The 31st edition of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc will start in March 2022. The event counts among the participants the crew Les Gazelles de l’Atlantique, composed of Manon CORNEILLE and Marine JEULIN. The two young women, from Dax and Bordeaux, are multiplying operations to raise funds both to finance the trip and for the associations that benefit from the event. For good reason, the Rallye des Gazelles, an international humanitarian race 100% feminine and attentive to respect for the environment, collaborates with the association Cœur de Gazelles. For Manon and Marine, it is also an opportunity to contribute to the fight against breast cancer, with the association Ruban Rose. In order to raise funding, the Gazelles de l’Atlantique turn in particular to companies to sponsor them. With the aim of a win-win participation, they redouble their efforts to offer interesting rewards to companies that help finance the trip.
Marine JEULIN and Manon CORNEILLE, the challenge at the heart
To celebrate their 10 years of friendship, Marine and Manon decided in May 2021 to challenge themselves to participate in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc,more commonly known as the Rallye des Gazelles. A choice motivated by the strong humanitarian dimension, the values carried by the event, as well as its organization in favor of the environment. Three key arguments that echo marine and Manon’s philosophy of life.
Manon CORNEILLE is currently 26 years old and is from Dax. She is a business developer for ECOTEN Urban Comfort, a design office in urban environments. The company’s goal is to adapt cities to climate change,and help them cool off in view of the heat waves that are expected to be more frequent and intense in the years to come.
Manon converted to sustainable development in 2019. Prior to that, from 2017 to 2019, she was an IT consultant and installed software for companies in the truck industry. Anxious to contribute on its own scale to changing behaviour for the planet, it joins the We Act 4 Earth association, which trains the self-employed and small businesses in the challenges of sustainable development and CSR. In particular, it helps them to reduce the ecological impact of their professional activity, through an awareness of responsible digital technology or responsible finance. Rethink investments, choose suppliers, change your travel policy…
She then joined ECOTEN, a design office for climate adaptation of cities, based in Prague. To remain consistent with the company’s policy and its raison d’être, all employees are teleworking in order to reduce travel. Employees are invited to limit their digital consumption, or to prefer the train rather than the plane when travelling.
Marine JEULIN is a junior chartered accountant at KPMG. Both meet in their first year of study in DUT GEA in Bordeaux. They love challenges and adventure and do not hesitate to roll up their sleeves to achieve their goals.
For good reason, since her youngest age, Marine JEULIN is involved in humanitarian associations. She first joined Make a Wish, before devoting her time to the association Les Petits Frères des Pauvres. Thus, the commitment of the Rallye des Gazelles alongside theassociation Cœur de Gazelles allows it to immediately adhere to the concept.
Both are, moreover, particularly affected by the strong values that emerge from this adventure. Courage, mutual aid, loyalty, benevolence, surpassing oneself, tolerance… Values that they assume on a daily basis and have also had the opportunity to illustrate during a pilgrimage on the Way of Santiago de Compostela on the French side in 2021 for Marine, and a Tour of Europe by bike through 15 countries in 6 months in 2019, for Manon.
The Rallye des Gazelles will therefore not be the first challenge they will take up. In addition, their commitment to gender equality is enough to make them proud to participate in such an event. Recall that the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc has been held every year since 1990. It brings together women from 18 to 71 years old without selection other than their determination. Thus, in 2022, 320 women of 17 nationalities will take to the road from Nice for 9 days of racing in the Moroccan desert.
Finance the participation of the crew in the Rallye des Gazelles, the accumulation of initiatives
Since the end of August 2021, Marine and Manon have therefore embarked on the search for sponsors. Between the registration fees, the rental of the vehicle, the transport costs, the tent, the equipment… They are looking to raise nearly €30,000. At the end of October, they already accumulated more than €22,000 in donations.
To ensure that they raise the necessary funds, they multiply the operations, investing themselves on a daily basis. It was also an opportunity to talk about the Rallye des Gazelles to as many people as possible and to raise awareness of the causes defended. For example, they organized a lotto at the end of October and are currently launching a raffle. The prizes are scheduled to be handed over on 30 November. It is therefore still possible to participate by purchasing physical tickets or via their HelloAsso page. In this context, more than 1000 € of prizes are to be won, such as a stay in the Dordogne, tasting boxes, 2 kg of steak …
They also handmade darlings, sold for €5 each; as well as makeup remover wipes made of organic bamboo fiber. In the colors of the Pink Ribbon and with a chest pattern to stay in the theme of course.
Manon and Marine have also embarked on a “citrus operation”. In partnership with an organic producer, they sold 1.8 tons of citrus fruit in 3 weeks, or 180 crates of 10 kg.
In addition to their actions, the Bordeaux participants in the Rallye des Gazelles are asking local companies to sponsor them. A CSR action touching on topics of ecology, aid to disadvantaged populations, support for the fight against breast cancer, or social cohesion and corporate responsibility.
Rally and corporate social responsibility, supporting environmental protection
The Rallye des Gazelles is the only rally in the world to be ISO 14001 certified. It therefore meets a standard that guarantees that Maïenga, the organizing agency, implements an environmental management system.
For example, the event follows a very strict waste treatment policy. It provides for sorting bins during the event; awareness-raising operations; the collection of organic waste redistributed to farmers to feed the animals; the recovery of plastic to build houses; the use of ecological products for the cleaning of sanitary facilities…
Certified since 2010, it is committed to limiting water, energy and waste production as much as possible. As well as to offset CO2 emissions by reforestation or financing ecological projects with Action Carbone Solidaire, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s foundation.
Pour plus de transparence, Maïenga a réalisé le bilan carbone du Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. Il est donc à l’origine de 189 tonnes d’émission de CO2. A titre de comparaison, le Tour de France produit 340 000 tonnes de CO2 (déplacements du public, caravane, goodies et objets en plastique jetés…). En outre, depuis 2017, le rallye compte des véhicules électriques au départ de la course. Pour 2030, il s’est fixé comme objectif de devenir un rallye 100 % électrique.
The Rallye des Gazelles, humanitarian issues
Beyond its eco-responsible commitment, the Rallye des Gazelles collaborates with the Cœur de Gazelles association. Working with the population in Morocco, the latter provides medical care, facilitates professional reintegration,acts for schooling by building or renovating schools. Thus, much more than an orienteering race, the Rallye des Gazelles seeks to have a positive local impact. He proposes to the association to take advantage of the logistics to meet the populations in difficulty in Morocco.
In addition to this humanitarian commitment specific to the Rally, Marine and Manon have chosen to support the Ruban Rose association. They wish to participate in the fight against breast cancer by donating the excess funds at the end of the trip. A cause that is particularly close to their hearts, knowing loved ones affected by this disease. For good reason, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. It occurs in 1 in 8 women and accounts for 58,000 new cases each year.
Thus, by sponsoring the crew Les Gazelles de l’Atlantique, companies act in ricochet for different causes: the enhancement of the image of women through a human challenge, the life of remote populations in Morocco, the fight against breast cancer.
The role of the company, societal issues
By joining ECOTEN, Manon realizes that our adaptation to the climate crisis will depend on 75% of companies. Thus, they do not only respond to an economic issue, but to much broader responsibilities such as the well-being of employees, the impact on the environment… From year to year, theThe involvement of companies in societal projects has given ample evidence that the company is “a centerpiece of this great puzzle that is society”.
Boosted by the PACTE law in particular, more and more organizations are divesting themselves of the image of the purely capitalist company. Moreover, they take employees with them, contributing to awareness and the evolution of morals. For example, on the occasion of Make a Difference Day, KPMG asked its 10,000 employees for their working time to clean up nature and the city. Companies combine small actions to change employee behavior. In this way, CSR values go beyond the company. They affect customers, teams, suppliers…
As part of the Rallye des Gazelles, the contributions of companies can be of multiple forms. It can indeed be a financial contribution, but also a donation of equipment, skills sponsorship or network sharing to give more echo to the initiative. In this way, every company, regardless of its means, is able to contribute to making the event a success.
Sponsoring the Rallye des Gazelles: image, tax exemption and media coverage
Implementing CSR actions exposes companies to positive spin-offs. In order to convince them to finance the Rallye des Gazelles rather than another cause, the organizer does the maximum for companies. Thus, it relies heavily on the media coverage of the event to put sponsors in the spotlight. For good reason, the project has both humanitarian and sporting issues that can be appropriated by societies with multiple values: ecology, social, surpassing oneself…
Beyond the image, making a donation to an association entitles you to a tax advantage. Thus, the financial or material donation is a deductible expense that reduces the taxable result of the company.
To guarantee sponsors consistent visibility, the Rallye des Gazelles can count on a remarkable media reach. Indeed, in 2019, it had accumulated more than 105.9 million viewers, more than 10.8 million listeners, and more than 461 million unique Internet users. The event is also covered by a hundred journalists and the Maïenga organization dedicates 50 people to the media. In addition, the Rally benefits from a short program on M6 every day of the race. He is also a partner of the radio Chérie FM which also relays the stages of the journey.
In addition, the Rallye des Gazelles closes its 9 days of adventure with an evening of Gala and awards ceremony in Essaouira in Morocco. For the occasion, 1300 people are expected and all sponsors are invited. The opportunity for everyone to develop their network, meet media and partners, or even to offer an extraordinary business seminar.
In addition to the actions implemented by the Maïenga organization, marine and Manon’s Les Gazelles de l’Atlantique crew is responsible for communicating daily for 5 months that separate them from the race to a local audience. Posts on social networks LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram; inserts in newspapers; display on the car; announcement of sponsors during appearances on local radios and newspapers; visibility of sponsors on the Rally website receiving 70,000 connections per day…
Enough to give sponsors a maximum of reason to finance the trip and contribute to the causes defended by the event.
Source
October 2021 interview with Manon CORNEILLE and Marine JEULIN, crew Les Gazelles de l’Atlantique, Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc, March 2022 edition
