Be Honest

By Daniele Narduzzi (35), Gianni Monteforte (48), Giordano Giannantoni (68), Lara Marchi (36) e Marco Scarfato (37).

“BE HONEST” is a network which brings together people working in the social sector; its aim is to direct non-profit organizations (NPO) and third sector organizations (TSO) towards greater transparency, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness.

This idea emerged after the earthquake which shook Italy in 2016, and following recent events. After the earthquake, we were able to confirm that even the greatest manifestations of generosity risk being crippled due to inefficiency, speculations, and a lack of professionalism.

The data from this sector highlights how all of this becomes a detriment to the neediest people - those whom the social sector is entrusted with protecting – and showers disrepute and suspicion onto the thousands of NPOs and millions of operators and volunteers who carry out their work honestly and professionally. A widespread climate of mistrust is generated, and potential increases in donations are curbed. Not least, given that the time has passed for this welfare state, the need for greater efficiency is linked to an evolution of the third sector, in which it ceases its role as wealth redistributor and becomes the protagonist of a new welfare society model.

And so we asked ourselves: “What would the impact be for the community if the 65/70 billion euros that represents the third sector’s overall turnover were utilized transparently and efficiently? Even if we only attempted to improve efficiency by 10%, there could potentially be 7 billion more euros available each year. This is how the challenge of our Startup – towards a more ethical and responsible future – emerged.

Our mission is to create a network of social sector protagonists who are able to satisfy the highest standards of performance, social impact, management, transparency and accountability. We use the term BE HONEST to imply the desire and commitment of those who support the community to work with open book accounting, because we recognize that non-profit organizations are characterized by doing work in the interests of their community of reference, and not in the interests of ownership, which is what occurs with private companies.

It is essential for us to innovate, and guarantee that stakeholders will be provided with clear, effective, timely, complete, and true information regarding both the social services that are provided and whether they reach the institutional objectives, as well as financial and economic aspects such as fundraising, the use of available resources, and economically responsible management.

For this reason, we shall pursue our Mission through a series of interdependent initiatives:

  • identifying standards for transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency which can represent a benchmark for this sector;
  • creating a network of “BE HONEST CERTIFIED” non-profit organizations which can serve to assist stakeholders in appreciating the difference between worthy, transparent, and responsible organizations that have real social impact, and those that are more concerned with good marketing than substance;
  • creating projects in partnership dedicated to the social sector, with the aim of promoting innovation, digitalization, and its development;
  • providing investors, firms, and donors with an evaluation standard which they can use to better direct their funds, in order to optimize the impact for the beneficiaries and for the community.

The Be Honest team consists of a variety of diverse and complementary professional profiles:

  • Daniele,project creator, professional experience with the Italian Police Force;
  • Gianni,Supply Chain Director of a multinational corporation;
  • Marco, Accounting Manager in regulated sectors;
  • Giordano, previous CEO of a multinational corporation;
  • Elisa, Lawyer and Volunteer with the Italian Red Cross;
  • Marco, Accountant and Auditor.

Everyone shares the same goal of working to communicate with and support efficient organizations which choose to make a difference every day.

Be Honest is a revolution, as its innovative approach lies not only in its elaborate accountability method, but also in its use of a digital platform and new technologies; furthermore, the creation of a donor experience will restore trust to donators and investors and reward organizations that work honestly, thus protecting their credibility.

Website: www.behonest.it