SCTM has come a long way as a local government association, in a relatively short space of time. Sida support has contributed significantly to this achievement, but it is not alone as the donor community tends to see the Association as pivotal for the public reform process in Serbia. Even outside the scope of other donor projects, SCTM has begun to develop a number of innovative concepts, particularly related to its 'upstream' (with Government) and 'downstream' (with members) communications. While there has been significant progress in a number of areas, the roles assigned to different donor projects can often become unclear. This has implications on the possible realisation of a division between core and paid services (and assigned human resources). These issues are crucial, because transparency and sustainability are vital signs that a modern local government association is developing in the right direction. Both SCTM and its donor partners will therefore need to bear these concepts in mind as the current phase of support draws to a close.