Thinking back on how 2020 played out, a thought from a very old Prussian tactician comes to mind. Forgive me for paraphrasing it slightly: No plan survives contact with reality. In 2020, reality decided to confirm this is an unquestionable fact.
While a global pandemic was shaking the world up, the biggest earthquake in over a century shook the ground of Zagreb. It would be hard to even imagine such a scenario. I mean, what are the odds?! Unless someone was writing a script for the next Sharkanado movie, this sequence of events seemed surreal.
Overall, this whole year was insane for everyone. When the first lockdowns began around the world, it seemed as though humankind had taken a deep breath and just held it in expectation. As time passed and it became clear that this was not going away overnight, everybody exhaled and started doing what humans do best – adapt.
Adapt, overcome, and step up for a good cause
In the entrepreneurial world, there is a buzzword that describes an action that a business needs to take after its initial business model becomes unsustainable. This term is pivot. And in 2020, the whole world had to pivot.
While the world was making a shift, it became evident that the apocalypse is postponed and that we will not be using our Macbooks as heat sources just yet. The IT business stabilized and the imminent fear of all business ceasing gradually faded.
That’s when the Foundation’s story began. Many of our plans did not go through this year, but I’d like to focus on one that did. If there was ever a year when the time was right to roll out an open call for project-based funding for nonprofits, 2020 is definitely it.
Through Foundation, Infinum committed to donating 100.000,00 kuna to impactful projects and the organizations behind them.
The call for projects was open for a month and we received 116 applications. The Foundation committee of 8 had read, analyzed, presented, and discussed each application, while the final decision was made through a vote by the Foundation members.
Here are the winners of Foundation’s donation in 2020:
- Rehabilitation center “Silver” which trains assistance dogs
- Institute for STEM and their Christmas STEM workshops
- Nonprofit “Ozana” that’s building a regular and multimedial library
- The Croatian association for training guide dogs
- Nonprofit “How are you?” and their mental health workshops
- Children’s association “Zvjezdice Gunja” for kids with disabilities
- Nonprofit “I’ll tell you a story” that’s helping kids in hospitals deal with isolation by COVID-19
- Nonprofit “Krila” for therapy horse-riding
- “Croatian Makers” and their STEM revolution workshops
For more information about the projects that won Foundation’s donation in 2020, check out Infinum Foundation’s official page.
Make the effort to make a difference
While many things remain uncertain in the year to come, we plan to make this “tender” an annual event. We want to take the opportunity to find projects and nonprofits that do meaningful work.
Our goal is to continue changing peoples’ lives for the better and be a continuous wind at the backs of those who need us – be it by donating resources, using our expertise, or volunteering.
Check out the organizations we supported in 2020 – and if you are in a giving mood, feel free to donate. Every bit helps. Many of these organizations need volunteers just as much as they need financing, so make sure to look into their volunteer programs as well.