ESADE Alumni Receives Honourable Mention Plaque from the Nadiesolo Foundation

Nadiesolo recognised the work of an Esade Alumni pro bono consulting team

As part of its 25th anniversary celebration at the CaixaForum Auditorium, the non-profit organisation Nadiesolo (formerly Desarrollo y Asistencia) awarded its Honourable Mention Plaques for the 19th year running. The awards recognised the work of 106 volunteers and collaborating entities, including Esade Alumni, who over the past five years have worked alongside people in situations of loneliness and helped to consolidate the foundation’s lines of work and social assistance.

Nadiesolo is a foundation that coordinates a network of more than 2,000 volunteers, primarily in the autonomous community of Madrid, who spend time with people suffering from loneliness in hospitals, assisted-living facilities or their own homes and providing assistance to people with disabilities, homeless people and people at risk of social exclusion. During the 2018-2019 academic year, Nadiesolo was supported by a team of Esade Alumni pro bono consultants who worked to help the foundation improve its funding mix. As explained by Luis Villalba, a member of the Nadiesolo Foundation board of trustees, the initial objective was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the situation and set in motion a coordinated series of actions to attract funding sources: “The vision of the Esade team pointed us to a road map that shows us where to focus our efforts. We were fortunate to have a multidisciplinary team of professionals who, in their limited free time, worked with us just as they would have with any IBEX-35 company.”

Villalba also highlighted the “absolute transparency and involvement of the collaborating volunteers, who, like the great professionals they are, dug deeply into our reality and presented their proposals to us. Many of them continue to collaborate with us as volunteers on different programmes on both a personal and professional level.” The proposal submitted by the volunteers will allow Nadiesolo to maintain and expand its actions and volunteer programmes in the ongoing struggle against the growing problem of loneliness. “We know that the best way to thank them is to implement the proposed plan, and that’s what we are doing right now,” commented Villalba. “In fact, one of their main recommendations has resulted in our “Friends of Nadiesolo“ campaign, which we launched in September. We would encourage you to learn more about it by visiting www.nadiesolo.org/hazte-amigo/ or following us on social media.”

Silvia Losada (PMD 08/LIS 16), Director of Esade Alumni Madrid, accepted the plaque alongside Jesús González (AMP 09), in representation of the Esade Alumni volunteers who took part in the project. Silvia thanked the organisation for the opportunity to contribute to its cause, thereby manifesting the commitment of the Esade Alumni network to social progress through its Pro Bono Alumni Consultants programme.

“In Esade Alumni’s social consulting projects, volunteers receive a fundamental return on their investment in terms of experience, knowledge of the sector, and different professional and human perspectives”

A highly committed team of consultants working closely with the foundation

For Jesús González (AMP 09), who led the team of pro bono consultants working with Nadiesolo, this was his first experience as a project leader. “Thanks to a fantastic inter-generational team that was deeply involved from the start, we managed to bring the project to a successful conclusion,” he commented, adding that working with an organisation like Nadiesolo is nothing short of a luxury. “They opened their doors to us from day one with humility, friendliness and maximum collaboration from the employees, volunteers and trustees,” he explained. “In Esade Alumni’s social consulting projects, volunteers receive a fundamental return on their investment in terms of experience, knowledge of the sector, and different professional and human perspectives. This is because the organisations fearlessly allow us access to their ‘kitchen’ so that we can perform consulting work that is more in line with their reality. They really appreciate the recommendations and actions that we propose.” Jesús also had the opportunity to see how a team of more than 2,000 volunteers is managed by a skeleton crew of 11 employees and 10 volunteers with a knack for continuous innovation.

Ignacio Seijas (EMBA 17) also gave positive feedback about his experience. “It opens your eyes and helps you understand other realities,” he commented. “The pandemic has exponentially exacerbated the problem of loneliness, making it one of our society’s biggest problems. The experience of collaborating with this organisation has somehow raised my awareness and helped me identify with this problem.” Ignacio noted that the Esade Alumni Social programme has a very clear methodology based on three pillars: listening and getting to know the organisation; carrying out research to gather information; and working as a team. “In a pandemic environment, I believe that this methodology is more necessary than ever, and that it can be applied in all of our work and social relations,” he explained.

Rocío Pérez (EMMV 18), echoed her colleagues’ positive assessments: “Collaborating with professionals from different backgrounds and sectors was very enriching. On a more personal level, I was struck by the dedication and solidarity of the volunteers and professionals working in the organisation. It was truly inspiring. During a pandemic, loneliness becomes a bigger problem than ever. As the population ages and single-person households make up a bigger and bigger percentage of the populace every year, it seems to me that more proactivity is needed to tackle this problem. If nothing else, it would put us in a better position to understand and empathise with the problem, which is already serious at present and will most likely worsen in the future.”