Social Change School, a Beautiful Story
By Marco Crescenzi, Founder and President, Coordinator of the Leaders4Future Network – General Directors of the Third Sector, Member of the National Council of WWF, Social Psychologist.
Founded in Rome in 1997 as ASVI – Agency for the Development of the Nonprofit Sector, the School soon became a pioneer in Europe, introducing management into the nonprofit and third sector. In 2016, we embraced a new name – Social Change School – to better reflect our international identity.
From the very beginning, our mission has been clear: to empower professionals and managers to lead and innovate nonprofit organizations to achieve a stroger social impact. . Training, for us, is not an end in itself but a true leverage for social change.
📚 Over the years, we have published groundbreaking books, launched the first European Masters in Nonprofit Management, Fundraising, and Euro-Project Design, and trained more than 2,000 professionals and managers active in over 100 countries. Many of them now hold key roles in leading international NGOs, shaping a new generation of sector leaders.
Along the way, we have introduced e-learning to make training more accessible, built a strong Career Development Service to support our students, and established networks that connect leaders across Europe and beyond.
Today, headquartered in Madrid, we continue to grow with an Anglo-Latin identity, delivering international Masters, launching innovative programmes such as HOPE (Humanitarian Operations in Emergencies) and MIDHA (International Development and Humanitarian Aid), and leading system-wide initiatives like Leaders4Future, the Women Leadership Programme, Space T- Talent Intelligence and Acquisition Lab, and the introduction of AI in the nonprofit sector.
At the heart of it all remains our belief in people. Whether a 23-year-old student or a senior manager, we nurture both professional excellence and human growth.
As Nelson Mandela, our spiritual guide, reminds us:
“Education and training are the most powerful weapons you can use to change the world.”
Training Impact
Since 1997, about 2000 professionals and managers have been trained through the Nonprofit MBA, active in over 100 countries worldwide and responsible within major NGOs, contributing to the creation of a new leadership class in the sector and a professional network of fellows worldwide
Key Milestones
1995-96
We realized that sector leaders were mainly technical profiles, neither trained nor comfortable managing complex organizations, and that the potential for sector development was enormous. We began designing a ‘Development Agency’, starting from both nonprofit and corporate managerial and entrepreneurial experiences – an ‘amphibious’ anthropology that would prove successful.
1997
Foundation of ASVI
Agency for the Development of the Nonprofit Sector, in Rome, with the Patronage and support of the City Council Presidency and the Department of Social Policies. The key question we asked ourselves was: ‘How can we achieve the maximum social impact?’ The answer was: ‘By training professionals and managers capable of effectively managing and innovating nonprofit organizations.’ For us, training has always been a lever of social change, not an end in itself.
1998
Publication of the book ‘Guide to Nonprofit Financing’: a true ‘wow moment’!
We discovered that the sector was not ‘oppressed by scarcity of resources’ as often claimed – there were plenty of funds (national, local, and European). What was scarce were managers who did not know how to see and use these resources. We realized that we needed managerial training more than funding strategies. At the time, ‘fundraising’ was barely known in Italy, so we began designing the first Master’s in Fundraising in Europe.
Further milestones include the publication of guides to European funding, the first book on the professional role of the Nonprofit Manager, the introduction of e-learning in the nonprofit sector in Europe, and the launch of the first European Masters in Nonprofit Management (1998), Euro-Project Design (1998), and Fundraising Management (1999).
2000
Creation of the Career Development Service.
still one of the School’s flagship features, focused not only on placement but also on mindset, attitudes, and behaviors.
2003
Publication of ‘Manager and Nonprofit Management – The Ethical Challenge’
considered a ‘bible’ for managers (750 pages).
2004-2005
Publication of ‘Guide to Nonprofit Professions and Employment’
the foundation of the Observatory on Nonprofit Professions, recognition by the Ministry of Labor of nonprofit managerial profiles, and the publication of ‘Campaigns for Nonprofit Organizations’. Following a major conference in Parliament, the School became the main reference for the Italian press on nonprofit professional profiles.
2006-2007
Contribution to the creation of Euclid Network, the European network of nonprofit leaders, opening of the London office, coordination of Leader2Leader – the first network of Italian nonprofit leaders. Publication of ‘Evaluating Nonprofit Quality’.
2010
Opening of Third Sector Management in London to deliver the FRAME – Fundraising Management Master. Collaboration with Bernard Ross, leading international fundraiser, and presentation in Rome of his book ‘The Influential Fundraiser’
2011-2012
Co-founders of I-SIN, the Italian Social Innovation Network. Publication of ‘Social Innovation and Social Business’, the first in Europe on the subject, and launch of the MES Master in Social Innovation, Social Business, and Social Start-ups
2014
Launch of HOPE – Master in Humanitarian Operations in Emergencies, in partnership with NGOs and AGIRE.
2016
Move from Rome and London to Madrid, creating an ‘Anglo-Latin’ matrix. Headquarters established in Madrid, with all Masters in English and delivery in Europe and Africa.
2018
Launch of the first Master in International Development and Humanitarian Aid (MIDHA Programme), fully online, with strong scalability potential.
2019
Record number of 85 Master students – unmatched worldwide.
2021
The pandemic hits hard. Many competitors close; the School suffers a 30% drop in students but chooses to invest in its mission.
2021-Today
Creation of Leaders4Future – the network of Italian nonprofit General Directors – a system-wide success promoting collaborative management and peer support.
2022
First to introduce AI in Masters (project design) and in the nonprofit sector, involving major organizations and Focsiv network.
2023
Launch of the Geomap
An interactive map showing where alumni work worldwide. Creation of Crescenzi & Partners, a strategic consulting and managerial coaching firm for the third sector. Organization of the first national conference of nonprofit leaders ‘Leader4Future’.
2024
Design of ‘Leading Together’ – Women Leadership Programme, aiming for over 50% of female General Directors in the top 100 Italian NGOs by 2030.
2025
Launch of Leaders4Future in Spain. Creation of Space T – Talent Intelligence & Acquisition Lab, strengthening HR offices in the European third sector with AI-based systems. Launch of the Lead Master in Leadership, Strategic Management & Talent Management.
Conclusion
Although the School is best known for its Masters, its system-wide initiatives have had a profound impact on the sector: the creation of collaborative manager networks, a shift in media perception of the nonprofit world, official recognition of nonprofit professional profiles, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, the Women Leadership Programme, and Space T. While technological development is increasingly necessary, the DNA of the School and its staff remains centered on relationships and the development of people, both professionally and personally – whether 23-year-old students or 60-year-old top managers.
We are always inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela – our spiritual father and guiding star: ‘Education and training are the most powerful weapons you can use to change the world.’
