It was last year, in the middle of a project meant to help small local media outlets develop digital formats. The project was worth only a few thousand euros, but the amount of paperwork and rules was as if we were building a bridge.

One day I needed to buy an ordinary USB cable for 12 euros. The donor required three offers from different stores and a screenshot of each. One shop didn’t have the cable, another didn’t send offers by email, and the third told me to come in person. Two days passed, I lost the will to continue, and the shoot was delayed by three days.

When I asked if I could just buy the cable and send the receipt, the officer from the donor organization coldly replied:

“Unfortunately, that’s not in line with our procedures.”

That’s when I realized how often procedures are completely detached from real life and the rhythm of small newsrooms. For us, every day matters — if we miss the moment, the story disappears.

We finished the project, but we never applied to that donor again. I told my colleagues that if we ever write a handbook for donors, the first chapter will be called: 

“How Not to Ask for Three Offers for a USB Cable.”