GiveIndia

Do you know? Take a guess

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:08:00 +0000

Most of you probably make some kind of charitable donation in a year, maybe online, maybe as a response to a direct mail appeal or sometimes at the request of a friend who supports that cause. And probably, as with other services you use, you don't really stop and think "How much is this costing me? Wait a minute...costing?? I thought I was making a donation so what's this COST all about!?"

What donors don't realise is that many NGOs (non-profits), including GiveIndia, are intermediaries. We connect people who want to donate, to NGOs and projects that need support.

GiveIndia incurs expenses in our efforts to raise money for NGOs and projects in need, and so does every other fundraising intermediary. Costs for people, for technology, for office space; costs just like any other business, though on a much more frugal level.

Now that you've digested this fact, can you guess what the average cost of fundraising as a percentage is? Basically, how many Rupees does an organisation spend to get a Rs.100 donation?

It is our hope that each one of you reading this, takes a guess by voting on the poll. Do also leave your comments on the blog so that we have an interesting dialogue on this important topic. After all the comments are in, GiveIndia will post a follow-up giving you the inside story on fundraising costs.

So go ahead and take a guess now.

On Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:32:00 +0000

On Mother's Day, most of you reading this will do something nice for your mom-- maybe a card, maybe a phone call, perhaps a meal together.

But what will the millions of mothers living in poverty get?

Published in time to commemorate Mother's Day, the Save the Children eighth annual State of the World's Mothers report paints a grim picture of children and mothers in developing nations. High maternal mortality rates, lack of trained birthing attendants, and the absence of basic medical interventions all add up to 28,000 children under the age of five dying every day.

Amongst the report's five recommendations was the simple but powerful number 2:

Invest in basic, low-cost solutions to save children's lives

How low cost? Well, for example, the cost of basic antenatal care for 10 women is just Rs. 3140 (US$77). Or the cost of the delivery of a baby in a clinic is only Rs. 625 (US$15).

GiveIndia offers dozens of ways to help children and the adults who care for them. We're sure your mother would approve of us and our transparent and efficient ways. So celebrate your mother by making a gift donation in her name -- your mom's happy and you've changed a life. It's a win-win idea!

6 doctors for every 10,000 Indians

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:04:00 +0000

A recent article by Simon Robinson in TIME magazine highlights the abysmally poor state of health care in India today.

Some alarming statistics from the article:

* just 43.5% of young children in India are fully immunized

* only 1 in 10 Indians has any form of health insurance

* 20 million people in India fall below the poverty line every year due to debt from medical expenses

* there are 6 doctors and 8 nurses for every 10,000 Indians

As Robinson points out, the lack of basic infrastructure in India is heavily contributing to the situation. Unclean drinking water, no toilets and sewers and substandard housing are major factors in millions of Indians contracting common but deadly diseases.

However, as GiveIndia knows all too well, even a small intervention can greatly change the quality of life for those living in these conditions. One of our NGOs that works in West Bengal provides low cost sanitary latrines for families living in poverty. For just Rs 4,800 (US$120) a family can have a clean, safe facility that can make a big difference to their health, not to mention their dignity.

Common materials and Rs 400 (US$10) worth of labour is all it takes to build one of these latrines. The Barman family of eight had a latrine installed in their house and is happy that diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal diseases are no longer frequent visitors to their home.

It may be years or even decades before the massive problems in health care will be resolved. However, some of the big changes may come when all Indians have access to basic sanitation and clean drinking water. And each one of us can help make that a reality.

Rs50 lac EVERY month!

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:08:00 +0000

It's a BIG milestone in a long journey! But we've made it...the GiveIndia Payroll Giving programme, that we run in partnership with the top companies of India, is now raising Rs50 lac ($125,000) per month !!

Who are all these Payroll Givers?

Your banker because most of the leading banks are part of the programme

Your customer care executive because most of the leading BPOs are part of the programme

Your news provider because three leading television networks are part of the programme

This list could go on and on because close to 25,000 employees all over India are taking part in this movement to make India better. Each one, recognising their good fortune, and deciding to share a little bit of that every month to help those with less.

And the movement marches on!

Malnutrition -- quietly destroying the future

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:00:00 +0000

John Holmes, the U.N.'s top humanitarian aid official has released a statement saying that global food shortages and higher prices are more likely to cause malnutrition than outright famine, at least in the near term.

"People, particularly those on the lowest incomes, will be eating less and less well," he told a news conference in Geneva.

While it seems like good news that there will not be widespread famine and starvation deaths, malnutrition is as dangerous a problem, one that is silently crippling children.

A report on children and nutrition by UNICEF states:

* Malnourished children are much more likely to die as a result of a common childhood disease than those who are adequately nourished

* In young children, malnutrition dulls motivation and curiosity and reduces play and exploratory activities. These effects, in turn, impair mental and cognitive development by reducing the amount of interaction children have both with their environment, and with those who provide care.

* Robbed of their mental as well as physical potential, malnourished children who live past childhood face diminished futures. They will become adults with lower physical and intellectual abilities, lower levels of productivity and higher levels of chronic illness and disability, often in societies with little economic capacity for even minimal therapeutic and rehabilitative measures.

In a nutshell, children who don’t get the right food at the right age stand the risk of paying for that their WHOLE lives.

Agreed that everyone is feeling the pinch but for more fortunate people, it means sacrificing non-essential expenses to meet the rising cost of essential items. For the poverty stricken, it means not being able to give children the future they deserve.

Feedback reports - a GiveIndia promise to donors

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:22:00 +0000

GiveIndia promises donors who donate through us a detailed feedback report of how their money helped change a life. What many people don't realize is that this is a personalised report, as in every feedback features a different beneficiary. So, for example if you donated a cataract operation and your best friend donated a cataract operation, you both wouldn't get the same generic report of how the operation benefited a person in need. No, you would get the story of Mr. xyz and how this operation helped change his life and your best friend would get a feedback report featuring Mrs. abc and how the operation changed her life.

Our partner NGOs are responsible for collecting this information, in many cases along with a photograph of the beneficiary and sending it to GiveIndia. And then we forward it to the donor. In the 2007/8 financial year, the GiveIndia feedback team ensured that 14,000 feedback reports got sent to donors. Pretty amazing, huh?

From time to time we have situations where the NGO doesn't send us timely reports or is no longer partnered with us so doesn't keep their promise about old feedbacks that they still owe us. These "missing" feedbacks are a very small number, less than 1% but that doesn't make them less important to us. The feedback team at GiveIndia, in the last few months, has been conducting a MAJOR exercise to try and get all these overdue feedbacks squared away, and have been fairly successful at sending out dozens of overdue reports.

Just four days ago, Mr. Srikanth Kalisipudi, a donor who got his feedback long after it was due, emailed us. He said "Feedback was good and I really appreciate the team for that. Till now I was thinking the money donated has gone but now after 3 years I got a mail from you saying that the money was utilized for the cause."

So while it is obviously better to be on time than late (and that is what we strive for), it is also better to be late than never. If we didn't send him the report, Mr. Kalisipudi may have always had doubts about GiveIndia and maybe about donating to charitable causes. So, GiveIndia's promise to donors will never be taken lightly; we'll do everything we can to fulfill it.

Push for transparency

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:09:00 +0000

CEO of the Resource Alliance, Simon Collings recently gave an interview about NGOs and transparency. Read these excerpts:

Why is it important for NGOs to have accountability and transparency?

It's important for two reasons. First, an NGO looking for financial support is not going to succeed unless it shows evidence of the impact of its work. It has to explain use of funds to donors and funding agencies. A growing trend is that funding agencies are putting increasing pressure on NGOs to make their financial transactions and governance transparent. Second, NGOs exist because they address social problems and work for under-privileged groups. It's important to be accountable to those people too, who are the beneficiaries and will be the ultimate judge.

Why do you encourage NGOs to look for aid from local donors?

Foreign development funding is on the decline. The major focus of the G8 countries is Africa, not countries like India where there are laws and strategic governance in place. Also, if civil society is to become a major force in solving local problems, then local funding has to happen. It strengthens accountability, reduces corruption and increases impact of the development work. Many donors are not confident how their money is used, so here transparency helps gain public support.

You can read the whole interview on the Times of India site, where it first appeared on April 25, 2008.

People who inspire us | part 2

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:21:00 +0000

Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor and Chairman of the Board of Infosys gave an inspiring speech at the Stern School of Business. Mr. Murthy is well known, not only for his work at Infosys, but also for the many contributions he has made to help those with less. Read his parting words to the students he was addressing:

"A final word: When, one day, you have made your mark on the world, remember that in the ultimate analysis, we are all mere temporary custodians of the wealth we generate, whether it be financial, intellectual or emotional. The best use of all your wealth is to share it with those less fortunate.

I believe that we have all at some time eaten the fruit from trees that we did not plant. In the fullness of time, when it is our turn to give, it behooves us in turn to plant gardens that we may never eat the fruit of, which will largely benefit generations to come. I believe this is our sacred responsibility, one that I hope you will shoulder in time."

N R Narayana Murthy, May 9, 2007

New York University

Integrity or competence - which matters more?

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:41:00 +0000

Imagine there are two NGOs and both their mission is to teach arithmetic to underprivileged children.

NGO A is a very honest and transparent NGO. It follows the Credibility Alliance norms, it publishes Annual reports every year and is run by an upstanding team. NGO A has been able to teach the children addition and subtraction, as measured by an external benchmarking test.

NGO B is not transparent and does not follow the Credibility Alliance norms. It is run by a team that skims Rs25 from every Rs100 they get, BUT with the remaining Rs75 they have taught the children multiplication and division along with addition and subtraction, as proven by the same external benchmarking test.

As a donor how does this make you feel? On the one hand, the instinct is to say that NGO A is better because they are honest but on the other hand if the end goal is to see that the children learn arithmetic, then NGO B is doing a better job.

Say you had Rs100 to give to either NGO A or NGO B (there is no NGO C available) who would you give it to and why?

Giving makes you happy

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:30:00 +0000

Yes! We've suspected it all along and now it's been proven. Spending money on others makes you happier than spending it on yourself. This was discovered in a recent study carried out by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

Over the years many GiveIndia donors have written to us saying they feel "content", "a sense of peace", or "satisfied" after making a donation. So perhaps in our hectic and stressful lifestyles, we should all think of doing some philanthropy therapy to get into a positive state of mind :-)

Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop stores, a few months before her recent death said she was having a "joyful" time giving away around 3 million Pounds every year to human rights, social and environmental groups.

We all may not have that much to give away but we can still have a good time giving what we can.

Why don't you tell us about a time that you gave and felt good?

People who inspire us | part 1

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:13:00 +0000

At GiveIndia, we're all big fans of logic -- we think things through, we weigh options, we look at pros and cons. And that is why we are inspired by Bill and Melinda Gates. When talking about issues like poverty and disease, Bill Gates' logic is so clear; his reasoning is so compelling. Here's an excerpt from his phenomenal speech given to the 2007 graduating class of Harvard University.

"You graduates came to Harvard at a different time. You know more about the world’s inequities than the classes that came before. In your years here, I hope you’ve had a chance to think about how—in this age of accelerating technology—we can finally take on these inequities, and we can solve them.

Imagine, just for the sake of discussion, that you had a few hours a week and a few dollars a month to donate to a cause—and you wanted to spend that time and money where it would have the greatest impact in saving and improving lives. Where would you spend it?

For Melinda and for me, the challenge is the same: how can we do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we have.

During our discussions on this question, Melinda and I read an article about the millions of children who were dying every year in poor countries from diseases that we had long ago made harmless in this country. Measles, malaria, pneumonia, hepatitis B, yellow fever. One disease I had never even heard of, rotavirus, was killing half a million kids each year—none of them in the United States.

We were shocked. We had just assumed that if millions of children were dying and they could be saved, the world would make it a priority to discover and deliver the medicines to save them. But it did not. For under a dollar, there were interventions that could save lives that just weren’t being delivered.

If you believe that every life has equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not. We said to ourselves: “This can’t be true. But if it is true, it deserves to be the priority of our giving.”

So we began our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We asked: “How could the world let these children die?”

The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.

But you and I have both.

We can make market forces work better for the poor if we can develop a more creative capitalism—if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a living, serving people who are suffering from the worst inequities. We also can press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes.

If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world."

Bill Gates, June 7, 2007
Harvard Commencement

How GiveIndia selects NGOs

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:20:00 +0000

In all our GiveIndia communication, you'll read "carefully screened NGOs" or "NGOs chosen after due diligence was done". But that doesn't really tell you what filters we apply while screening or what we look for while undertaking the due diligence.

We think it's really important that our donors know what the selection criteria are:

1. Organisations must be registered non-profits that implement social development projects in India, with no political affiliations.

2. At least 50% of the beneficiaries must be economically underprivileged.

3. The organisation should meet the Credibility Alliance's norms or be willing to meet them within six months of listing on our site.

4. The organisation should be willing to provide prompt feedback for donations made through the GiveIndia site.

The Credibility Alliance, mentioned in point 3, is a consortium of voluntary organisations and networks, which has come together to enhance good governance in the voluntary sector. The Alliance's norms ensure that the organisations that fulfill them are credible.

So what are the benefits of having one standard for credibility for NGOs?

Well, for donors who are short on time, it saves them the effort of doing their own diligence of different organisations. In any case, most lay persons would find it difficult to know what to look for while doing this diligence. Instead, they have the comfort of knowing that the screening has been done for them.

A NGO also benefits because by having this stamp of credibility they are able to attract more donors who already trust them and have a high level of comfort while making donations.

Do you know any NGOs who are interested in raising funds through the GiveIndia website and who could meet these norms? Post a comment and someone from our listing team will be in touch.

A zillion stars

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:14:00 +0000

One of our volunteers Aarti, who is based in Chennai, sent this to GiveIndia at 8:30pm last night from a remote village in the Himalayas where she was staying in a NGO's guesthouse. We loved it and thought we should share it with you:

"I just stepped out and am awestruck by the numbers of stars in the sky and a brilliant moon. The sky is covered with hardly an inch of space left. And I am feeling totally small and insignificant (but in a nice, overawed way). I have been chatting to a village boy here -- he's all of 14; he goes to school, helps his mum run a chai shop after he's back, does part time in this NGO helping when guests arrive, tends to cattle, goes for tuitions -- and he's still as chirpy and enthusiastic as can be at this hour. You know what struck me most about him is that he wants to stay here and make sure that the lives of people around improve... totally cool, don't you think? He doesn't want to move from here but wants to bring the outside world in. I hate to sound cliched but I feel like one of those stars from the sky just dropped on to Gupt Kashi. There is hope."

Charity begins at home

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:09:00 +0000

Last week, GiveIndia got a note from a donor who was inspired to give by his young daughter; this week we heard from a woman who was inspired by her late father. Nageswari YSVS wrote:

"Charity begins at home. My father had always assisted needy people throughout his life. After his demise when we were clearing up his official papers we found a list of records that had details of his support/contributions to various causes. He had never disclosed any of this to anyone, including his family members.

So, I have decided to follow in his steps since he was my source of inspiration and he initiated me into doing what I can for a good cause."

There are some homes where giving is just part of the the family culture and the desire to help those in need is passed down from generation to generation. This is something each one of us should consider building into our own families; the amounts don't have to be big. The point is to show our children that each one of us has to do our little bit.

How to buy the perfect gift

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:42:00 +0000

So so so often we're at a loss for what to gift a friend or family member. Either you know the person so well that you know they have everything they want or need OR you don't know the person well at all and therefore have no idea what they want. It's a time consuming and costly problem, going from shop to shop thinking what, WHAT should I get.

Well, lots of donors on the GiveIndia site have found the perfect solution, which is Gift a donation! Yes! It's simple, easy and lots of options in one central location to choose from. It's a busy person's dream come true (and who isn't busy??); a few clicks of the mouse, a secure online transaction and you've put a smile on your friend's face and changed a life.

The person on whose behalf you've got the donation, automatically gets a mail from GiveIndia letting them know about your generosity. And even better - in a few months both of you will get a feedback report on how exactly your donation helped.

So no more gifting confusion and last minute malls runs from now on.

India's new economy creates thousands of givers

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:17:00 +0000

The Payroll Giving programme at GiveIndia now has close to 25,000 people participating in it. The fact that India has become the world's back office has a big role to play in the growth of our programme. Successful Business Process Outsourcing companies (BPOs) employ thousands of eager youth in cities across India.

GiveIndia works with some of the giants of the industry like Genpact, WNS and Firstsource. The young and dynamic workforces of these companies know that they are very fortunate to be part of this BPO boom and we feel that this sense of gratitude is what motivates them to give back and contribute a small part of their salary to a good cause.

Aside from BPOs, we think that retail and hospitality are two other areas where the Payroll Giving programme has great potential. So far GiveIndia has not hooked any of the big players but we think it's just a matter of time before we get our first break in these sectors.

Long lasting volunteers

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:56:00 +0000

At GiveIndia, we've been incredibly lucky to have found and kept some outstanding volunteers. Several have been with us for more than five years!

Why do people volunteer with GiveIndia? In their own words....

Pawan says "Why am I supporting GiveIndia? Because it makes giving easy and transparent. When I moved out of India, I began looking for a way to give India back. I began to search for mechanisms to give to causes that I felt for and soon realised that such mechanisms were not easy to come by. That is when I came across GiveIndia and began volunteering with them so that other friends might also be able to use the quick and efficient way of giving that GiveIndia is all about."

Aarti says "I volunteer for GiveIndia because it has given me the opportunity to develop new skills, use the capacities I have effectively and has provided me with an environment that is challenging. It's a place where volunteer contributions are valued VERY highly and this is why, five years later, I am still part of the GiveIndia family."

Rs 20 a day

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:06:00 +0000

It's a fact that's incredibly hard to digest but close to 80% of all Indians survive on Rs 20 everyday.
Rs 20 = a small amount in our urban lives.
Rs 20 = a short auto ride.
Rs 20 = a large papaya.
Rs 20 = a tube of toothpaste.

Just for a minute, try and imagine that your family has a monthly income of Rs 600. What would you spend on food? How would you pay your child's school fees and buy their school supplies? And how would you deal with a medical emergency?

Now that's a true reality check! Be aware of all you have because most people in our country have virtually nothing.

Cost saving always on our mind

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:17:00 +0000

At GiveIndia, our entire team works really hard to think of ways to stretch each rupee. A few months ago our Core Group decided we should have weekly conference calls to update each other on progress on our goals and to discuss any stumbling blocks as a group.

While the calls were very helpful, we were all a little surprised when we got the phone bill for the calls. They were much more expensive than we had thought they would be and we began debating whether we should continue with them.

Then on Sunday morning, good news! Our star volunteer Pawan emailed us that he had found a website that lets you concall for free for up to ten participants! Even though it was a Sunday many of us were checking mail. We went to the site and activated our accounts and even managed to do a trial call with six out of nine members of the group on the call....all before noon.

Now, free concalling at our fingertips!

A child reaches out

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Our team is always getting short notes from donors who write in when they receive their feedback. Mr. Harsha Reddy, a software engineer in the US, just wrote to us:

"I was very happy to receive the feedback to my donation. It made me want to extend my commitment. In fact, the idea of sponsoring a child's education was my ten year old daughter's idea. She wants all children to go to school and enjoy their childhood like she does.

She even told her mother that she would cut down her visits to Pizza Hut and help out with household chores if she could send that money through GiveIndia to children in need."

It's really nice to hear of youngsters who are thinking of and helping those with less.

noreply@blogger.com (GiveIndia) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:50:00 +0000

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