Catalonia already has 15,918 patrons, a figure that until today was not known and that could reach 21,000 people if the foundations registered in the Protectorate of the Generalitat are counted, according to the Catalan Coordinator of Foundations (CCF). The barrier of 2,000 active foundations in Catalan territory has been surpassed and, with the aim of promoting their work, the CCF has just prepared the Practical Guide for effective patronage.
Nobody doubts the indispensable work that foundations have in a society in which needs, especially social, are increasing. Because this area and health are two of the areas to which the more than 15,000 employers and workers of the 2,098 foundations dedicate their efforts. Culture, education, research, technology, and the environment are also the subject of its work.
“Foundations are essential to cover needs not covered by public administrations,” explains Eugènia Bieto, president of the CCF. “They are a sign of maturity and responsibility of citizens,” she points out.
In addition to this social function, the CCF defends that foundations are “generators” of thousands of jobs. And today, in Catalonia, 96,399 paid workers and 38,040 volunteers work in foundations. Therefore, “they represent human capital of great value,” says Bieto.
And to encourage those people who are considering becoming part of a foundation, the CCF presents this Wednesday at La Pedrera in Barcelona the Practical Guide for effective patronage. The idea is to advise interested parties so that they can carry out transparent, effective, responsible management "with the common good as the principle of decision-making." The president of the organization explains that the guide was “a demand and at the same time a need of the manager” that will give “tools” to the trustees, especially the presidencies “to face the current challenges and lead the foundations towards a future.” bright and with more impact”
Much has happened since the first foundations - created in the Middle Ages - to the more than 2,000 that Catalonia has today. Some of them, says Bieto, have been “at the service of the territory” for more than five centuries. The altruistic feeling of the people who promote them are the engine of a gear that is also an “agent of cohesion,” defends the president of the CCF.
