A life’s missionx
Save the Children Head of Fundraising Mariana Valdés may have only spent a short time at the Firm, but it certainly had an influence on her. The Reporter finds out more.
Alumna Mariana Valdés has had a diverse career, but she still considers her time at the Firm as a defining year.
She joined White & Case’s Mexico City office straight out of law school and was all set for a successful career in law before making a life-changing decision.
“I enjoyed my time at the Firm and learnt so much,” she says, “but I also started to question whether I’d chosen the right career path.
“It felt like a crossroads – the crucial time when I had to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Mariana was conflicted, because although she had the makings of a talented lawyer, her real passion was to dedicate her life to development and humanitarian work.
She says: “At one point I seriously considered becoming a nun, inspired by the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, but I’d embarked on a law career because it was the more common-sense choice.
“And, while I loved my time at White & Case and learnt so much, I felt drawn towards a different path.”
Mariana took a leap of faith by leaving the Firm and getting a job at the Ministry of Social Development in Mexico City where she coordinated the support of social groups through micro-finance.
She says: “It wasn’t well paid and I didn’t have any experience, but it was a good introduction to development work and I got to work with a lot of other social activists who shared the same passion to make a difference.”
After three years in the role, Mariana became frustrated and, feeling unable to bring real change to the organisation, left to join as a volunteer for a charity project in Calcutta, where she spent three months.
She said: “I had a real hunger to change the world and do something meaningful. My time in Calcutta exposed me to the reality of poverty and the huge number of people in need; and confirmed my vocation to work for those in need.
“It also convinced me that I didn’t have what it took to become a nun!”
On returning from Calcutta, Mariana struggled to find a role in the private sector.
She explains: “In Mexico there was a divide between the private and public sector, so my time with the Ministry of Social Development made it hard for me to make the switch.
“I did get a position on the Human Rights Program of a university, but when I applied for a role at Save the Children, the only way I could convince them to take me on was by offering to do voluntary work.
“So, I did anything they asked me to do for free, just to show them how dedicated and serious I was about contributing.”
Mariana’s attitude clearly impressed her new colleagues because, within three months, she was asked to become head of the charity’s Mexico City office.
“I loved my time in Cancun because I was able to see the benefits of what we were doing close up. That made the work particularly rewarding.”
She says: “It was an incredible learning experience, especially because I was managing people who had been with the charity for years, but my approach was to ask, learn and implement constructive change where possible, and to appreciate the skills and experience in the team.”
Mariana did well in the role and, a year later, moved to Cancun, where she was asked to open a new office.
“Starting from zero was a new challenge, but it was at that point that my White & Case experience started to become evident, because I needed to create a board and convince people to back me.
“Having worked for a renowned law firm helped, as did my experience in negotiation and understanding of how corporations think and operate.”
During her time in Cancun, Mariana oversaw the creation of 11 childcare centers providing education for primary school age children. The charity also successfully lobbied for change to the penal code for crimes committed, in which children were the victims.
She says: “I loved my time in Cancun because I was able to see the benefits of what we were doing close up. That made the work particularly rewarding.”
Mariana next moved to Oaxaca state where she worked on the improvement of projects aimed at helping the indigenous community by providing schools with lodging. During her time Oaxaca, Save the Children also introduced a training program to improve the standard of care.
Then, in 2013, Mariana was asked to become Head of Fundraising for the charity in Mexico City.
She says: “People saw the success I’d had raising funds in my various offices and my background with White & Case meant I had corporate experience, so I’d grown a reputation for being a corporate fundraising specialist.
“Our corporate sponsors like the fact I speak their language so, while I love being closer to the projects themselves, fundraising has become a natural fit.”
Mariana’s current focus has been on fundraising for Save the Children’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico.
“A lot of our work is around delivering food packages and hygiene kits to families in need,” she says. “The more we can deliver food to their doorsteps, the less they’ll have to visit shops and expose themselves to risk.
“We’ve also created materials and support for families as the threat of domestic abuse rises during lockdown.”
Mariana believes the charity’s response to Covid-19 has been made easier from the lessons learnt following the 2017 earthquake in Mexico.
“I think my work at Save the Children has given me the chance to initiate change in the way I’d hoped when I made the tough decision to leave the Firm.”
She says: “Emergency fundraising is very different to regular fundraising, where I’d be approaching corporate partners and building relationships in much the same way as we’d pitch for work at White & Case.
“In contrast, emergency fundraising requires an immediate response, but we’ve found that our supporters have been extremely quick to help.
“Following the earthquake, we were able to do a rapid assessment of what was needed and put a strategy in place within 48 hours, prioritising child-friendly spaces for those who had lost their homes or schools, and providing essentials such as food, water and clothes.”
Other recent projects have seen Save the Children successfully lobby to raise the legal marriage age from 16 to 18 across Mexico and campaign to provide safety for migrants travelling through Mexico.
Mariana says: “I think my work at Save the Children has given me the chance to initiate change in the way I’d hoped when I made the tough decision to leave the Firm.
“Save the Children is an organization that is always looking for generate long lasting positive changes for the most vulnerable children, and I feel privileged to be part of it.
“My experience at White & Case certainly gave me a legal understanding that has come in handy but, more than that, it made me appreciate the importance of managing my time and being efficient.
“In my present role, skills I learnt at the Firm have also been key in establishing strong partnerships with corporates for them to fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility and to work together to build a better world.”
Just a few months ago, Mariana joined the White & Case alumni program and attended her first event in Mexico City.
“It was great to meet people. I also keep in touch with a friend from law school who, on my recommendation, went on to join the New York office.
“I’ll always remember my year at the Firm fondly and am grateful for everything it taught me.”
