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.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

How to use your Annual Report effectively for fundraising & Legal Compliance

Workshop for NGOs of Gujarat to learn how to create an Annual Report that serves as a powerful fundraising tool and to understand legal compliance issues, especially about changes in the recent Finance Bill. Sign up for the workshop on 7th August in Ahmedabad.

GuideStar India and Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP) are delighted to organise, in association with Blind Peoples’ Association, a one-day workshop on the important topics of:
How to use your Annual Report effectively for fundraising
&
Legal Compliances

About the workshop
Your annual report is a powerful tool to communicate, in your voice, the story of your non-profit organization's activities and accomplishments during the past year. An insightful annual report would help the reader understand the challenges faced by your organisation, your plans to accomplish your mission, and the support you require. A report on activities with summarised financial information and disclosures on compliances enhances your credibility and inspires confidence. Pushpa Aman Singh – Founder & CEO, Guidestar India will conduct a highly interactive session to help you think through the content of your Annual Report and prepare a concise template that is sure to provide users of your report, particularly donors, all the information they seek. She will explain the what, why and how of making your Annual Report a powerful fundraising tool. The session will include a step-by-step approach. Please bring you latest annual report and audited financial statements so that you can get answers to specific questions.

The legal requirements for NGOs in India are many under the Income Tax Act, FCRA and as per acts governing trusts, societies and nonprofit companies. Most donors look for organisations that are legally compliant and those that also disclose details of compliance with applicable laws of the land. Over the years, we have witnessed tighter requirements in the Income Tax Act. There are key changes impacting NGOs as introduced in the recent Finance Bill. Many NGOs are yet to fully comprehend and practice changes as per FCRA 2010. Mr Noshir Dadrawala, CEO of Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy will help you understand the implications for your NGO and the steps you need to take be legally compliant. He will explain in simple terms and use examples that will help you understand a complex subject. He will also address common questions.

Who should attend?
Chief Functionaries, Finance Heads, Fundraising & Communications Managers. We recommend that you nominate two persons (one from Programmes/ Fundraising/ Communications and one from Finance/ Accounts).

The workshop will be conducted in a mix of English, Hindi and Gujarati.

About the Speakers

Noshir Dadrawala:
Noshir H. Dadrawala has studied law and especially non-profit law and has been passionate about the philanthropy sector. Noshir has been the Chief Executive of the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP) right since its inception in 1986. In his capacity as CEO, Noshir is consulted for advice on matters such as the choice of set-up of non-profit organizations, integrated legal and fiscal compliance, tax exemptions and deductions, Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act (FCRA) and good governance best practices and the Legal Aspects of Corporate Social Support & CSR. He has been invited as a guest speaker at many international conferences. He has also conducted seminars and workshops for the grant making and development sector across the country and is avisiting faculty member at leading business schools.

Recently with the mandatory CSR, he has been a speaker at many forums about the implications of

Section 135 of the new Indian Companies Act 2013 . This includes the Deutsche Bank, CII – Pune, CII- Mumbai among others and Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy. Even before CSR became
mandatory corporates such as Thermax, forbes Marshall, Atlas Copco, Tata Motors, Titan, HDFC
among others have availed of his expertise while forming their CSR units or corporate foundations.
His international affiliations include serving on the board of the International Centre for Nonprofit
Law (ICNL) and serving as a member of the Asian Philanthropy Advisory Network (APAN).

Pushpa Aman Singh:
As the Founder, CEO of GuideStar India (2009), Pushpa set up GuideStar India to systematically organise information of India’s vast and complex voluntary sector in a globally trusted and user-friendly fashion. She draws on her vast experience in the financial services industry to make the portal easy for NGOs to self-report and add great value for users through verification and due-  diligence.  Pushpa’s approach to NGOs and the philanthropic community is influenced by her long association with GiveIndia. She loves to create reporting tools and frameworks that capture verifiable facts and inspiring stories. She has been successful in establishing linkages across networks and sectors to build the philanthropy eco-system in India.

Pushpa has conducted numerous workshops for NGOs and corporates, and, is a popular speaker about the Indian NGO Sector. Pushpa is a member of the Learning Series Committee of the CredibilityAlliance and is on the Partnership Advisory Group of TechSoup Global. She is also a member of CII’s Industry-Civil Society Interface Committee and the Pro-bono Task Force of India@75.

Details of the Workshop:
Day & Date: Thursday 7th August, 2014
Time:  The registrations will start at 9.30 am and the workshop will end at 5.30 pm.
Food and refreshments: Mid morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be served
Venue: - Blind People's Association, Porecha Auditorium, Arvind Narottam Lalbhai Research Centre (Building No.8), BPA Campus, Jagdish Patel Chowk, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380015.

FEES:
For all those registered with CAP/ GuideStar India/ BPA partner
For all NOT registered with CAP/ GuideStar India/ BPA partner
Rs. 1000 per participant
Rs. 1200 per participant

Registration Procedure
To register for the workshop, please fill the short online form at http://www.guidestarindia.org/workshop_registration.aspx

Payment Details:
FOR SECURITY PURPOSES & OTHER REASONS ALL PAYMENTS NEED TO BE MADE IN ADVANCE.
NO CASH/CHEQUES WILL BE COLLECTED ON THE WORKSHOP DAY.

Payment Option:
Cheque / DD payable in Mumbai in the name of - Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy
Send your payment ONLY to:
GuideStar India, 712 A wing, Corporate Avenue, Sonawala Road, Goregaon (E), Mumbai-400063, Tel +91-22-26856900/99. Write on the cover “ Ahmedabad Workshop”.  Please do not address your courier to any specific individual as some courier companies and postal authorities do not deliver.
Please send a mail to info@guidestarindia org once you courier your cheque.

Confirmation Message:
Once the payment is received, you will receive a confirmation mail from GuideStar India within 2 working days. If you do not hear from us, please send a mail to info@guidestarindia.org 

About the Organizations

Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP)
Since its founding in 1986, the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP) has helped philanthropic organisations comply with the complex web of legal issues governing charitable giving in India. CAP specialises in all legal matters concerning the Trusts/Societies Act, Income Tax Act, Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA), and a host of allied laws and good governance and management practices.
GuideStar India
www.guidestarindia.org is a globally trusted, fully searchable portal of reliable and comparable information of over 4500 NGOs. Its powerful search engine allows individuals, corporate, government and other institutions to access repository of NGO information within minutes. As outreach and due diligence partners for several institutions and corporates, GuideStar India connects NGOs to several opportunities for fundraising, capacity building, recognition, volunteering and donations. GuideStar India educates and equips NGOs to embrace best practices in transparency and public accountability for greater social impact.

Blind People's Association
Blind People's Association is a professional organization which believes in providing equal opportunities to all categories of people with disabilities. Consistent with the philosophy, it works for providing education, employment opportunities, equal rights and quality life for them. Since 1984, BPA has continuously strived to provide employment opportunities to people with disability. During the last five years, it has been successful in providing employment to as many as 1500 people with Usability who are presently employed in public as well as private sectors and are capable of handling important assignments in banks, railways, hospitals, restaurants, etc

For details/clarifications:  Please write an email to   info@guidestarindia.org.  You may also call and speak with Lathika/ Geeta at 022 26856900/98/99.


If you know other NGOs who could benefit from this opportunity, please forward this mail and encourage them to apply

Friday, July 4, 2014

How to raise friends & funds for your cause thru the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon? Sign up for the NGO Meet in Delhi on 17 July


It is our pleasure to invite you, on behalf of India Cares, to a meeting on 17 July in Delhi, which will cover mechanisms of communicating your cause and fundraising using the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) as a platform. India Cares has taken on the mantle as Charity Partner of ADHM.



About the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM): Promoted by Procam International, the Event sees over 30,000 participants join in the various race categories. Some of the fastest half marathoners on this planet race at the ADHM. It is also believed to be the largest single fundraising opportunity for NGOs in north India. Since its inaugural year, Rs 22 crore has been raised by the participating organizations; last year, Rs. 4.15 crore was raised. At this 7th edition of the ADHM there will be many new features and opportunities to raise awareness and funds.

About India Cares: India Cares Foundation has joined hands with Procam International to take on the mantle as ADHM’s new official Charity Partner. India Cares is the new expanded avatar of Bangalore Cares. Bangalore Cares has been the Charity Partner of the TCS World 10K Bangalore since its inception. This event which is also promoted by Procam International, is organised to the same international standards as the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. India Cares will very soon open an office in Delhi, from which it will support NGOs, in the first instance through the ADHM. The India Cares team has announced that after the event it will develop its programme of year round support to NGOs especially in resource mobilisation from individuals and companies, and through increasing accountability. GuideStar India provides NGO outreach support to India Cares.

We have worked with the people behind India Cares, Murray Culshaw is Chairperson; Meena Dave is CEO.  NGOs find their team to be very encouraging and supportive. 
                         
About the 17 July programme: There will two meetings to share information and fundraising ideas. Each organisation should attend any one that is appropriate to you.

1)     From 10.30 am to 12.30 pm for NGOs who have participated in the ADHM in the past three years  you will learn of the new ideas being introduced to help you do better.
OR
2)     From 2.30 to 4.30 pm for NGOs who have not previously participated in ADHM, but are wondering whether or not to. You will learn how to make the best use of the platform.

What are the benefits for the participant/ your organization: The ADHM can play an important part in an NGO’s annual fundraising strategy. For ‘small’ and ‘medium’ size NGOs very important funds can be raised by reaching out to friends, well-wishers and donors; for larger NGOs it is an opportunity to invite everyone you know to join in a great ‘fun’ event; and also to raise useful funds. For all NGOs it provides a platform to communicate the cause you passionately believe in.

Who can attend and are there costs?  Any registered NGO/ Non-Profit/ Society/ Trust/ Section 25 Company can attend. There are no charges to attend. We encourage all NGOs to send only two representatives.

The NGO Meetings on 17 July will be held at:

India International Centre - IIC
Annexe Building, Lecture Room II
40 Max Mueller Marg
Lodhi Road
New Delhi   110 003

Closing date for information on attendance: This is on first come first served basis. So, please fill the registration form at http://www.guidestarindia.org/workshop_registration.aspx indicating your readiness to participate in one or other of the 17 July ADHM-NGO Meet. The GuideStar India team will then send you a confirmation mail and keep you directly informed of details about the meeting. You need to show a copy of the confirmation mail to attend the meeting.
If you are not able to attend the meeting but are interested in participating in the ADHM please still email India Cares Foundation at: adhm2014@icfn.in
For details/ clarifications about ADHMDo mail to: adhm2014@icfn.in  or phone Meena: +91-97400-83121 or Cedric: +91-80954-96750

If you know of other NGOs who could benefit from this opportunity, please forward this mail and encourage them to attend.

Sign up for the meeting immediately at: http://www.guidestarindia.org/workshop_registration.aspx