“Being born is like playing the lottery: you cannot decide where or under what conditions it will happen. I have been fortunate enough to have many opportunities in life and, as an IESE MBA student, it is my duty to give back to society in some way.” These words are from Ali Hassan, an American 2nd year MBA student at IESE, and a member of the Social Action Club.
Those are not just words. In barely a month, the MBA Social Action Club raised over 23,000 euros for non-profit organizations such as ASPASIM, Mary’s Meals and Daydreaming Foundation, all of which allocated those funds to various social causes.
“Life is a gift for which you did not have to do anything to get it. Every moment in life is an opportunity to make things right or wrong, so why not do good to those who have not had the same opportunities as you? “Juan Jacobo Sarrado, Hassan’s classmate, asks the MBA student and member of the Social Action Club.
How did they do it?
Some of the most popular activities organized by this club include:
Solidarity cakes
Solidarity cakes baked by MBA students were a way to raise funds for ASPASIM, a non-profit organization that looks after the mentally challenged.
Social Tournament
Organized jointly with IESE Football Club, a charity tournament brought together over 70 participants: a mix of MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) students, teachers and staff who managed to raise almost 1000€ for ASPASIM as well.
The Movember Initiative
The Movember IESE team won third place Statewide, raising a total amount of over 8,000€ for the annual Movember Foundation campaign. The objective? To raise awareness and funds to fight different cancers that affect men the most.
Thanksgiving Day Auction
A jersey signed by Messi and a paintball match between students and teachers were the two “gifts” with the most successful bids at the Thanksgiving Day Auction, raising 1700€ and 3600€ respectively.
The funds raised from this charity auction went to:
- The Movember Foundation.
- Mary’s Meals: an English organization working in over 12 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to help children in precarious situations.
- The Daydreaming Foundation: which for over 14 years has been working towards social integration of children and other youth coming from broken families.
Run4Africa
Organized by the MBA and EMBA students, in collaboration with the African Business Club and Swim Bike Run Club, this 5K run raised almost 3,500€ for Mary’s Meals.
Volunteer activities
The MBA Social Action Club does not only raise funds for charitable causes. Social volunteering is another type of philanthropic activity carried out by the club.
An example is the group of more than 25 MBA students that took 35 children from the Daydreaming Park Foundation to Barcelona’s most emblematic theme park: Tibidabo. At the end of the day, “language barriers were gone and a smile had taken over every child,” says Andrea Briones, from the MBA 2nd Year class. “It’s nice to see how after spending a few hours with children who come from broken families, the time you spend together has an impact on them.”
Also, they volunteer in local organizations such as Braval and Terral, which develop programs for social and educational support to young people, women and immigrants, to promote integration and social cohesion.
IESE DNA
One of the reasons that Juan Jacobo Sarrado chose the IESE MBA was precisely because one of the pillars of the school is “the development of responsible managers who have a positive impact around them”.
Ali Hassan celebrated the social involvement by IESE when looking for an MBA. “And I hope to continue to maintain this social side in my professional life as well. Solidarity must be constant. It’s a lifestyle”, Hassan claimed.
