Pro Bono Marathon organised by Thales Foundation to support Télécoms sans Frontières

Publication date: Nov 12, 2018
Thales Foundation, supporter and partner of Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) since 2015, organised on October 25, a Pro Bono Marathon in the Thales Group Bordeaux Campus, involving eight Thales employees who volunteered to contribute to TSF’s activities.
Thales employees during the Pro Bono activity

In addition to the continuous financial support provided by the Foundation through micro-donations from Thales employees, Pia Ceccaldi, representative of the Thales Foundation, this time decided to move one step forward and involved volunteers from Thales Group in an engaging one-day event made of presentations, discussions and workshops aimed to collaborate with TSF to address one specific need. This idea resulted in an exciting and enriching event in which Thales volunteers collaborated with TSF staff in engaging group activities to support TSF’s fundraising strategy.

After a first presentation outlining TSF’s activities and challenges delivered by TSF staff to set a common background for the second part of the event, the day proceeded with different group workshops and plenary discussions aimed to identify the best strategies for TSF’s future fundraising and partnership development activities. The opportunity to hear external views from volunteers coming from different backgrounds and professional experiences resulted in a very fruitful debate which provided TSF with relevant insights and ideas.

This event also represented an exemplary instance of the kind of collaboration TSF developed with its partners, which goes beyond financial or technical support, with partners like Thales Foundation taking to heart TSF’s mission and working towards constantly identifying new ways to support and enhance the impact of TSF’s activities. As confirmed by Pia Ceccaldi: “I’m really impressed by TSF’s actions in emergency crises and I’m truly committed to make their impact and expertise known. Since 2015, I try to develop our partnership in a creative manner. I deem essential to listen to TSF’s evolving needs and to redesign our support and adapt our internal resources accordingly.”

TSF and Thales Foundation teams are already working on turning all the brilliant ideas shared during the discussions into concrete actions. TSF takes this opportunity to thank Thales Foundation and all the volunteers who actively participated in the event for their valuable contributions which will allow TSF to move forward in its constant efforts to bring communication opportunities to vulnerable populations around the world.