August 2003

Editorial

Social responsibility : A hat for all seasons!

We live in times when most corporates are eager to be seen as socially responsible entities. The pursuit of corporate social responsibility is a commendable endeavor, but the willingness to allow such an endeavor to permeate every level of business dealing is what establishes whether a company is serious about contributing to society or not.

Very often, corporate organisations choose to think that responsibility towards society equals money given to visible charities or developmental causes. But that is just a small part of the picture, and might we add, the easiest to put together. True social responsibility demands a higher price! Fair dealings with suppliers, care for the environment while procuring raw materials, respecting employee rights and refraining from the abuse of underdeveloped markets etc are just as integral to the concept. Those who wear the hat of social responsibility must wear it at all times.

The same logic applies to the voluntary sector! People involved in some form of voluntary service often have a highly activated sense of social responsibility in the sphere that they are committed to, but fail to allow that ethic to prevail in all areas. For example, a voluntary organisation may strive to give deprived children a better life but remain perfectly oblivious to its overworked and underpaid employees.

True social responsibility needs to be uniform, as it must be consistent. When that is achieved, we will find ourselves fighting fewer and smaller fires!

Editor

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Tutorial

Writing effective response letters - Part 1

Letters are critical instruments that help voluntary organisations communicate with the public. How you write your letters will, to a large extent, determine the responses you get and so, in the long term, either strengthen or weaken your ability to sustain your work.

Let's consider two different kinds of letters that are commonly used by organisations - Covering letters for standard enquiries and responses to complaints.

Covering letter for standard enquiries

Voluntary organisations get (or at least hope they will get) many enquiries about their work. All such enquiries must be answered at the earliest with the requested information enclosed. A covering letter in this case must clearly contain the following elements:

1. The correct name of the enquirer
2. A sentence thanking the person for his/ her interest
3. A statement of what information you are sending
4. An offer to provide more details if required
5. A cheerful closing
6. The name, designation and complete contact details of the person making the response

Now here's a sample letter constructed around those elements.

Dear (1) Shruti/ Ms Menon,

(2) Thank you very much for your interest in our organisation. (3) Please find enclosed our brochure/ annual report/ newsletter. This should give you an overall idea of the work we do.
(4) If you require additional information, do get in touch with us, or better still, visit us.

(5) With best wishes,

(6) Anumita Das
Training Assistant
murray culshaw advisory services
2nd Floor, Vijay Kiran Building
314/1 7th Cross Domlur Layout
Bangalore - 560 001
Ph: 91-80-535 1939

Response letter to complaints

We sure hope you don't have to respond to too many of these! Still, there will be times when somebody finds some aspect of your functioning unsatisfactory. The best thing to do is to reply promptly, with a note that reinforces your commitment to rectifying the matter. Make sure that this letter has:

1. The correct name
2. Makes mention of the specific context and apologises for it
3. States how seriously you take the issue
4. Rectifies the damage done
5. A sincere closing
6. The name, designation and full contact details of the respondent

Here's an example of a response to a complaint that includes all the above points:

Dear (1) Shruti/ Ms Menon,

(2) I am very sorry that our receptionist was rude to you when you called to enquire about our ongoing exhibition. (3) We take such incidents very seriously, and have tried to put in place systems to ensure that it does not happen again. Please do accept our sincerest apology.

(4) Please find enclosed here our brochure, providing details of the exhibition. Do visit us. Again, we appreciate your bringing this to our attention.

(5) Sincere regards,

(6) Anumita Das
Training Assistant
murray culshaw advisory services
2nd Floor, Vijay Kiran Building
314/1 7th Cross Domlur Layout
Bangalore - 560 001
Ph: 91-80-535 1939

General pointers:

Here are a few other pointers that hold good for most response letters you will need to write.

1. Always send a brochure/ profile and annual report in response to any general query you receive. You could also send a newsletter as additional information.
2. In case of a specific enquiry, send a customised response giving the information required, along with some general information.
3. Respond as soon as possible. If it takes time to gather the information, send an email indicating that you have received the request and that you are putting the information together, with a clear indication of when you expect to send the information.
4. Be courteous in all your communication.
5. Record the enquirer's identity and contact details.
6. Follow up after some time

We hope this brief tutorial has helped you understand some of the elements that go into writing effective response letters. Look out for Part 2 (on writing Thank you letters) of this tutorial in our next issue. Here's to better letter writing!

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C&F Tip of the Month

Be an ever ready communicator!

As a fundraiser, it's a really good idea to always carry with you updated and current copies of your organisation's brochure/ profile and annual report. Remember that you can run into potential donors at unexpected places like a social gathering or at queue!

If you have a favourite bag that you carry with you most of the time, it's a great idea to just leave a couple of copies in it for times like these. You'll be grateful you did when the passenger sitting next to you on the plane turns out to be a high ranking corporate executive interested in making a donation to a good cause!

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News in Brief

What's happening in communication & fundraising?

Corporates unite for a social cause in Mumbai

United Way of Mumbai, a joint initiative of many corporates, was launched on 2 July 2002. United Way aims to be a responsible body that will broker small, yet meaningful, investments in development ventures. The group will develop funds for basic community needs, identify key areas that require human and fiscal assistance, besides networking with the voluntary sector in Mumbai. PRINCIPAL IDBI, Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young, JP Morgan, Mahindra & Mahindra, Jasubhai & Sons, Citicorp and Sony are some of the corporates who support this city specific initiative among others. It has also received a 50th anniversary grant of US $200,000 from Ford Foundation.

Research on giving and volunteering in Tamil Nadu out

PRIA has released its latest research on the patterns of giving and volunteering in Tamil Nadu. This report was presented in August and is a part of PRIA's involvement with the major cross-national research project of John Hopkins University's Institute for Policy Studies. Initiated in 1991, the project was designed to bring the voluntary sector into empirical view for the first time at the international level. The Indian phase will involve research undertakings in four states other than Tamil Nadu, namely Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Meghalaya.

Sichrem gets newspapers to contribute their mite

South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (Sichrem) recently sent letters of appeal to 27 chief editors of newspapers asking them to contribute a free copy every day of their newspapers to help the organisation monitor human rights issues. The appeal drew eight positive responses. This goes to show that asking for relatively small but significant gifts works!

Habitat for Humanity models good response ethic

Habit for Humanity India (HFH) recently received an enquiry from a person in Uttar Pradesh who had been through the HFH website and had asked for additional information. The information was promptly sent and followed up two weeks later, with an additional offer of information. The enquirer in his response said he would send a small contribution. A few days later, HFH received a donation of Rs 101, which it acknowledged with a thank you email, followed by a receipt and Thank You letter. The lesson: A small donation must be acknowledged in the same way you would a large one!

Meenakshi Mission Hospital sets up hundi at highway restaurant

In an interesting new development with its hundi (donation box) collections, Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Madurai, has set up a hundi at a highway restaurant frequented by bus passengers on the Madurai-Trichy route. This has served the dual purpose of exposing a new section of people in a new region to the work of the hospital, while creating a fundraising opportunity. With the restaurant owner talking about the hospital to bus drivers, conductors and travellers who stop by, the hundi collected Rs 900 in its first month!

Asha Niketan taps special days for fundraising opportunity

Anniversaries and birthdays can provide a unique fundraising opportunity, as many people like to mark them with acts of charity. A fundraiser at Asha Niketan, Bangalore, recently heard that a particular man regularly gave to certain charities on the birthdays of his sons and daughter-in-law. She spoke to him about Asha Niketan's work with persons with mental disability, and was pleasantly surprised to immediately get a donation of Rs 500. This strategy is effective because it gives people the satisfaction of having celebrated the day with a thoughtful deed. It also creates the possibility of building long-term relationships with your donors that could result in repeat donations annually. So do keep track fo your donors' special days!

Oxfam India strengthens C&F arm with strategic recruitment

Oxfam India has recruited an advocacy and communications manager in Delhi. It is expected that this new addition will help to create a greater awareness and support in north India for Oxfam India's work. Having a stronger presence in Delhi is expected to allow Oxfam India greater proximity to the seat of policy making and so help intensify its advocacy on various issues and raise the visibility of its humanitarian initiatives.

If you have any news or announcements pertaining to communication and fundraising, do write in to us. Thank you.

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Book Review

The Business of Social Responsibility: The why, what and how of corporate social responsibility in India
By Harsh Srivastava and Shankar Venkateswaran
Published by Books for Change, Price: Rs 250

The term corporate social responsibility seems to have about it a touch of vogue these days. And yet terminology has a way of zooming into pop speak and then dying on the shelf. Irrespective of how long the phrase stays alive, the concept of corporate responsibility towards social and human development is increasingly being seen as indispensable to long term business success and national growth.

The Business of Social Responsibility, by Harsh Srivastava and Shankar Venkateshwaran, explores the why, what and how of corporate social responsibility in the Indian context. The strength of the book lies in that it doesn't gloss over the unique problem of poverty that India faces, but rather creates a thesis that links corporate potential and social need with sensitivity and insight.

The authors substantiate their development of thought on the matter with case studies of what Indian companies are already doing in the area of social responsibility.

Company executives, staff, voluntary organisations, researchers and just about anybody else who may have an interest in bringing corporate India closer to its social mandate, will find this an educative read.

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Announcements

First global symposium on voluntary sector management coming up!

The First International Symposium on "management in the non-profit sector" will be held on 23 and 24 November 2002, in Nicosia, North Cyprus. Organised by the Management Center, the symposium will bring together academicians, practitioners and experts to discuss the management of non-profit sector. The symposium will provide participants with the opportunity to explore different non-profit sector experiences in depth with participants from other parts of the world. The details of participation and registration for the programme can be found online at the Management Center's website www.mancentre.org

SAMUHA-Samraksha announces job opportunities

Samraksha, the arm of SAMUHA, working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and reduce its impact on affected peoples, is looking to appoint suitable candidates for the Bangalore-based positions of business manager, data manager, information and documentation executive, counsellor and research assistant. Additionally, Samraksha is looking to recruit a programme manager, assistant project officer, a senior organiser for its Healthy Highways Programme and three counsellors to work in Raichur or Koppal. Applicants must be sensitive and committed to issues of reproductive and sexual health and HIV/AIDS and can expect salaries commensurate with experience and qualifications. For additional details on eligibility criteria contact The P&P Group at pandp@vsnl.com.

Mahiti looking for office administrator, web designer!

Mahiti, a technology company committed to helping the voluntary sector harness the benefits of technology announces an opening for an office accountant/administrator. Women with a background in accounting practice and at least six months in work experience will be considered. Mahiti is also looking for a graphic designer with or without experience, possessing design and drawing skills, a good knowledge of web graphics and command over HTML. Interested persons may send their applications to hr@mahiti.org.

Entries to SAFRG workshop Breaking the mould still open

The 14th annual workshop organised by the South Asian Fund Raising Group in New Delhi, between 24 and 27 September 2002 is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of fundraisers in South Asia. Titled Breaking the Mould, the workshop will address a range of topics that include professional development, management tools and skills related to fundraising. It is targeted at fundraisers/ consultants, board members from voluntary organisations, chief executive officers, finance managers, heads of government departments involved in the voluntary sector, academics and others from trusts and foundations. The registration fee is Rs 5,900 per delegate.
For more details contact Capt. Rajeev Dua at safrg@vsnl.com or Tel/ Fax: 91-11-4654453, 91-11-4654570-71.

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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

mcas -- MURRAY CULSHAW ADVISORY SERVICES -- Bangalore, serves the voluntary sector in India. We offer training on communication and fundraising, undertake research on related issues, publish books and maintain a database of about 8,000 organisations in India. Contact us at:  2nd Floor  Vijay Kiran Building  314/1  7^th Cross  Domlur Layout Bangalore 560 071  India  Tel: 91-80-535 0035/ 535 1939  email training@fundraising-india.org  website: www.fundraising-india.org