The official GuideStar India blog

Welcome, NGOs and all those interested in NGOs in India!

If you are running an NGO or working for one, you will find opportunities and resources for your organisation.

If you or your organisation want to direct your time, money, products or services to NGOs that can can make the most effective and efficient use of your donations or grants, you will find this blog and http://www.guidestarindia.org/ useful to announce your offer to NGOs.

You will also get to read about statistics and issues concerning transparency & accountability of the Indian voluntary sector.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Want to honour an individual dedicated to Gandhian work & ideals?

The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation is inviting nominations for the Jamnalal Bajaj Awards 2012. 

Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation set up in 1977 and chaired by Mr. Rahul Bajaj has instituted four Awards which are given annually. The objective of these Awards is to recognize and suitably reward and honour the efforts of men and women who have dedicated their life to constructive Gandhian  work and ideals which Shri Jamnalal Bajaj, a close associate of Gandhiji, had cherished all his life.

· There are three National Awards and one International viz.
  1. National: Outstanding Contribution in the field of Constructive Work in Rural India.
  2. National: Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development.
  3. National: Development and Welfare of Women and Children (instituted in the memory of Padma Vibhushan Smt. Jankidevi Bajaj, wife of Shri Jamnalal Bajaj) 
  4. International: International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India (presented to an individual holding a foreign passport and nationality).   
· Nominations to be furnished in the required format in English or Hindi. Formats can be obtained from the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation.
· Self nominations will not be considered.
· Last dates for sending nominations are 15th February, 2012 for National Awards and 31st March, 2012 for the International Award.
·  For  further information, please fell free to send a mail on jbfoundation.mumbai@gmail.com; info@jamnalalbajajfoundation.org or call 91-22-22023626 Ext 303/306/308.  

Sunday, December 25, 2011

New portal to promote US Giving to Indian NGOs

GuideStar India and the U.S. Department of State held a “Philanthropy in India Roundtable” on December 21 in Mumbai. Over 40 leaders from the Indian philanthropy sector discussed the creation of a new online portal that will assist private donors seeking to support Indian NGOs.
Mitul Desai, U.S. State Department Senior Advisor 
to South and Central Asia Assistant Secretary Robert O. Blake, 
Opening the Philanthropy in India Roundtable on December 21, 2011


GuideStar India is an existing portal of fully searchable information on over 1400 registered NGOs in India, and will serve as the platform for the new portal which is designed to connect private U.S. donors with Indian NGOs and organizations. The group agreed that such a portal should also help address two critical needs:
(1) empowering and educating donors by introducing more information and transparency into the sector; and (2) strengthening capacity-building amongst Indian NGOs.

Consul General Peter Haas and others listening to 
GuideStar India CEO, Pushpa Aman Singh speaking at the Roundtable


The new portal will aggregate NGO certifications provided by independent third parties and present the information in a format easily searchable and accessible by potential donors. Neither GuideStar nor the U.S. Government will rate or certify NGOs. The portal will empower donors and allow them to make better informed decisions. Indian NGOs, intermediaries, facilitators, foundations and other organizations and individuals involved in philanthropy in India will benefit through enhanced visibility.


The roundtable participants provided input on the design of the portal to GuideStar representatives. The diverse group of leaders gathered at the roundtable reflected the shared desire of the private sector, civil society and the U.S. State Department to explore new and creative ways to support Indian NGOs.

Friday, December 9, 2011

NGO India 2012 - event to connect with 5000+ visitors

Register for the workshop in Mumbai (Dec 15)/ Delhi (Dec 19)/ Chennai (Jan10).

NGO India 2012 (www.india-ngo.org)  is a not-for-profit large scale exhibition and conference designed to bring together NGOs in India to share learning and best practices and engage with key stakeholders including local and international corporates, foundations, government and the general public. NGO India 2012, is being organised by UBM India, a global business media company that does over 50 exhibitions and conferences every year in India.

NGO India 2012 aims to:
  • Raise awareness of NGOs and their work
  • Create opportunities to showcase the good work of NGOs among the public, to facilitate volunteering, fundraising and other positive action
  • Facilitate NGOs of different sizes serving varied communities to network with each other
  • Connect NGOs with experts in good governance, PR & communications and fundraising
  • Provide a platform that will allow NGOs to engage with government and corporate stakeholders
Why you should exhibit at NGO India 2012

Exhibiting at NGO India is FREE to all NGOs & Foundations that meet UBM India’s eligibility criteria which will be verified by GuideStar India. At this 3 day event, 150-200 NGOs would be showcasing their work to over 4000 visitors from corporates, grant makers & NGOs and 5000 visitors from the general public. There would be conferences on good governance, fundraising, PR & communications free of cost for NGOs to connect with experts in these areas.

Why you should register for the workshop

UBM India and GuideStar India are organising workshops for NGOs and Foundations across India. The workshops will be done in a mix of English, Hindi and Tamil (in Chennai).

The workshop will provide detailed information about the 3 day event NGO India 2012 to be held in Gurgaon from March 16-18, 2012. Registration is FREE.

Representatives from UBM India’s Operations & Marketing teams would conduct sessions on how to build up your stall and what kind of promotion & branding can be done within the stall so as to showcase your activities in the best possible manner. They will screen videos of similar events conducted by UBM for the NGO community in the UK & Brazil.

GuideStar India will explain the due diligence criteria and process for NGOs to qualify for participation in NGO India 2012.
<>
<>
Where
When
 Venue
Mumbai
Thursday, Dec 15, 2011
Hotel Kohinoor Corner,
Kohinoor Hall 3rd floor,
Opp. Siddhivinayak Mandir,
Veer Savarkar Marg, Prabhadevi,
Mumbai - 400 025.
Tel: 022-24226743 / 24372441 / 24361282
Delhi
Monday, Dec 19, 2011
India International Centre,
Annexe Building (please note that this is not the main IIC building),
Next to World Bank
Lecture Hall II,
40, Lodi Road, Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi – 110 003
Phone : 011-24619431
Chennai
Tuesday, Jan 10, 2012
Will be declared in due course

Who should register for the workshop

Heads of Organisations, Heads of Fundraising/ Programmes/ Communications from NGOs & Foundations. A maximum of ONLY two participants per organisation

How to register for the Workshop

To register for the workshop, please fill the form at http://guidestarindia.org/NGOIndia2012.aspx   If you face any difficulty, please call Sangeeta at GuideStar India on 022-26856900/99.

How will you know if your Participation is Confirmed

You will receive a mail from GuideStar India within 2 days of receiving your registration form. If you do not receive a mail, please feel free to call Mercina at GuideStar India to verify your confirmation status. Confirmation is on first come first served basis. If you have any questions regarding participation, please write to info@guidestarindia.org.

If you would like to know more about NGO India 2012, please visit www.india-ngo.org or contact Harsha Advani on 022-66122630.

Please register for the workshop at http://guidestarindia.org/NGOIndia2012.aspx and await email confirmation of your registration.
 
If you would like to hear of more such opportunities, please complete your free registration with GuideStar India at http://www.guidestarindia.org/Registerorg.aspx.