Let’s rock it

Last week was announced the new Fund Raising CD Assistant – Luis Alvarado Martínez from AEGEE – Las Palmas. I found him just two days after the EBM. Immediately after I wrote the mail, he has found me on Skype and started telling me about the great event in Izmir. ”This EBM is the proof that the organisation is striving for a real change and a true impact. This event will mean a huge thematic boost for AEGEE and for our members. Things are starting to change, and it’s very motivating” Luis tells me and I get even more jealous I didn’t manage to get to Izmir.

When I started asking him about his experience I’ve got half a page activities he had organized, participated or helped to take place – from ES1, LTC and SUs to EBM Riga, SUPS Krakow and even National Education Forum of the Spanish Youth Council. After seeing how many roles he has as member of the International Relations Committe of the Spanish Youth Council, Canary Island Youth Ambassador at International Tourism Fairs or member of the Youth in Action Expert Group of the Spanish Youth Council, I am totally surprised he has time for my interview. Even though I read that he had experience with the YiA programme and in general with both public grants, but mainly private funding as well, I started my interview about his interests regarding FR.

Why is fundraising interesting for you? Usually it’s the “black job nobody wants”. :)

Well, this is a nice question. Since I’m in AEGEE, I’ve been listening to the fact that our organisation works purely with public grants and the Youth in Action Programme. During these years I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from many differen organisations and not only from AEGEE, and I have shared the best and worst practises of each organisation

This is a very big lack we have in AEGEE – the lack of private and corporate FR, which could help us a lot maintaining ourselves and our projects.

The problem is that there are way too many tasks and work to do for only 7 people in the CD. So usually tasks like corporate FR or PR are left a bit aside, not because people don’t want to, but because there is no human resourses or time to do it.

What do you mean under private and corporate FR? Do you have concrete ideas?

Contacting big companies, which also have many different opportunities for young people –  like scholarships, job offers, grants for projects etc. The corporate sector is a huge and very important one in our society, so we as AEGEE should be able also to approach this sector.

According to the open call you will be responsible for making FR concepts, finding companies and partners attending the Fair at Agora Enschede as well as advertisements for the website and Key to Europe. Which one sounds like the most attractive for you?

Well, I must admit that for me the most attractive would be finding companies and partners. I’m also very looking forward to work with AEGEE-Enschede at the Fair, as they are an incredibly efficient and ambitious team. I’m sure the Agora will be something which we will all remember.

But working on the FR concept as a whole team together with Marko Grdosic, in order to ensure a contunity in the FR work, will be as well very challenging and interesting.

Actually was there a FR strategy for the whole AEGEE  before and is there any continuity according to you?

I know that past CDs have started very good initiatives, finding new partners for our organisation and our members. These must of course be continued and updated, but we should also focus on partners which will benefit our members. Companies that our members will make the most out of. Partners which will help us to develop our projects, too. The corporate world had so many possibilities we should have a full team just for corporate FR.

Are you planning to create such a team as CD assistant?

I don’t know. The truth is that the amount of work is very big, and any help from the network is always great.

What you think is emphasizing in your methods – experience or creativity? Do you think more conventional ways are working or more creative and untypical?

First, I will have to coordinate with the current CD, in order to adapt myself to their work. I will try to continue their work and bring it together with the ideas I have. I would like to find new creative ways to help our organisation – think out of the box. But of course not only my experience, but the experience of all the CD members and all the rest of members working in FR will also be very valuable and will have to be taken into account.

FR is in close cooperation with marketing and in general PR materials AEGEE has. Do you plan something in this direction or you will leave it to PR Commitee or CD?

Of course it’s all very related, and one task cannot be carried out without the other. In order to ensure a good FR, a close cooperation with our PR magicians from PRC is needed and of course our Board of Directors is needed, so yes it’s all connected.

What is the most important in the process of doing FR?

We must have a very clear picture of who we are, what we want, what we can offer and how we want the external world to perceive us. “We do amazing things in AEGEE, we change people, and we do have an impact in European Students”. This is the message we have to send to the external world. We are ambitious, skilled, trained, we never sleep and we want to change society! So let’s rock it :)

Are you excited to move to Brussels?

Yes very excited :) But not too happy about leaving my paradise weather of Canary Islands.

Is your candidature connected with your plans to apply for the CD?

It’s not a secret that I will apply for the position as President of AEGEE-Europe. As I said before, I want to start a whole FR concept together with the current CD, a concept and a strategy which will be able to be continued by the next CD.

If you are still asking yourself why the CD need assistant…you can read the answers of this question of Marko Grdosic to whoose work Luis will contribute the most:

Written by Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia