'I have been working for more than 10 years as general secretary at Fondazione della Comunità di Monza e Brianza Onlus, an Italian community foundation that operates in the district of Monza and Brianza, in the northern area of Milan.

Our territory has increasing social needs that require innovative solutions. Thanks to the contribution of different stakeholders, we support about 150 social, cultural and environmental projects each year, for a total value of €1,200,000 per year. These projects are awarded through public notices to no profit organizations, working together with private and public institutions, schools and single donors. My interest in community philanthropy became apparent during my university studies. By working for the Monza and Brianza Foundation I have had the great opportunity to merge my passion with my work, getting to know even more about the needs of my community. In Italy the movement of community foundations is still young. This allows us to experiment with new strategies and to understand how effective these are for the development of our community. It is of special importance for us to learn from other contexts and different realities. I believe that taking part in the Global Summit represents an incredible opportunity to extend and deepen my knowledge into the different aspects of global community philanthropy, learning from other experiences, methodologies and initiatives. Today the people who run and work in a community foundation have the responsibility to promote with passion all activities and initiatives, creating new strategies and looking beyond the national horizon. The opportunity to participate to this Summit makes it possible to broaden our horizons and to learn new strategies to take back to our communities.'

People Behind the Summit