For over two decades, the Egyesek Youth Association has been a key player in both national and international youth work. Behind the programs, trainings, and mobility projects stand experienced professionals who ensure the organization’s sustainability, transparency, and stability from the background.
This time, we spoke with Dávid Abonyi, the current president and financial manager of the organization, who has been shaping Egyesek’s internal operations for more than a decade.
The Road to the Civil Sector
Dávid joined the organization in May 2012, bringing experience in civil society and a degree in andragogy.
“I joined the Egyesek team on May 12, 2012. Although I officially graduated as an andragogist, I found the organization through a friend during the final stage of a year-long job search. They were looking for a financial administrator, and since I’ve always liked spreadsheets and math—and already had some experience with NGOs—I applied.”
Having previously been involved in student government and camp organization during his youth, Dávid quickly found his place.
“Later, I moved from assistant to full-fledged financial officer, and then financial manager. I was also a board member during the presidencies of Tomi Mahner and Lili Madarász, and since 2024, I’ve been serving as president.”
Though the role of president may seem formal to some, in reality, it requires active strategic engagement and community presence.
“I sign things :) More seriously: as a board, we aim to be a source of external support for the organization. We meet quarterly, review what’s going on in the association, and if necessary, ask questions or provide feedback. Our job is to keep the organization on course in the long term, representing the members. We also handle member engagement, call general assemblies, and represent the organization. Personally, this is the part I enjoy the most—I love talking about Egyesek.”
Dávid holds a unique position: not only is he on the board, but he also plays an active role in the day-to-day operations.
“I’m the board member who also works in the organization’s core team, both as an administrator and as part of the management team. I try to regularly coordinate with colleagues on how we can best collaborate and how we, in the background, can support their work.”
Why Is Administration Indispensable?
Administration is not just a formality—it’s the foundation of an organization’s stability, transparency, and legal compliance.
“It plays a supportive role. Of course, most people don’t love paperwork, but we understand that for long-term operations and value creation, it’s essential for the organization to be legally and administratively sound.
If an organization is not transparent, we won’t notice mistakes in time, planning becomes harder, the financial background becomes unstable, and we can become vulnerable.”
The administrative background also plays a key role in the successful implementation of youth exchanges, trainings, and international projects.
“It helps track project finances (i.e., how much money is still available), manage registrations—so project leaders can focus more on local project management—support with reporting, and assist with communication with funders, freeing up time for project leaders.”
The gap between the regulatory framework and reality often creates challenges for operations.
“The bureaucratic and administrative expectations placed on organizations are sometimes hard to reconcile with harsh reality. For example, we have to provide an invoice for every expense, but not every shop can even issue one.
Though it’s less of a challenge and more of a task, one of the most important things is translating legal requirements into plain language so that colleagues, volunteers, or young people can act on them.”
Transparency: The Backbone of the Organization
Administrative and presidential tasks involve numerous regular reporting obligations.
“Each month we close the books and send the report to our accountant. Once a year, we do a comprehensive overview and report, which is submitted to the court. In addition, we hold quarterly board meetings and at least one annual general assembly, where we report on yearly results. Beyond this, for every grant we receive, we must account for every cent to the respective funding authority.”
Dávid Abonyi’s work clearly demonstrates that in the civil sector, not only those on the front lines but also those working behind the scenes and thinking in systems play a key role. His dedicated presence ensures that Egyesek Youth Association remains professionally credible, financially stable, and administratively reliable—for the long term.
If the visible side of youth work is the content, then Dávid is the system that allows that content to become true value.
