At this year’s Fundraising Festival in Riccione, held from June 9 to 11, 2025, we made our debut as a sponsor of this renowned event in Italy, dedicated to the no-profit sector. This milestone reflects our growing dedication to fostering collaboration in order to pursue our mission of bridging the digital divide.
Claudia Angelini, our Italian Country Manager, and Francesco Litrico, our Italian Volunteer Coordinator, shared their insights during a session titled “Digital that works as a team: how to build partnerships that (truly) work”.
The room was filled with representatives from NGOs, associations, and organizations eager to learn practical strategies for building effective partnerships. Claudia began the session by highlighting the global challenge of digital exclusion: 2.6 billion people still lack internet access. “This is a problem we cannot solve alone,” she stated, setting the tone for the discussion. Francesco followed, explaining our mission to bridge the digital divide through digital literacy. “Collaboration amplifies impact,” he said, emphasizing the importance of partnerships in achieving meaningful results.
The duo outlined our evolution from its origins in the ICT Task Force of the United Nations back in 2001 to its current presence in 13 countries. They explained how we maximize our reach through a “Train-the-Trainer” model, leveraging the expertise of STMicroelectronics employees as volunteer trainers.
Claudia and Francesco shared real-life examples that resonated deeply with the audience. Claudia recounted a moment from a Tablet 4 Seniors session, where an elderly participant learned to video call her grandchildren for the first time. Francesco described teaching coding to young students in underserved schools, emphasizing how these experiences reflect the tangible impact of their work.
They also provided practical advice on building effective partnerships. Claudia stressed the importance of aligning with partners who share common values, have access to relevant user bases, and can offer suitable spaces for the courses. Francesco added, “Motivated and reliable volunteers are the backbone of any successful collaboration, both from ST and the partners we cooperate with.” The session also addressed specific challenges, such as working within schools. “Choose partners with strong networks and ensure you have experienced trainers to manage schedules effectively,” Claudia advised.
As the session concluded, Claudia and Francesco emphasized three key principles for successful partnerships: leverage existing expertise, choose the right partners to amplify impact, and adopt a winning methodology (like our Train-the-Trainer, for example).
Reflecting on the event, Claudia remarked, “This is what it’s all about—bringing people together to make a difference.” Francesco, already thinking about the next steps, agreed.
For us this first sponsorship of the Fundraising Festival (running since 2008) is more than a milestone; it is a way to show our commitment to bridging the digital divide, by sharing our stories and establishing new connections, meet new organizations and start new projects.
If you’re interested in partnering with us, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at: https://www.stfoundation.org/contact-us/
