Fundraising for Children is the Life That Giuseppe Fusco Has Chosen

THE VICE PRESIDENT OF PRIVATE FUNDRAISING AND PARTNERSHIPS AT UNICEF AND BOCCONI ALUMNUS TALKS ABOUT HIS ACTIVITY. ONE THIRD OF THE 1.5 BILLION DOLLARS THAT THE ORGANIZATION GATHERS COME FROM PRIVATES, HE EXPLAINS

He substituted numbers related to market shares and sales indicators with the nine-zero figures which UNICEF raises each year from the private sector so that it can create programs which support needy children. That is how Giuseppe Fusco changed the direction of his life in 2003. That year Fusco, the father of four children and a sailing and cycling enthusiast, joined UNICEF, where he is now Vice-President of the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division. “After getting a Business Administration degree at Bocconi, I moved to England in 1990 to work in a multinational consumer goods company. But at a certain point I started to feel an increasing need to offer the competencies I’d acquired in the private sector in order to do something that could change people’s lives”. The first step in his professional metamorphosis was to get on the front lines of initiatives which involved private brands in social responsibility projects. Then, as an almost natural consequence, Fusco got the opportunity to join the United Nations and work for UNICEF. “Currently I work with a team that is present in over 60 countries, whose aim is to maximize the collection of financial resources coming from private individuals, companies, and foundations. In some cases these are traditional donations, while in others we are talking about partnerships with consumer brands in support of certain campaigns”.

Each year, about one third of UNICEF’s financial requirements - which amounts to 1.5 billion dollars - comes from the private sector in a completely voluntary way, and is used in programs for children in over 150 countries. “I am also responsible for initiatives which protect and promote the rights of children and adolescents in European countries. As an example, in this historic moment we are focusing on assisting the hundreds of thousands of migrant and refugee children who have arrived in Europe. This phenomenon has caused us to reflect on the need to redefine the roles and activities of UNICEF’s National Committees, and the volunteer profiles of some countries in Southern Europe”. One of the most exciting aspects of Giuseppe Fusco’s work involves closely collaborating with the general managers and boards of directors in UNICEF offices throughout Europe, in order to find the best way to apply the organization’s global fundraising strategies at the local level. This means converting the organization’s general guidelines according to each country’s characteristics, so that countries can best reach the predetermined goals they are responsible for. 
 
 

by Allegra Gallizia