NGOs in India face a myriad of challenges in securing funding to support their vital work. Understanding the diverse funding sources available and implementing best practices is essential for their sustainability and impact on the country.
Let’s delve into the various funding avenues and strategies that NGOs can explore to effectively finance their initiatives and drive positive change in Indian society.
Continue reading “Funding Sources for NGOs in India: Exploring Options and Best Practices”Are you looking for a meaningful way to make a difference in the world? Donating to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) is a powerful way to give back and create a positive impact. Whether it’s supporting education, healthcare, environmental conservation, or social justice, NGOs play a crucial role in addressing pressing global issues. In this article, we’ll explore five compelling reasons why you should donate to an NGO today.
Firstly, your donation can directly contribute to improving the lives of others. Whether it’s providing food, clean water, or access to education, your generosity can make a tangible difference in someone’s life. Additionally, supporting NGOs promotes systemic change, as these organisations work towards long-term solutions to social and environmental problems.
Continue reading “Giving Back: 5 Reasons to Donate to an NGO Today”Are you familiar with the legislation of CSR in Mauritius? If so, you know that Mauritius companies must contribute 2% of their after-tax profits towards NGOs. While this is a commendable initiative for businesses to display social responsibility and do good within the local community, there is one significant misconception people make about this law – they think it’s just another way for companies to get out of taxes.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandates can burden some business operations if improperly executed. This blog post will dive deeper into the complexities of corporate CSR standards in Mauritius and how essential it is for today’s businesses to align with government regulations when engaging in socially responsible activities.
Continue reading “The #1 Thing People Get Wrong About CSR in Mauritius”“The ‘financial framework’ is the term for the policies, procedures, regulations and standing orders we use to make sure we’re taking proper care of public money.” – Powys County Council
Similar to a business, it is imperative to establish a robust financial framework for an NGO. A financial framework provides an organised system that guides and supports the financial operations and structure of the organisation. It includes internal financial control mechanisms to prevent financial mismanagement such as misuse or theft of funds and assets, non-compliance of an organisation or government policies and regulations, and inaccurate financial reporting. NGOs also face several problems, including inadequate resources, lack of capacity building, lack of performance measurement instruments, and inefficient management. Setting up a proper financial framework will help resolve some, if not all, of them.
Continue reading “The One Thing All Successful NGOs Have in Common: A Robust Financial Framework”Anne Frank once wrote, “No one has ever become poor by giving”. But to give, you need to have. Every organisation needs funding to operate. Like any organisation, NGOs need money to cover their costs- capital costs, operation costs, overhead costs, staff costs, etc. NGOs, in particular, depend primarily on grants and donations for survival.
What happens when the organisation runs out of money? Donations are made at random, and grants are often subjected to conditions. With a limited budget and uncertain cash inflow, NGOs often have to curtail their spending at the cost of quantity and quality of their work. Under these circumstances, NGOs find it difficult to plan for the long term and ensure the longevity of their humanitarian programmes. Preemptively, NGOs should develop a stable funding source and steadily achieve autonomy from donor funds and grants.
Continue reading “Tricks on How NGOs Can Survive Without Funding”The coronavirus pandemic has influenced worldwide activities and lifestyle, both positively and negatively. Therefore, organisations, including the non-profit sector, are influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this way, NGOs have to maintain their volunteers, donors, employees, and beneficiaries directly touched by the pandemic situation. The non-profit sector is facing different obstacles, and at the same time, benefitting from COVID-19. However, they must work and deal with the impacts and find solutions to reassure their community during this pandemic.
Continue reading “Proven Tips to Mastering Impact of COVID-19 on the Non-Profit Sector”World NGO Day was officially recognised by the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic Sea States on the 17th April 2010, Lithuania. It was proposed by a Member of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum’s Committee, Director of Civic Alliance-Latvia – Mrs Pipike. The member countries of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum were Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Norway and Sweden.
To mark the exceptional and highly valuable work that the NGOs are doing, YUVA warmly supports the initiative of establishing an international World NGO Day. The calendar day can also serve as an opportunity to aim towards more capable and strong NGO sector and to ensuring that there is also an enabling working environment for these organisations in every part of the world.
Continue reading “27 February: Celebrating World NGO Day in Mauritius”In its first session of the Central Committee meeting on 11 October 2015 at YUVA Head Office, YUVA has decided to adopt and implement the Personal Social Responsibility spirit in the organisation.
One of the key areas of interest of YUVA has always been how YUVANs as individuals and groups can improve Mauritius and the world. To YUVA, it is all about addressing how we live our lives and the impact we have on everything and everyone around us, both locally and globally.
The time has come when we cannot just rely on others – each one of us has to do our bit. Increasingly companies, or better said corporate social responsibility grants, are becoming more political and business-driven in Mauritius. It is now time for people to be more and more aware about their Personal Social Responsibility (PSR).
YUVA firmly believe that PSR is an idea whose time has come.
YUVA President Krishna Athal says, “As we marked the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (2 October) this month, bear in mind his oft repeated quote “Be the Change you wish to see in the world”. From the being, comes the doing and ultimately the having. So we now have the message “Do the change you wish to see in the world”. Taking this as the foundation of our though process, YUVA is pleased to announce the adoption of the Personal Social Responsibility spirit in its operation at all levels.”
PSR is all about doing to others what you would like others do to you. It is about recognising how your behaviour affects others, and holding yourself accountable for your actions.
Definition of Personal Social Responsibility
From his acclaimed book entitled “Personal Social Responsibility,” author Arvind Devalia defines this concept in terms of the golden rule as well as “recognising how your behaviour affects others, and holding yourself accountable for your actions.” He goes on to say that the key question we must ask ourselves if we are going to have personal social responsibility is whether or not our actions will improve the lives of others.
Pay It Forward
A key element of personal social responsibility is endeavouring to have a positive impact on other people and the environment. When individuals strive to make positive contributions, they are acting in a personally responsible way to society. By recognising that our every action and utterance impacts those around us, we become more conscious of our words and actions and therefore are more likely to act in a socially responsible way. For example, being kind to a stranger increases the likelihood that the stranger will be kind to someone else, creating a chain reaction of kindness whereby people are being treated well and paying it forward.
Personal Social Responsibility Overcomes Corporate Social Responsibility
YUVA has decided to not apply for any CSR grant in Mauritius. Instead, a new scheme is being put forward: every YUVAN or non-YUVAN who believes in the vision and work of YUVA would contribute an amount of Rs 50/- every month to the organisation. This would increase transparency since this money would be directly transferred from two bank accounts through standing order (banking), and also create a sense of belonging between the contributor and YUVA.
What happens, at the end of the day, is that every individual would opt for PSR rather than waiting for a company to contribute in bringing change in their life.
If you wish to be a contributor, click here.
