Profit and non-profit: a dialogue that endures despite bureaucracy
Two worlds in dialogue . These are the companies and third sector organizations that met on stage at a meeting organized during the Rimini Meeting by CdO Opere Sociali and Fondazione Progetto Arca.
Taking the stage to discuss " Profit-Nonprofit Partnerships: New Frontiers of Sustainable Development" were: Alberto Sinigallia, president of the Progetto Arca Foundation; Dario Boggio Marzet, president of Banco Alimentare Lombardia; Luisa Gamba, head of partnerships and public sector at Amazon Business Italia; and Alessandra Goretti, corporate affairs & communications manager at JTI Italia.
Moderating the meeting was Sergio Luciano, director of Economy , who cited two numbers: the 5 million volunteers active in the Third Sector and the 10 million football fans, launching a provocative reflection: " If the non-profit world had half the space left for football news..." . But not only that, citing Professor Zamagni's speech at the Meeting, he concluded: "This virtuous intersection has achieved a lot, but there is still a lot to do."
Alberto Sinigallia retraced the 31-year history of Progetto Arca, which was founded inspired by the work of Brother Ettore, who worked in Milan to help the homeless. "We have created a path out of poverty that began with an initial contact: street food distribution ," he added. Recounting the foundation's numbers: 435,000 beneficiaries in 30 years, 23 million meals distributed, over 100,000 people sheltered in shelters, with 77% of cases successfully completed through social housing and employment rehabilitation, Sinigallia emphasized: "Behind these figures are 600 volunteers and 250 employees who choose to be there every day."
His story also included the funding, from a British foundation, of a manager who allowed Progetto Arca to implement its projects, increasing their value from €12 million to €20 million. Sinigallia concluded his speech by announcing the opening of 27 new apartments by the end of the year ( we wrote about the housing commitment here ).
The history of the Food Bank was born precisely from the encounter between business and volunteering, as Dario Boggio Marzet , president of the Lombardy Food Bank, recalled when he recounted its origins in the 1980s from the intuition of Danilo Fossati, founder of Star with a group of young volunteers.
"In the 1980s, throwing away food was a scandal. That's where our mission began: recovering surplus food and redistributing it to those in need. Today, the Food Bank is a national network of 21 regional organizations: in 2024, we distributed more than 100,000 tons of food and helped 1.7 million people. In Lombardy alone, we provide 100,000 equivalent meals every day," he said, emphasizing that the choice from the very beginning was to support local organizations that directly help people in need. And the support of the for-profit sector is fundamental to the Food Bank's work, starting with the logistical support provided, for example, by Amazon to corporate volunteers. "A network has been built," he emphasized, speaking of a social fabric based on subsidiarity.
Luisa Gamba of Amazon Business Italy, beyond logistics, recalled the response after the flood in Emilia Romagna, "supporting the Red Cross and Civil Protection with direct donations and through the marketplace."
Another point highlighted by Gamba is training: "With AWS, we've committed to training 200,000 students and teachers in digital skills and coding by 2026. Helping nonprofits also means providing them with tools to digitize their purchasing: our marketplace for the Third Sector allows them to select local suppliers, ensure transparency, and access certified sustainable products. It's a concrete way to free up time and resources, so organizations can focus on their real work: helping people," he said.
Alongside emergencies, Alessandra Goretti of JTI Italia explained, we need to build long-term relationships that can prevent need, following a vision that sees businesses giving back to the local communities with long-term projects. "With Progetto Arca, we've established mobile soup kitchens, social housing, and projects in the South . Together with CdO Opere Sociali, JTI Italia has launched a social contest. which supports small local businesses, allowing them to present themselves, gain visibility and carry out concrete projects."
Goretti also emphasized how important it is for JTI Italia to "think about the future, continuing to collaborate with social organizations, and advancing ESG concepts in an integrated manner and with our people ."
To make these partnerships increasingly effective, some critical issues need to be overcome. Boggio Marzet emphasized the need for a clear and less bureaucratic regulatory framework , especially regarding food safety and taxation: "This isn't wasted money: it's resources that generate enormous leverage. With a budget of €2 million, we distribute food worth €50 million. A public entity would never be this efficient." For his part, Sinigallia relaunched the proposal to exempt corporate volunteering from taxes.
At the end of the meeting, the four winning projects of the social contest promoted by CdO Opere Sociali and Jti Italia were presented. These are the "Non Solo Pane" Solidarity Bank in Varese , which transforms fruit into preserves donated to families in need; the "Giotto" Social Cooperative , which has developed therapeutic gardens for Alzheimer's patients and vulnerable individuals; the "Cura e Riabilitazione" association , which will open the " Bottega dei talenti " (Talent Shop), where people with severe disabilities can work and meet the public; and finally, the Turin-based social enterprise Panino e dintorni (Panino and Surroundings), which trains autistic children to prepare and sell sandwiches and focaccia in schools, promoting inclusion and cultural change.
"Money, when put into circulation for the common good, becomes a precious tool. Bringing together profit-driven private resources with charitable organizations is intrinsically good. This demonstrates," concluded Stefano Gheno , president of CdO Opere Sociale, "that business doesn't thrive on numbers alone, but on relationships. What we heard today isn't rhetoric: it's proof that a working partnership between profit and nonprofit organizations can truly build new frontiers of sustainable development."
In the opening image from left: Boggio Marzet, Goretti, Gamba and Sinigallia – all photos Meeting Rimini 2025
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