December 2000

mcas - Murray Culshaw Advisory Services functions from Bangalore serving the voluntary sector predominantly in India. We offer consultancy and training on fundraising and communication, undertake research on issues pertaining to the voluntary sector, publish books and maintain a highly reliable database of about 7,000 organisations in India. We are one of the promoters of Bangalore Cares – an initiative to help the voluntary sector in Karnataka and IndiaCares, an online one-to-one fundraising service through the web portal www.indiacares.org (to be launched soon).

Article
• Dealing with the 'begging syndrome'

Book excerpt
• Things to do before you get started - A Checklist

Upcoming events

• Workshop on Internet Advocacy for Civil Society
• Workshop on Fundraising Brochures and Appeals

Books on Sale

Check it out! Useful hyperlinks

You'll find mcas-e-news in your e-mail box once a month.
Questions? Comments? We hope you will join our fraternity and send your feed back to mcas@fundraising-India.org. If you don’t want this free newsletter please write ‘unsubscribe’ on the subject line and send back to us. If you are getting more than one copy, please let us know.

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One of the major mental blocks to local fundraising (expressed by many staff in voluntary organisations) is the reluctance to ask for money. It is easier to write a project proposal and ask the government or a grant-making agency to respond. Asking for money requires a very specific attitude of mind.

First, let us think of situations when we don't feel any inhibition.

• When there is a calamity, we immediately seek assistance.
• It doesn't matter if you ask a close friend of relative to help someone in need.
• It is much easier to ask when people in your locality know that you are fervently involved in a particular issue and are familiar with your selfless nature.
• A respected and influential person can mobilise money or other forms of support because the public knows that the person will not personally use or misuse the support
• When a volunteer or a college or school student seeks donations we are more ready to give than if a 'professional' fundraiser asks us for support. However:

Listen to Prasanna Srinivasan, currently Director of Business Environment Assessments (India) Pvt Ltd. New Delhi and formerly Head of Planning and Finance, Child Relief and You (CRY), who quoted his experience on the 'begging bowl syndrome' at the recent SAFRG Workshop.

"During the past year, the organisation that I am part of has worked with and interacted with several not-for-profit organisations. Many of these organisations comprise a small team of committed individuals who after a few years feel that need to raise their own resources to expand their activities. In every instance, without exception, at some point through the planning phase of a fund raising activity, some member would comment… "I guess we have to compromise on this, since we are going with the begging bowl…"

According to Srinivasan, an organisation that has not actively sought to raise funds is used to being in the 'giver' mould. When shifting to the fundraising or 'taker' mould, as individuals we often think that we are asking money from people for ourselves. It is important to realise that we are seeking support for the "cause", which is something we believe in.

This syndrome, says Srinivasan, is not unique to social sector organisations. Similar mind set constraints prevent the small and profitable business from taking the big leap forward - the owner of the business has never borrowed from the bank and does not like to be accountable to someone else.

As an organisation, through workshops, internal dialogue and indeed everything that you do, the idea must permeate everyone's mind that we are going to seek support for a worthy cause. The money we receive is one facet of the support that we receive, Srinivasan concludes.

Maj Gen RS Pannu (Retd) - Executive Director, Global Cancer Concern India, mentioned the following advice in his presentation in the same workshop: "There is nothing awkward, embarrassing or humiliating in asking money for a Cause. You are not doing it for yourself. You are only bringing to the notice of the donor the Need, which needs to be addressed for the sake of society, which he or she should as a good citizen, consider supporting. Therefore, there is no need whatsoever to be sheepish.

"Regrettably, however," he continues, "the oriental psyche generates inhibition largely because of our upbringing and the wide spreading institution of begging. The fundraiser must crack out of this mindset and get on with raising funds without reservations. He or she has a job to do."

Let's us all get out to do it!

Please send your comments on this topic to consult@fundraising-india.org - Editor

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• Investigate the legal situation: Are you allowed to fundraise? What permissions do you require?
• Refer to your constitution. Do you have the legal right to fundraise?
• Explore the tax situation. What reliefs are available to individual and company donors?
• Find out as much as possible about the cultural and religions background to fundraising in your country and amongst the communities you are working with.
• Find out what other voluntary organisations are doing and get copies of their promotional literature and annual reports.
• Find out what publications are available, including books on fundraising and directories of funding sources and practical 'how to' advice.
• Find out about business networks. Which networks will be useful to you and how they might help you.
• Find out about fundraisers' networks and what training is available
• Find out as much as you can about your organisation's past fundraising experience
• Discuss your organisation's fundraising needs.
• Find out who else in your organisation is interested in fundraising
• Explore what contacts your organisation has.
• List six successes and achievements of your organisation over the past two years - these are going to be vital as you prepare promotional and appeal materials
• Put together any press coverage on your organisation's work review your organisation's promotional literature
• Purchase a box file to use as a credibility file.

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For more information contact anitaguru@vsnl.com

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Our workshops are ‘hands-on’ enabling all participants to prepare concepts and dummies to take back to their organisation for subsequent printing. Cost Rs2,000 Seats restricted to 20 participants Last date of Application: 31 Jan 2001. For more details contact: training@fundraising-india.org

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Understanding Print Media for Advocacy - A User's Handbook
(The result of a research; also includes practical guidance on improving relations with the media.)
Published by Communication for Development and Learning, National Foundation for India
Price: Rs60 Pages: 32 Published: May 2000

Getting Started in Fundraising
(A practical primer for those wanting to make a start - all case-studies are drawn from experience in India.)
Published by Sage Publications, New Delhi.
Authors: Michael Norton and Murray Culshaw;
Price: Rs225 Pages: 158 Published: August 2000

Tel: 080-5352003 email mcas@fundraising-india.org

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http://www.bellanet.org - Bellanet
is an international initiative housed at the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada. Governed by a steering committee whose membership is drawn from the institutions which provide core funding, their mission is to foster inter-agency collaboration through more effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

http://www.britcoun.org The British Council,
working with partners in the UK, the British Council helps to share British expertise and talent with over 100countries worldwide. Check out http://www.indev.org promoted by the BC exclusively for the voluntary sector.

http://www.icicicommunities.org ICICI Communities
ICICIcommunities.org helps make a difference to some of India's pressing social problems. It is a social development portal. This portal aims to act as a platform for NGOs, development professionals and concerned citizens to interact and contribute to the development efforts. Give Online (Giving Impetus to Voluntary Efforts) - an online donation site is promoted by this site.

http://www.ecommonwealth.net eCommonwealth
eCommonwealth.net is a gateway to the Commonwealth and is there to serve commonwealth communities and businesses and individuals. It is a virtual place where people, communities and businesses from around the Commonwealth can come together to promote their activities, conduct business or just keep abreast of Commonwealth and world affairs.

http://www.charitynet.org CAF - Charities Aid Foundation
CAF is a registered charity, which provides services that are both charitable and financial to the not-for-profit organisations.

http://www.c-it.org/index.html C-IT Centre for IT Services
C-IT aims to take state-of-the-art technology to people in rural areas and use its benefits for social upliftment by way of education, employment, empowerment and enrichment.

http://www.dfid.gov.org DFID -The Department for International Development
is the British government department responsible for promoting development and the reduction of poverty

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Send all queries to mcas@fundraising-india.org This newsletter has a present circulation of 1,200. If you find the information useful to friends or any other organisations, please forward this newsletter to them.

mcas, ‘Vijay Kiran’ 2^nd Floor, 314/1, 7^th Cross, Domlur Layout, Bangalore 560 071 India
Tel: 080-535 2003 mcas@fundraising-india.org

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