Sharpening my Philanthropic instincts

I studied Law at the Universities of Fribourg, of Lausanne, and Heidelberg (Germany). Following my studies, I worked for four years at the law firm Lenz & Staehelin and for the Swiss Confederation. Although I liked these environments, I wanted to work in a sector with more meaning and that would allow me to work more with teams. I seized the opportunity to work for Medair, a humanitarian organisation, to develop partnerships with corporations, foundations, and private individuals. Since the beginning of 2023, I am thrilled to be working for UNICEF Switzerland & Liechtenstein, as Corporate Philanthropy Senior Manager.

At the end of 2022, I applied to the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Operational Philanthropy of the University of Geneva. I had been working for many years in the philanthropy sector and wanted to acquire a more solid base in this field with an academic diploma. In my work, I had gathered significant knowledge about foundations and wanted to learn more about their structure, organisation, and strategies. Of course, I was also eager to meet other specialists and to hear about their work environments. Finally, I was keen to hear about the latest trends in philanthropy directly from experts in the field.

I was struck by the quality of the courses from the very start. The instructors were genuine experts in their respective fields and had all done remarkable work to prepare their lectures and learning materials. I especially enjoyed the dynamic rhythms and engaging atmosphere of the lectures. Our cohort of twelve participants was an ideal size and it fostered rich exchanges with the experts and among the participants themselves. The courses were designed to be as interactive as possible, with various external experts, academics and practitioners, sharing their expertise in their respective fields. Also, each module provided the opportunity to work in smaller groups of 3 to 4 participants, which created a different learning dynamic.

Each module provided concrete tools and methodology, directly applicable to the daily work of a specialist in philanthropy. Participants hailed from different backgrounds and worked with renowned foundations or famous humanitarian / development organisations. Others worked in banking or law and had an interest in changing career paths.

The modules were well thought through, varied and provided an excellent view of the actors and practices in philanthropy. The CAS in Operational Philanthropy started with an HR and a finance module and was followed by others, such as fundraising, communications, and trends in philanthropy. All courses were as enriching as they were challenging.

Very quickly after starting, I knew I wanted to pursue my studies and therefore applied to the other CAS focused on Strategic Philanthropy in order to obtain a Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS). In doing so, my aim was to increase my knowledge and to continue to benefit from such a vibrant environment and learn from the modules on grant-making foundations, project management, and theory of change or negotiation.

I wholeheartedly encourage any practitioner in philanthropy to take part to both CAS in Strategic and Operational Philanthropy. There is no doubt that the amount of work is significant. However, these studies undoubtedly consolidate a participant’s knowledge and equips them with a versatile set of skills, and opens new perspectives and contacts. Finally, I encourage people working in other fields to apply as well, particularly in view of a career change or just because of an interest in philanthropy.