May 2005
March 2002
 |
||||
|
Issue
13
|
15
February - 15 March 2002
|
In
this issue
|
||
|
|
|||
|
Putting together an effective annual report An annual report can be a very persuasive tool in getting people involved with the work of your organisation, but it all hangs on what they see. A little informed planning can go a long way towards ensuring that your annual report sends the right messages. We've put together a
brief summary of important 'things-to-do' that will help make your
annual report an effective communicator. Here they are: Pre-production
must dos Plan the process Plan the content Last and perhaps
most important, THANK your donors and well-wishers. 'We
welcome visitors' are three golden words you won't want to forget…
and mention where your office is located if you really mean them! |
||||
|
Book Review |
||||
|
If you feel that your communication tools are crying for an intelligent cosmetic makeover and in quick time, you'll find Roger C. Parker's One Minute Designer useful. Parker sure has a tip or two for creative designers… 204, to be precise! All guaranteed to produce better-looking, more effective, advertisements, brochures, newsletters and training material. Parker breezes through various aspects of the creative process -- successful planning, page layout, visuals, display types, colour and graphic accents -- in a style that is lucid. The book assumes very little and will hence be useful to both the novice and the advanced designer. Importantly, every pointer comes with a clear example, making it as idiot-proof as it can get! In the final
analysis, your goal, as Parker notes, is not to create 'pretty pages'
as much as to market ideas in a manner that is appealing and accessible
to readers. The One Minute Designer will certainly help you do that…
quickly! |
||||
|
What's happening in communication & fundraising? Indian fundraising loses father figure Fundraising in the India lost its foremost champion with the passing away of Padma Shree Kalyan Singh Gupta. Having battled ill health for almost a year, the 79-year-old general secretary and founding member of the Lok Kalyan Samiti passed away on 23 January 2002. A true visionary
driven by fierce conviction, Gupta challenged the Indian voluntary
sector to cast off its 'borrowed crutches' and to begin addressing
Indian causes with Indian funds. As early as in 1971, he said no to
government grants for Lok Kalyan Samiti and since 1990, refused foreign
aid as well. As sorely as his presence will be missed, his legacy lives
on and challenges Indian fundraisers to build a support base within the
country. Fundraising
fraternity gets together at Agra The Third International Conference on Sustainable Resource Mobilisation - Developing Local Roots was held in Agra from 4-7 March 2002. Organised by The Resource Alliance in partnership with the South Asian Fund Raising Group, the conference aimed at addressing issues on sustainable resource mobilisation and equipping fundraising personnel with the skills and strategies to develop credible local roots and thereby mobilise resources. Delegates from 32 countries across south, west and central Asia, Africa and South America participated. A notable plus was the presence of major international agencies that have yet to make local fundraising a priority on their agendas. The conference featured a mix of plenary sessions, panel dialogues, interactive workshops and participant-led case study and discussion groups. Participants were happy at having been able to share their experiences across such a wide forum. Most significantly, the conference pointed to the gradual build-up of the fraternity of fundraisers in Asia. Oxfam India gives fundraising an innovative twist A new fundraising initiative by Oxfam India (Chennai) is making it possible for homes and schools to contribute old morning newspapers and magazines to the agency, which in turn sells them to newspaper merchants and diverts the proceeds to pressing causes. Launched this February to an overwhelming response, Oxfam saw collections in just four days total 381 kg in newspapers and 117 kg in magazines. What had initially promised to yield a profit of Rs 1 lakh is now showing every sign of doubling or even tripling! In the meanwhile, receipts at two collection boxes placed at Good Shepherd and Madras Christian College have far exceeded expectations with as many as 10,000 students supporting the exercise, a turnout that has eclipsed anticipations five-fold! Oxfam India has also started a `payroll giving' initiative at Loyola College, Chennai. A presentation recently made to staff and students of the institution challenged them into individually committing a monthly sum of Rs 100 and Rs 10, respectively. This is expected to raise approximately Rs 10,000 a month. Vikasa launches communication blitz Get the pros to do it, and do it free! That's what Vikasa Rural Development Organisation hopes to do as it capitalises on the expertise of ad agencies in producing its brochures, leaflets, newsletters and annual report. Roadshows and a CDROM to approach corporate donors are also in the offing. In an effort to spread awareness and create support, Vikasa is getting an Internet professional to create its website. Even more eyeball is expected to be garnered in a planned television and print campaign to be launched with the help of a few friendly journalists. Vikasa has also begun to realise the critical worth of having qualified fundraisers in a local context. Having recently identified a person to take on full-time fundraising duties, it is in the process of training the individual. Now here are a couple of things we hope more organisations would emulate! Outreach Onsite gets professional More and more voluntary organisations are beginning to see the connection between a polished, well-articulated image and better funding. "We're looking at fundraising in a professional manner" says Muniraj of Outreach Onsite, which has established a dedicated fundraising unit and launched its website www.onsiteindia.org. Outreach Onsite has also mirrored this shift in its rather professional newsletter. It is working closely with schools to create an increased awareness on child labour and hopes to bolster income by placing donation boxes at key outlets. Employees share fundraising goal Tropical Research Development Council, based in Haveri, Karnataka, has evolved a novel fundraising strategy. It has placed the onus of fundraising on every member of its staff team, allocating targets according to the individual's position. Annual individual targets for the year 2002 range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5,000. The exercise has served to strengthen the commitment of employees across the board towards the focus of TRDC and they have found that while there definitely is strength in numbers… often there are more funds too! Villages can be fundraising grounds too! Pulling a few strings when you are in need helps. In fact, Grama Seva Sangam, of Kilikkudi, in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, decided to take that recourse, quite literally! Using puppet shows at village festivals, the organisation has managed to raise Rs 32,000 in 10 months. The shows are based on environmental and mythological themes and serve to entertain as well as educate the rural populace. The organisation has also put together a video library, and screens films for a fee during festivals. Well-placed news articles do the job Here's more evidence that communication is the key to successful fundraising. Rural Literacy Health Programme reports that the publication of a couple of articles in newspapers has brought in donations of Rs 1 lakh. Staff members also reportedly contribute Rs 250 a month to the work of the organisation. Maybe it's time you got on the phone with that journalist friend! Mobility India gets first online donations As the Internet user
base in the country continues to grow, so do the possibilities of
online fundraising. Mobility India recently received its first online
donation of Rs 14,000 through www.icicicommunities.org
for Jaipur limbs. We plan to expand this section with news from different parts of India. If you have any news or announcements pertaining to public communication and fundraising, do write in to us. Thank you. |
||||
|
Coming up.... Effective use of the Internet and Office automation mcas will conduct a two-day workshop on Effective Use of the Internet on 4-5 April 2002. The workshop will cover subjects such as email, sending mass personalised email, chat, instant messaging, mailing lists, discussion fora, search techniques, online briefcases, web calendars and blogging, among others. The registration fee is Rs 1,200. The three-day workshop on Office Automation between 17 and 19 April 2002 will have an introduction to Star Office, help you create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations and HTML documents. Registration fee: Rs 1,900. To register, contact training@fundraising-india.org Two bursary
awards for fundraisers The last date for
application is 5 April 2002. The aim of the bursaries is to provide the
training benefits of congress participation to delegates who would not
normally be in a position to attend. As many as 55 world renowned
speakers will lead over 120 sessions covering many of the dimensions
involved in building organisational fundraising capacity. For details
on the congress as well as the bursaries, see http://www.resource-alliance.org Manage your time better! Karl Kubel Institute for Development Education, Coimbatore announces two-day special workshops on Time Management and NGO Personnel Management to be held in April 2002. The workshops are basic management modules tailored to the special needs of the voluntary sector. For details, contact programmes@kkidcovai.org |
||||
|
Workshop on producing Annual Reports for public distribution The recently concluded workshop on producing annual reports enjoyed a good response, drawing participants from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Many participants expressed their satisfaction with the experience. Here's what some of them had to say: 'Presentations
on financial analysis were very valuable as they showed me how to
compress numerical data effectively.' 'The
sessions were practical with good personal attention… it clarified many
of the concepts I already had.' 'Very
instructive with concrete suggestions on how to get started. This is
just what I needed.' 'It helped me
realise that being concise is often the most effective way to
communicate.' |
||||
|
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates and anyone who might be interested. And do send in your queries and suggestions to training@fundraising-india.org MURRAY CULSHAW ADVISORY SERVICES -- mcas, Bangalore -- serves the voluntary sector in India. We offer training on communication and fundraising, undertake research on issues pertaining to the voluntary sector, publish books and maintain a database of about 7,500 organisations in India. mcas |
||||
