Category Archives: india
An Information Age Enabler of Philanthropy in India
The NGO Culture
NGO or Non Governmental Organizations refer to non-profit organizations in India and many countries around the world. In India, there is a veritable profusion of NGOs across a vast spectrum, and in all states. One number (that I have been unable to verify through any official government body) is that there are some 2 million NGOs that dot the country. With this many, you can be sure that their variety is immense.
Temples, churches, mosques and other religious affiliated organizations would be considered NGOs. Most of the others focus on social or charitable work in areas such as education, environment, poverty, children, women and so on. Their scope varies – they maybe community-based, village or township oriented, city, state or country wide.
Village Children Standing in Line to Receive School Supplies
I have heard and read about NGOs that number anywhere from 55000 to 80000 in Mumbai alone! Call me cynical if you want, but with those kinds of numbers, I can guarantee you that there are several NGOs in India (not just Mumbai) that are bogus – either operating as fronts for some other activity or in existence purely for receiving government subsidies (probably owned by a distant relative of a politician responsible for said subsidy).
On the other hand, the good thing about the numbers is that no matter what area you wish to contribute to as a volunteer or financial supporter, an outlet is bound to exist for you. With the disparity between the haves and have-nots in India being so enormous, stark and visible, I believe that its natural for the more fortunate people here to want to contribute in some way to those less fortunate. But, it’s also really important that you either research the NGO in question carefully or use friends and family to provide validated referrals.
Give India!
In this electronic and information age, I found an extremely creative and productive use of technology at GiveIndia. They are not so much an NGO themselves, as much as they are an enabler of philanthropy. In operation now for a decade or so, they have a website that allows you to pick from about 270 carefully vetted NGOs to donate (online) to. Last year, they raised about $5 million which I would say is no small feat.
GiveIndia obviously provides a platform, no matter where in the world you are. I’m just not sure how widespread the knowledge of their existence is. In their own words – GiveIndia has, in the last few years, attempted to meet the “unmet gaps” of institutions needed to constitute the nonprofit “philanthropy marketplace”.
These important attributes constitute the value that GiveIndia provides-
- 90% of your donation goes directly to the NGO you have chosen (minimal overhead).
- Their vetting of NGOs is serious business and is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process, and it’s very thorough.
- You get feedback on your donation, where it went and who it helped.
- It’s super easy to donate online!
- You get to choose the NGO you want to donate to – and they provide easily accessible information for you to make this choice. For example, here’s the information for a random one I picked. You can check out its profile, financials, governance, stories of hope, etc.
There’s More
GiveIndia is run by professionals with no religious or political affiliation. The site is truly outstanding – in depth and breadth. There is an easy to use search feature (and an advanced search) where I can choose among organizations that meet certain criteria. For example, as follows:
BTW, Do You Really Need All Those Gifts?
Another interesting feature of the site is what they call iGive. This is ideal for anyone who wants to create a personal page of an NGO of their choice that they can send to their social network.
For example, say you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or important occasion (even a wedding in the family). Instead of that extra fine china setting that you will maybe use once in your entire lifetime, you can think of putting that money to much better use. In lieu of receiving personal gifts, point your family and friends to your personal iGive page. Neat!
But, the best part, really, are the stories of hope that are provided for each NGO. These are real stories of real people who have benefited from donations. You know exactly how your contribution is helping someone in need.
You Don’t Have to be Bill Gates
Yes, I spoke about Bill Gates and all his insanely massive philanthropic works. But, everyone cannot be a Bill Gates. Nor does one have to be, in order to do their part to help.
There’s even an easy monthly giving program which you can join to automatically donate as little as $2.50 every month using your credit card or bank account. This accumulates in your online GiveIndia account and you can then donate this amount as you wish, when you wish. Plus, if you are donor from the US, you can get a tax deductible donation simply by registering as a US taxpayer and donating via GIVE Foundation Inc.
With a site like GiveIndia, there’s truly no reason nor excuse to keep you (the fortunate one) from doing your part for those less blessed. Epiphany! It’s actually like the democratizing of giving.
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Think about it: we are all so caught up in our very own whirlwind of life. All the time. Aren’t we?
So, stop right there.
Now, take a deep breath.
And, go spend no more than 10 minutes checking out GiveIndia. (Then, tell a friend).
Here’s my personal guarantee: It will do your heart good!
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The Fine Print:
1. I have no affiliation whatsoever with GiveIndia nor any of the NGOs it lists; I discovered them in one of my random wanderings on the internet.
2. There may be other such admirable organizations. If so, I don’t know of them (yet). Just give me some time here to find them and I will update this post or write another one…
3. All images except one (see below) are of and from the GiveIndia website. I rationalized their use by providing links back to their site. All for a good, scratch that, great cause!
Village Children Photograph By Vipingoyal (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
A Movement Like This Just Does Not Happen Everyday
Remembering
A day after the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, I feel lucky to just happen to be in India during an opportune time, while a massive people’s movement was ignited across the country, led by Anna Hazare and his team.
It makes me wonder if even they imagined that it would resonate so broadly and engage such mammoth public support. These kinds of movements just don’t happen everyday!
So, to be here, on the ground watching as it unfolded, not knowing which path it would take, and yet rooting for one side to win – well, like I said, I feel lucky. It just would not have been the same watching from afar – in the US – and trying to observe and relate to what was happening here. Even with access to Indian TV channels and the internet, the experience simply would have been aloof and just different.
Witnessing
Here I could talk to people – in the office, on the street, while shopping, to the domestic workers, my driver and others; it’s been amazing to see how engaged they were!
I still regret not braving the rain and traffic to get to the big march from Bandra to Juhu on August 21st to feel the energy of the thousands who were there (I have heard reports of everything from over 50,000 to 150,000 people marching that afternoon). Despite the numbers, it was a peaceful march, uniting people from all walks of life.
Even as a mere witness, it was great to be here and somehow, unknowingly become a part of what was happening – an awakening of sorts in India that stirred up strong emotions, opinions and passions.
What I would have missed
These were some of the interesting things that I saw along the way-
1. It was a movement that brought together massive numbers of people of every caste, creed, religion and income level for a common cause.
2. It also saw cohesion develop among various generations – from the young to the middle-aged to old and very old.
3. It cut across state and language boundaries.
4. It provided a bird’s eye view of people feeling empowered and that they could, in fact, be the change that they seek.
5. Another perspective provided to people was an idea of what true freedom felt like, and what it meant to be a democratic society.
6. There have been questions as to whether Gandhi is relevant anymore in modern India. This journey answered that question rather well. This was an amazingly peaceful demonstration of will and strength.
7. Because of the crisis situation that needed to be dealt with, it forced political parties to set aside differences and work together to ensure that Anna end his fast.
8. And for those of us who were not out marching on the streets, the media took great pains and care of transferring some part of that passion and sentiment to our homes.
With More to Come
All I hope is that the interim results accomplished were not just a passing phase. This is exactly how one cynic I met described it to me. More specifically he also said to me, “you really don’t understand India”. (That’s certainly a true statement!). He then went on to describe other movements – all temporary and accomplishing nothing in the long run.
True, in a couple of months, this is not headline making news anymore. But, I simply don’t buy that argument, because others in India have told me the opposite – that they have rarely seen something of this scale, something that did work to change how events unfolded and what results were accomplished. Sure, about all we can do at this point is watch and wait for the rest of the Jan Lokpal journey to occur. But far better to be vigilant. And to participate. Lest promises made are “forgotten” by the powers that be.
Team Anna is continuing to work relentlessly in the background and has not gone away anywhere. The government knows this and they will think long and hard before making any decisions towards another toothless Lokpal bill. That, in itself, is a victory. With more to come (says the optimistic expat).
Note: All photos, images and cartoons are courtesy of the India Against Corruption facebook page – a place where you can participate in the cause.
The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere 