Take for instance CRY’s Mumbai-based project, Right Exposure. This was an initiative where a group of amateur photographers came together to document children’s lives and their challenges. It allowed donors to keep track of the changes their time and money made.
Charity counselling
Are you one of those who want to give but cannot quite decide who to donate to? Maybe you have someone in mind but would like a quick credibility survey before giving? Or would like some help with channeling the funds or even tracking its usage? This counsel does not come free but many consider it a small price to pay for ensuring that your hard-earned money is well-spent. Organisations like CAF and Give India provide this service and take a small percentage of the donated money. They do not, however, charge the NGOs anything for the resource-building assistance.
Marketing professional N Bharadwaj has been scouting for a small, lesser known but sincere NGO to fund. But credibility issues have held her back. “We have been looking for worthy organisations for two years. We did not want to give to large organisations that are already well-funded. Credibility is a big issue because we are using only information that comes to us through word of mouth and the internet to make a decision. Frankly we gave it up because we were not sure about the credibility of whatever was being put on the table. There is a basic mistrust of NGOs and a rating agency would help,” she says.
Greater transparency
Most people who haven’t yet ventured into regular philanthropy will tell you that they are sceptical about the credentials of the NGOs, especially those that are not in the big league. This has severely limited the flow of charity from ordinary middle class givers. “We need to create a robust and transparent sector,” says Kaul.
In the School Choice Campaign, donors sponsor education vouchers for needy students. Traditionally poor children have no choice but to settle for government schools which are stretched for seats and resources. But now these vouchers allow them to aim at private schools and better quality of education. School Choice offers financial reports to donors indicating how their money is spent. In fact, most established NGOs now publish their accounts on their websites.“In this sector, we are not in the habit of offering clear accounts for public scrutiny. This works against us. But it is only fair that the donor would want to know,” says Baladevan Rangaraju, national director of the School Choice
Campaign.
Starting with schools
Helpage is currently collaborating with schools to introduce to children the concept of philanthropy early in life. Though schools encourage children to be generous, there is no systematic emphasis on the need to give a part of one’s wealth to the community.
“Where are the references to sharing in their books? The young, like the rest of society, are becoming increasingly individualistic,” says Pradeepta Naik of Sampradaan, which is trying to create community-driven philanthropy in backward pockets of the country.
From giving as a route to moksha to actively participating in the lives of beneficiaries, philanthropy has come a long way in India. Says Jasmine Wadhawan, a volunteer with Give India: “Of course, handsome amounts donated to causes are badly needed but what is also heartening is the thought behind a lot of contemporary giving. For instance, a gentleman in Kerala decided to ‘give back’ to the rickshaw driver who safely ferried his daughters to school for years.”
(With inputs from Kareena Gianani)
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