Concern about encouraging social entrepreneurship has also been on the agenda of the big banks. BTG Pactual (part of the same group that controls EXAME), for example, created the BTG Soma program with that purpose. This week, the bank held a livestream to celebrate the closing of the first edition of the project, which aims to professionalize and accelerate NGOs and civil society organizations (OSCs).

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Six NGOs partnered with the bank took part in the first edition, which began in 2020, and received mentoring, workshops, and more than 100 hours of training with concepts applicable to marketing, strategic planning, business models, finance, impact assessment, expansion proposals, and fundraising. The organizations were: Ballet de Paraisópolis, Proa, Instituto Tiago Camilo, Instituto Dom, Moinho Cultural, and Mano Down. This year, 10 institutions were chosen.

“It’s an honor to take part in conceiving, implementing, and developing this program, which has grown a great deal and brought together so many extraordinary projects in the name of solidarity. We built a very effective model for generating impact through network and knowledge,” said Roberto Sallouti, CEO of BTG Pactual, during the event’s opening remarks.

BTG Soma has the consulting support of Ação Social para Igualdade das Diferenças (ASID Brasil, Social Action for Equality of Differences) and was created with the aim of contributing to the professionalization of the third sector, offering organizations the conditions to achieve sustainable development, explains Martha Leonardis, partner and head of social responsibility and events at BTG Pactual. “We launched the first edition of the program in 2020 and it was a success. In a short time, BTG Soma has grown a lot and proves it delivers results. In fact, we will open registration for the third edition in the coming months. Our goal is to foster a more sustainable, independent ecosystem with better performance, contributing to social transformation,” she says. Martha also moderated the day’s first panel, called “GIVING BACK.”

In this first discussion, other important names involved in the project took part, such as Elie Horn, philanthropist and founder of Cyrela; Alcione Albanesi, president and founder of Amigos do Bem; Sônia Hess, vice president of Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, founder of Fundo Dona de Mim and businesswoman; and Luiza Trajano, president of Grupo Mulheres do Brasil & chair of the Board of Magazine Luiza.

In her remarks, Luiza noted that the culture of philanthropy should continue to grow post-pandemic. “Brazil is still far from being a benchmark, but people are learning more and more about the culture of giving. And that won’t stop, because there’s growing awareness that together, companies, employees, and social entrepreneurs can contribute to progress on important issues in the country, such as social inequality,” she said.

The second panel, “Philanthropy: Giving Structures,” was moderated by Juliana de Paula, Social Responsibility Director at BTG Pactual, with the participation of Paula Fabiani, CEO of the Instituto para Desenvolvimento do Investimento Social (IDIS, Institute for the Development of Social Investment), and Patricia Lobaccaro, Founder & CEO of Mobilize Global.

Source: https://invest.exame.com/esg/btg-resultados-soam-empreendedorismo-social