New Philanthropy Capital reports on giving in India
Howard Lake | 29 September 2009 | News
New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) has joined with Delhi-based Copal Partners to publish two reports on philanthropy in India. According to ‘Giving in India’ and ‘Starting strong’, donors giving in India are not making the most of their money and should adopt a more strategic approach.
The reports include advice for philanthropists on how to choose effective NGOs in India. Despite the growing philanthropy market in India, “few charities measure the impact of their work and donors do not consistently ask for the right information”, say NPC.
The reports are based on over a year’s research by the two organisations into the funding market and performance of local NGOs all over India. They interviewed over 150 NGOs, and found that only 3% were measuring their results “in a robust way”.
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This week sees a series of events encouraging philanthropy in India run by GiveIndia, a India-based organisation that promotes transparency and credibility among NGOs.
Abha Thorat-Shah, Director of the British Asian Trust, which works with British Asian philanthropists, said: “This report is a very good reflection of philanthropy in India. We encourage philanthropists from the South Asian community here in the UK to be more strategic in their giving.
“We are keen to inspire givers by showcasing the professionalism and drive of Indian NGOs. It’s really a question of getting our supporters to apply their business acumen to causes they are passionate about.”
One recommendation from the research is that donors wishing to make a big difference can do so by paying for central costs and lending their skills to build the capacity of NGOs, as well as investing in impact measurement.
‘Giving in India: A guide for funders and charities’ is edited by Simon Blake, Tara Chand, Nilanjana Dutta, Adrian Fradd, and Gaurav Gupta. The report can be download from NPC at no charge but registration is required.
www.philanthropycapital.org/research/research_reports/international/giving_in_india.aspx
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.