Firjan SESI Citizenship Against Hunger
Social mobilization platform during the pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, an urgent humanitarian crisis unfolded. Thousands of families in Rio de Janeiro were facing food insecurity.
Firjan had the influence and the network to generate media buzz and engage the public, its associates, and Rio’s business leaders. What was missing was the digital channel: a centralized platform that could reliably and immediately convert this mobilization into donations (via PIX, bank transfer, and physical items).
Time was our biggest enemy.
The Solution: Strategic Design & Cross-Functional Management
My role covered everything from briefing to final delivery. To deliver a high-visibility project on an impossible deadline, my work was split into two fronts:
1. Strategic Design (The Rapid Action)
To meet the crisis’s urgency, I made the strategic decision to design a Single Page. Based on my previous experience with Firjan, I knew a focused, simple, and direct design would be approved and developed faster.
The thesis proved correct: we went from briefing to an approved layout in just 4 days (two for design, two for validation).
2. End-to-End Management (The Leadership Action)
With the design approved, I took over management of the digital project. I acted as the single point of contact between all stakeholders (Directors, Communications, Social Impact) and the software house.
Most importantly, I created the implementation timeline that aligned all involved departments. This plan defined the gates and deliverables for Marketing, Legal, and PR, ensuring the technical implementation could run in parallel without blockers. My job was to remove impediments and ensure the site went live in 45 days.
The Impact
Once launched, the campaign ran for 4 months, proving to be a mobilization success. The direct result of the digital platform was:
- R$ 750,000 (approx. $150K USD) raised in financial donations.
- 51,900 essential items donated (food, hygiene, etc.).
- 36,000 people directly assisted.
My role was to lead the digital product that enabled this fundraising. The logistics of delivering the 9,000 food baskets and items were successfully managed by Firjan’s operational teams, in partnership with humanitarian aid organizations.
We successfully turned agile project management and design into real-world help during the most critical moment.