Saturday, November 1, 2008

Profit vs non-profit work (Miun-Pisa Discussion Forum 16)

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi,
I am going to write about the good things and the bad things in working non-profit. I will do this from a Swedish point of view in the first place, but I hope I can compare this with an Italian point of view.
In Sweden it has been a strong movement of non-profit organizations during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. People who had the same ideology came together to express their opinion and to support each other. It could be a matter of wages, faith or drugs (alcohol). The more people they got, the stronger they became.
Now days people don’t seem to feel any needs of getting together in organizations.
I will try to point out some good things about working non-profit in organizations and some things that might not be so good. I will try to get a clue of the different needs of people today from what it was in the past.
I will also try to see differences / similarities between Sweden and Italy. This is where you come in as very important discussion partners. What is it like in Italy? Do you have a lot of non-profit organizations? What do you think is good / bad in working non-profit? Do you see any differences now days from how it has been in the past?
/Kerstin

debbie said...

In response to Kerka.
Hello!My name is Debora, I'm an Italian student.
I find your topic very interesting because I'm involved in a non-profit association!
This association is FAI ( The National Trust for Italy )based on the more famous National Trust in England.
FAI is trying to save, protect and valorise the artistic and environmental Italian treasure thanks to the support of 60.000 members.
This association receives castles, gardens, palaces trough donations and its purpose is to restore them and open them to the public.
I'm studying Art History and four years ago I met the president of the Lucca and Massa Delegation (Lucca and Massa are two towns near Viareggio). I was guiding a group trough an art exibition. She loved my speaking skill and my art passion and so she asked me to take part of FAI activities.
Four years ago I became FAI member and every year I re-new my membership.
FAI organises a rich calendar of events and I try with great joy to help my Delegation.
The top event is the Spring Days: a Saturday and a Sunday in April.
During this happening it's possible: to visit a FAI property without paying a ticket, to give a donation, to join the Organization.
These days are very stressing for me but they give me also a great satisfaction!
Naturally I don'earn money for this activity but I gain important experiences useful for a future job.
In Italy there are a lot of non-profit Organizations but not all are serious one!We must inform very deeply before joining them.
In my opinion this kind of activity is not a real job, you can't live thanks to it.
It's important to find a real work but it's important to spend our free time helping non-profit Organization! It's good not only for us but also for our country (maybe for our world)!

Why did you choose this topic?
Are you member of a non-profit Organization?

bye!
Debby


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Unknown said...

Responding to Debora
Hi,
Thanks for your comment! It sounds interesting to be in such organization as you are. Have you got any fees for members or is it based on donations?
I am a member of a Baptist Church. We do a lot of non-profit work. I also conduct two choirs non-profit, and surely there are both good things and not so good things about it. That’s why I chose to write about it.
What is it that makes you want to work non-profit?
Why do you think non-profit work is good for the country, even the world?
You said that you think it’s a good experience for your future work. What kind of work do you aim at?
I look forward to hear some more about your and your friends opinions about non-profit work? Is it a good or a bad thing and why?
/Kerstin

debbie said...

In response to Kerka.

Hi,
We have to pay an annual fee to be FAI's members.
I'm at the end of my Art History studies and I would to work in this field. FAI deals with the conservation and valorisation of italian treasures and it's the perfect non-profit organisation for me.
After my University experience I would like to work in museums or as a Art teacher. Also a job as a tour guide could be interesting because I can speak English, French and German.

I think that if everybody made a non-profit activity only few days a year a lot of things would improve. Thanks to FAI a lot of amazing places have been saved from distruction.
If you want to undestand better our activity you can take a look to this web-site (you can find the english version): www.fondoambiente.it/en/

I would like to know better Baptist Church and its activities!
I love to sing!Did you have follow particular studies to direct a choir?

Bye Bye! Debbie

Unknown said...

Hi Deborah,
Here in our Baptist Church we have a lot of different activities. We have baby-song (in cooperation with the Church of Sweden), I conduct a Children’s Choir (in cooperation with the Church of Sweden) and I conduct a Gospel Choir together with my husband. We also have cafés where we meet to play instruments and to sing, fundraising for the international mission (in Congo and Thailand), ordinary church services, concerts and groups where we come together to talk, sing, pray or whatever and a lot of other activities. Everything we do is done by voluntary workers! It’s done from the heart, not from earning money. We don’t have any fees to be a member. It is based on voluntary gifts.
I have not had specific training to conduct a choir; I am self-taught. That is the best thing about working voluntary, I think; you don’t have to have skills or an education to do something that you want to do. You just have to have an interest or a dedication for it.
Thanks for your comments! Welcome to send an e-mail to me so we can keep in touch;
kerka75@hotmail.com
/Kerstin