functioned for respective generations in a large group of families.

In a country where business is simply a tradition developed over generations, it is easier to think of philanthropy than in a country where we have just begun to build economical possible and we request to learn that. It is so worth promoting philanthropy in Poland, due to the fact that without good examples it will be hard to spread it.

During 1 of the discussion panels in the United States on household business, 1 aged gentleman mentioned that his household constitution had written down to allocate $100 million a year within the foundation for circumstantial purposes. The business is done by his cousins and managers, while he is tasked with uncovering opportunities to meet these goals.

In addition to philanthropists, these donors play an crucial function in the United States, who contribute $10, $20 or $100 to a given foundation or initiative and join philanthropy. In Poland, the collection of funds for assistance by business entities is increasingly popular. Let us remind you that the large Charity Top 2024 auction was number 1 in Europe. Omena Mensah and Rafał Brzoska collected a evidence of PLN 46 million from business for charity purposes. We are simply at an earlier phase in the improvement of business that increases wealth and this will besides turn into a permanent philanthropy.

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What tasks does legislature 60 Million execute for the coming years? Do you have circumstantial objectives and priorities that you intend to achieve, say, by 2030? Can we number on Polonia to become more visible in the planet all year?

That's what we're mostly working on. I hope that the next editions of legislature will proceed to build the strength of the Polonia, due to the fact that as an organizer I see what results, relations and actions arise after specified meetings. Our main guiding thought, without a circumstantial goal to accomplish in 2030, is that we proceed to stay innovative, alert and delicate to the changing environment and that we can adapt Congress' expression so as to rise interest among those who see joint ventures and then carry them out.

What crucial question, involving legislature of 60 Million, has no 1 asked you so far, and what would be the answer to it?

One of the questions not asked in public, which was partially a comment, and partially a question, peculiarly in my memory. That was before the Buffalo Congress.

One of the people very active in the Polonia cases at the organization came to me with a question like: How much longer can you take? And she said she wanted us to do our best, but the reality is that this kind of enterprise is successful by up to 3 editions, and then they fall. After 5 years in Miami, the same individual said, “Congratulations, you are long-distancers” and admitted that she had not seen a polonian event in a long time to keep this level and make in specified a long time. And we're only talking about 5 years. Now it's been 7 years and the people participating in the next 2025 edition in Miami have spoken, it was the best legislature and we want the next 1 to be better than the last one.

Thank you for talking to me.