Leave Your Mark 2025 launches to provide hands-on support to non-profit organisations

The fifth edition of the Leave Your Mark initiative, organised by POLIMI Graduate School of Management in collaboration with the Gianluca Spina ETS Association, was launched in June 2025.

What is the objective of Leave Your Mark?

As in previous editions, the objective is to enable managers, professionals and young talents trained at our School to offer their skills free of charge to non-profit institutions committed to promoting a more equitable and inclusive future for all.

This initiative is a valuable opportunity for personal and professional growth for participants, as well as a way of giving back to the community some of what they have received during their learning journey.

How does the project work?

The initiative fully reflects the Purpose of our Business School: to generate a positive impact on society and promote a more equitable and sustainable future. Leave your Mark is a bridge between knowledge and civic engagement, enhancing collaboration between alumni, faculty, staff and non-profit organisations working for the common good.

Until November 2025, a group of 88 alumni, supported by 8 faculty and 20 POLIMI GSoM staff members, will be providing free consulting to 15 local and international non-profit organisations on 19 projects related to topics such as  strategy and organisational development, communications and marketing, fundraising, digital innovation, governance, and sustainability. 

Organisations supported by Leave Your Mark

This year, the project is supporting 15 non-profit organisations, each engaged in different fields and making a significant impact in their own sector. These include:

• ASD
  This is an amateur sports association recognised by CONI (Italian Olympic Committee), affiliated to FISDIR (Italian Paralympic Sports Federation) and Special Olympics, which promotes unified sport by training people with and without disabilities together. The support team will assist the association in developing a strategic plan and strengthening governance through a more effective and sustainable internal reorganisation.

• Be kind to – APS
  This social promotion association spreads the culture of kindness to people, animals, nature, and oneself through events and educational activities, including for children. The support team will work on expanding the operating model into new Italian regions, activating local contacts and strengthening the network of collaborations.

• Brainy Association for brain tumour research
  This association finances scholarships for brain cancer research and promotes psychological wellbeing through workshops immersed in nature.
  The team will work on two projects: the first aims to define a three-year strategy for improving the association’s management, and the second aims to develop community engagement strategies to strengthen its ties with the local area.

• Care2Impact – Social Enterprise
  This innovative organisation develops AI-based digital solutions to improve the lives of vulnerable people and caregivers, creating a personalised support ecosystem.
  The team will support the development of a business plan for a multistakeholder platform, with a focus on sustainability, validation and the search for strategic partners.
  
   
• CESVI Foundation – ETS
  This independent humanitarian organisation was founded in Bergamo and is active in 27 countries to support the development of the most vulnerable populations in respect of human rights.
  Alumni, faculty and staff will support the development of a digital app to manage and monitor operational risk in the international contexts in which the organisation operates.
  
   
• Consortium of Associations with Mozambique  – ETS
  This Trentino-based NGO has been working in Mozambique since 2002 in key sectors such as healthcare, education, gender equality, the environment, micro-credit and entrepreneurship, with a focus on the autonomy of urban and rural communities and on the development of local human resources. Team members will support the evaluation of the communications and marketing strategy to improve its effectiveness and visibility.
  
   
• Corpo Musicale S. Cecilia – Accademia Tito Nicora
  The “Santa Cecilia” Philharmonic Orchestra of Castiglione Olona, founded in 1880, promotes musical culture with the “Tito Nicora” Academy. With over 170 active members, it offers courses and projects for all ages, including a youth orchestra, contemporary band and children's courses. The team will strive to strengthen the management capacity of the organisation by improving internal and resource management.

• Golfini Rossi – ETS
  The association was founded in 2015 and works in Africa to support vulnerable communities through volunteering and cooperation and collaborates with the Mvimwa Monastery, promoting healthcare, education and community development. The team will be working to create a multifunctional tailoring workshop with a social impact, integrating employment, care services and inclusion.

• Humana People to People Italia – NGO
  This International Cooperation Organisation has been active in Italy for 26 years and is part of the Humana People to People International Federation, which is active in 46 countries. In 2024 alone, it reached 15 million beneficiaries and supported 1,831 projects. The organisation generates social and environmental value through a virtuous and transparent process of collecting, selecting and selling second-hand clothes. The team members will work on two projects: the first to identify digital and AI-based solutions to optimise the collection and traceability of used clothing, and the second to improve selection, sorting and pricing and related reporting.

• Fondazione La Rotonda – ETS
  The foundation works in Baranzate to combat educational poverty and promote social and labour inclusion, with a particular focus on minors, women and young people with migrant backgrounds. Alumni, faculty and staff will support the review of the communications strategy to strengthen community engagement and promote fundraising activities.

• Doctors without borders – Italian Non-Profit
  International humanitarian and medical organisation that provides relief in over 70 countries to populations whose survival is threatened by armed conflict, violence, epidemics, natural disasters or exclusion from healthcare. The team will be working on two projects: the first to establish an ethical policy on the use of AI, and the second to analyse and review the feedback system.

• Okapia
  A non-profit organisation active in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which promotes training programmes by encouraging the acquisition of new skills for the construction of an independent adult identity. The team will be supporting the development of a strategic communications plan to strengthen fundraising and engage new donors.

• WORKING FOR In the world on the side of children - SB
  This body organises paediatric surgery missions in low-income countries to treat congenital malformations and also trains local medical personnel. The team will be working to strengthen the organisation’s digital presence through a targeted social media strategy.

• OXFAM Italia – Non-Profit
  This entity is part of a global confederation committed to fighting inequality and poverty. The team will be proposing a new HR section for the website to strengthen employer branding and attract new talent.

• The Simama Project
  This Kenya-based non-profit organisation promotes education and skills development for disadvantaged communities. The team will be working on two projects: the first to develop a sustainable communications and marketing strategy, and the second to provide strategic support for organisational growth.

Thanks to the POLIMI GSoM community members involved

Thanks to the alumni involved: Alberto  Rolla; Alessio Cinquini; Alberto Longo; Claudio Menniti; Alessandro Galliani; Daniele Tovaglieri; Amin Abnar; Amulya Arora; Daniele Trossi; Andrea Carboni; Andrea Conte; Andrea Mancinelli; Anne Wermuth; Chelsy Greenman; Christian Melucci; Marco Bassignana; Daniela Pia Del Gaudio; Alberto Cipolla; Davide Sampietro; Diego Boroni; Diego Saavedra; Fatima Patricia Amores; Andrea Bergamaschi; Federico Zoia; Flavio Vilani; Francesca Valente; Luca Saporetti; Francesco De Lorenzis; Gayatri Vijay Kale; George Biagi; Giada Marano; Giancarlo Ingellis; Gil Silva Neto; Giovanni Cambi; Gloria Pentimalli; Ideo Righi; Jenny Carolina Amores; Khaled Itani; Laura Furlani; Laura Zarrillo; Lauren Meneghetti; Loredana Cafarda; Lorena Adami; Lorenzo Zagnoli; Manuela Matallana; Lucia Gambardella; Manuel Leone; Mauro Pavia; Alberto Ponti; Andrea Corbelli; Marco Donatoni; Marco Faggioli; Marco Magli; Maria Rosaria Sanna; Mariano Conversano; Martina Capone; Martina Zuccaro; Massimiliano Benci; Massimo Greco; Mauricio Gonzalez; Marco Atzeni; Merry Le; Nam Hieu Le Huy; Nicla Muscatiello; Mario Beccia; Nicoló Salvini; Paola Matino; Paola Zuzzaro; Pavel Borzenko; Pierfranco Sofia; Raffaella Lebano; Rakshit Behel; Rana Mohammed; Roberto Raglione; Rohan Kapoor; Rosa Spoto; Samantha Williams; Sebastiano Cinnirella; Silvia Favaro; Sofia Zhiglo; Stefano Grisi; Tania Avloniti; Thai Tong; Umar Farooque; Vasileios Ntelkos; Vincenzo Cammarata; Vittoria Stolfi; Youssef Rizkalla; Zakra Chachar. The school also thanks the faculty members involved: (Federico Della Bella; Benedetto Buono; Chiara Monteleone; Leonardo Mondonico; Luca Gastaldi; Mara Soncin; Silvia Eleonora Castellazzi; Veronica Chiodo) and the staff (Carmen Condeescu; Chiara Podenzani; Corinna Bacchini; Nicoletta Pellegrino; Diana Sganzerla; Erika Benedetti; Erika Ortu; Francesca Vergottini; Giulia Roncoroni; Grazia Iamele; Greta Calcaterra; Kate Palagano; Margherita Squaiella; Francesca Romeo; Natascia Colantoni; Paola Mandelli; Sara Pisciotti; Simona Valdani; Vanessa Crippa; Veronica Cenci).

Learn more about other editions of Leave Your Mark.