Volunteering: leave the world a little better than you found it

Mariana Rossini (Intern – Logistics Development – iFood) volunteered in the 7th edition of Potencialize, a volunteering program by Fundação 1Bi that provides free technology and management consulting to NGOs throughout the country. Below, she shares what it was like to volunteer for one month at Instituto Reverbera.

When I was 11, I joined the Scout Movement. Among the thousands of things I learned, one in particular stayed with me: “Leave the world a little better than you found it.” At that age, all I could think about was how to do that—the world is enormous and full of problems, so I needed to be a superheroine—that was the solution I came up with, simple and easy! The years passed, and over time I realized that every day we can change someone’s world and leave it better.

I have always believed in the power of technology as a tool for transformation, and it was with this desire to make an impact on people’s lives that I joined Potencialize as a volunteer. At the beginning, we received the profile of Instituto Reverbera, which we would be working with. The challenge assigned to my group was to develop the strategic management of Instituto Reverbera, which does beautiful work focused on racial equity for Black women in the communities of Florianópolis.

In the first few days of the project, we met Rosangela, who is responsible for the Institute. Working with her was incredible—she was extremely open to suggestions and new ideas. As we talked and learned more about their day-to-day operations, we identified management-related challenges. After mapping these issues together with Rô, we discussed strategy, purpose, goals (short-, medium-, and long-term), team building, leadership, and communication. These points were gradually put into practice, and we received feedback that helped us find the best model for their work dynamic. We created easy-to-use folders and spreadsheets to track activities, offered guidance on good practices for using Trello, and had several other highly enriching conversations, which I believe benefited both sides.

After a few weeks on the project, when it ended, I realized that I had joined Potencialize to change other people’s lives by helping them with management and technology tools. However, I left feeling that I had learned much more. I had the opportunity to work with an incredible team that taught me a great deal as we considered the best solutions, as well as with Reverbera’s own team, which gave me a lesson in citizenship and care.