Philantropea 2025: when volunteering works
This was another amazing week for the ST Foundation team in Italy! Claudia Angelini, our Country Manager, spoke at the virtual Philantropea 2025 event, bringing together leading Italian 
organizations to promote competence-based volunteering.
More than 2000 people attended this annual gathering featuring inspiring conferences and sessions by recognized leaders and experts in volunteering and social impact.
Claudia spoke on the afternoon panel alongside Fondazione EOS, Save the Children, and AIRC, discussing what makes corporate volunteering truly effective for both companies and nonprofit organizations. Let’s look at the main takeaways from this insightful discussion.
Corporate volunteering can be a strategic asset or a cost, depending its design and managed. Success requires aligning values, co-designing projects, and setting clear, measurable objectives. For companies, it should engage employees, develop skills, and achieve tangible goals. For nonprofits, partnerships must provide concrete resources without straining teams. Skills-based volunteering, sharing goals, and mutual trust were highlighted as essential to transforming good intentions into impactful outcomes.
Claudia shared the experience of our Foundation born in 2001, mobilizing STMicroelectronics employees—mainly engineers and scientists—to bridge the digital divide through computer literacy courses. The sustainability strategy focuses on training local trainers and building strategic partnerships with nonprofits that provide access to communities, spaces, and volunteers. We can definitely confirm this approach proved to be successful, with over 1.3 million beneficiaries reached worldwide so far! Volunteer engagement is also strengthened by involving employees in partner selection and by maintaining clear communication that balances volunteering with work commitments.
The benefits of introducing corporate volunteering are clear: increased employee satisfaction, reduced stress, and developed transversal skills such as empathy and teamwork, that also enhance professional performance. At ST Foundation, we saw nonprofits benefit from the skilled contributions of volunteers, as seen in the long-running computer education program in prisons with Sesta Opera San Fedele. This synergy creates shared value—strengthening corporate reputation and culture while delivering measurable social impact, that was rewarded with the Terzjus Award 2025.
- Volunteering must be embedded in corporate values and championed by leadership
- It should be integrated into HR processes with dedicated tools for planning and monitoring, such as the 48 hours per year to be dedicated to volunteering that the company offers to the ST Foundation volunteers. In addition, the ST4Good platform provides access to volunteering activities and makes it easier for employees to contribute to community initiatives.
- It should focus on scalable, repeatable initiatives with stable funding ensures lasting impact.
- Transparent and balanced measurement of engagement and outcomes, along with co-designing projects with nonprofit partners, builds trust and flexibility.
- Effective communication that shares results and stories fosters motivation and a strong sense of belonging.
“Philantropea 2025 demonstrated that, with strategic design, collaboration, and commitment, corporate volunteering can become a powerful force for social good,” said Claudia, “with benefits for companies, nonprofits, and communities alike. Our experience stands as a compelling example of how skills-based volunteering can create real and lasting impact”.
The panel discussion is now available online. Click here to watch the recording (Italian language only)