GuideStar India invites you
to participate in the GuideStar India
NGO Transparency Awards 2016 to get recognised for demonstrating
transparency of your organisation in the public domain. This is a one-time opportunity to get certified for free to receive
GuideStar India’s Transparency Key/ Transparency Badge/ Gold or Platinum Seal certifying
your organisation’s transparency, with validity till Dec 2016. There are
more than 1600 awards to be won through a simple and transparent process. You
get to know in advance through this mailer, the critieria for different levels,
you choose one level that best suits you and we verify the information you
share in an objective manner. There are no long reports to be written. Just a
simple form that takes about 10 minutes to fill, followed by updating your profile on www.guidestarindia.org along with
upload of key documents. It is like appearing for an exam where you know the
entire question paper in advance! All you need to do is respond correctly, diligently and swiftly! While March 24 is the last
date, awards will be given away to the fastest qualifiers on first come first
served basis! The first 35 winners have already been announced!
Why do we
need awards for Transparency
We believe that while there
are many awards to recognise NGOs for their programmes (for many of these
awards, we are partners), there is a need to have awards that illuminate
transparency and public accountability of several civil society organisations in
order to collectively enhance credibility of the sector, inspire greater trust
in their work and garner support for their cause from corporate, institutions
and the general public. In order to reach and motivate newer donor audiences,
volunteers and other types of supporters, NGOs need to embrace new tools and
methods towards significantly expanding their circle of trust.
NGO registration with
minimum information has enabled over 6000 NGOs to gain entry into www.guidestarindia.org to voluntarily demonstrate
their transparency. Our NGO certification programme is a rigorous verification
of in-depth information shared by NGOs in the public domain, creating a pool of
pre-vetted organisations. GuideStar
India NGO Transparency Awards combine the power of our registration and
certification programmes to help you create your online “safe-deposit locker”
of valuable information about your organisation which is “open” for public
view, thus unlocking your potential to garner support.
Eligibility: you
may please apply for these awards, only if:
a. Your organisation has a
currently valid registration as a Society/ Trust/ Sec 8 or Sec 25 company
b. Your organisation has its
IT PAN
c. Your organisation has a
12A registration under the Income Tax Act
d. Your organisation has filed
its Income Tax Return (ITR) for F.Y. 2014-15.
-Please note that your organisation is eligible to apply even if your
organisation does not have 80G, 35AC or FCRA. However, if you have these
registrations, you need to provide details as explained in “Criteria and requirement
of documents & information”.
-Organisations certified by GuideStar India in the
past are also eligible to apply.
PARTICIPATION IS FREE.
Criteria at a
glance for different levels
Level
|
Criteria
|
Number of Prizes for the fastest
qualifiers
|
Award
|
Foundation:
Transparency Key
|
ITPAN, Registration certificate, 12A, ITR FY
2014-15 & Address Proof, minimum disclosures on GSI
|
1000
|
e-Transparency
Key
|
Intermediate:
Transparency Badge
|
Criteria for Transparency Key +1 year old org,
MoA/ Deed, 1 yr Audited accounts, 10B, 80G/35AC (only if org has these
registrations), FC return (only if org has FCRA), medium level disclosures on
GSI
|
500
|
e-Transparency
Badge
|
Advanced:
Gold Seal
|
Criteria for Transparency Key & Badge + timely filing of IT Return, 2 yrs
Audited Accounts, 2 years 10B, Annual Report (if prepared), no material
qualifications in latest audit report, many disclosures incl. Board member
details on GSI + undertaking for shortlisted orgs
|
100
|
e-Gold
Seal, Certificate & Medal
Rs1,000
worth prizes for the first 50
|
Champion:
(open only to the first 100 finalists)
Platinum Seal
|
All of the above + AR disclosure template, donor
references
|
10
|
e-Platinum
Seal, Certificate & Trophy
Rs10,000
worth prizes for 10 winners
|
Steps:
1.
Read this mailer entirely,
understand the criteria and decide the level for which you would like to apply.
You may apply for ONLY ONE LEVEL. Each organisation can fill ONLY ONE FORM. In
the event of multiple forms being submitted, the first form will be considered,
irrespective of the level applied for and its completeness. You may directly apply for the
desired level and do not have to start at Foundation level as you may apply for
only one level for the awards. Participation
in the awards is FREE.
2.
Apply
for the awards in the online application form. You may
download the blank form in MS
Word, for your reference before you start filling the online application form.
3.
A. If your organisation is not yet registered on www.guidestarindia.org: After
filling the awards application form, immediately send a mail to awards@guidestarindia.org attaching
your Society/ Trust/ Section 25 or Sec 8 Company registration certificate. GuideStar India team will verify your
details and if approved for GuideStar India registration, will email your login
credentials for your online profile. Then you may proceed further with step 4
which needs to be completed within 2 working days of receiving the login
credentials.
B.
If your organisation has a GuideStar
Number (GSN) at the time of applying for the awards: Simply proceed to step 4. You need to
complete step 4 within 2 working days of submitting the award application form.
4.
You need to login at www.guidestarindia.org
and update information and upload documents. Refer to the detailed criteria and
process one-pager applicable to the level you have chosen to apply:
Click
here: GuideStar India Transparency Key Foundation
Level/ GuideStar India Transparency Badge
Intermediate Level/ GuideStar India Gold Seal Advanced Level
In
case you fill the form incorrectly, your application will be disqualified even
if you update the required information on www.guidestarindia.org.
5.
If your organisation is
shortlisted for Intermediate/ Advanced
levels or as a finalist for Champion level, you will be asked to provide in
a short period, a signed undertaking, additional information and documents.
6.
Please read the terms and conditions
governing the awards before you apply. Submission of the online form implies
you have accepted the terms and conditions.
Benefits of
participating in GuideStar India NGO Transparency Awards
·
These awards are designed on the lines of
applications for online grants and registration on giving portals. The process
equips you to respond swiftly and meet requirements of online fundraising and
volunteering portals.
·
As you complete the
process of updating the required information and uploading the required
documents on your profile at www.guidestarindia.org, your online profile gets richer, more organised and becomes available
to those among the 3000 monthly visitors to our portal who may search for NGOs
of their preferred cause/ location/ other criteria, for taking informed
decisions about your organisation.
• If your organisation qualifies and wins any of the 1610 awards, you may
use the Transaparency Key/ Badge/ Gold or Platinum Seal that is awarded to you
right till Dec 2016. You may use the
e-certificate in your grant appeals/ proposals, on your website, mailers and
other communication & marketing material.
• If your organisation qualifies and wins any of the 1610 awards, depending
on the level, you would pre-qualify for participation in crowdfunding portals,
online payment gateways, become eligible to apply for substantial scholarship
to the Post
Graduate Programme in Development Management of SPJIMR, etc. Organisations such as Dasra,
Probono
Unplugged, SmallChange
and Danamojo.org use GuideStar India Certification to determine eligibility to
participate in their programmes. Our certified NGOs such as Freedom
for You Foundation, Samerth
Charitable Trust, Blue
Cross of India and PANI have shared stories of how GuideStar India certification helped them to
raise funds from institutional funders & corporate and was helpful to
resolve registration issues with government departments.
• By storing and displaying your information on India’s most reliable
repository on NGO information, you enhance your transparency, improve your
online presence and the prospect of being found by numerous netizens seeking
information on NGOs.
• An updated and more complete profile on www.guidestarindia.org would save time in responding to donors and in filing statutory returns.
• Winning organisations would get featured on GuideStar India’s list of
awardees which would be shared with philanthropic intermediaries, donor
institutions and government organisations.
Last Date:
While March 24 is the last
date, awards will be given away to the fastest qualifiers on first come first
served basis! For more details, visit: http://www.guidestarindia.org/NGOTransparencyAwards.aspx
Come, participate in this initiative to collectively
enhance the credibility of NGOs in India. Begin the journey at the level that
best suits you.
There are plenty of awards to be Won! So do share this
post with your other NGO friends and network members!
