Featuring Bill Niada with Andrea Franzi and Cristina Carpinelli
Between 2015 and 2021, Italy lost one million volunteers, as stated by Francesco Maggio in Corriere della Sera on June 16.
In analyzing the phenomenon, I share the author’s observation: “For too many years, unfortunately, the Third Sector has become gloomy.”
Many of its leaders predominantly communicate bureaucratic messages—they discuss only fiscal, regulatory, and financial demands, often arguing over issues of mere power. This is compounded by an ever-present sense of self-righteousness, which fuels a bubble of self-reference and closed-mindedness.
“… Organizations have a natural tendency to preserve and replicate themselves. But only by questioning themselves, by accepting influences from different ways of thinking, can they become attractive again.”
(Alessandro Rosina in BN, May 30)
Self-preservation and self-reference create disaffection “because volunteers are nourished above all by ideal impulses,” as wonderfully demonstrated by those who came from all over Italy to Emilia-Romagna without any association mediation.
And I add: there’s no need to project a sad image of oneself as many do—with depressing photos, websites, flyers, posters, etc.
On the contrary, precisely because the topics addressed are sometimes very heavy, they should be lightened with positive, friendly messages. Sometimes, all it takes is a picture of a smiling team to change the message conveyed.
For example, consider “Magica Cleme”, who has been working for years with children suffering from leukemia: their days of leisure have always been a success because, in those moments, the children forgot their worst times—thanks also to the cheerfulness of those who helped them and to the quality of the materials used.
The images in this article are taken from events held in the past in Albiate.
My “social vision” was born at Esselunga in the 1990s.
The first social report dates back to 2003.
For more on management and entrepreneurship in the Third Sector, you can read this article on Guido Venosta.
