January 2004

Editorial

Overcome the hesitation to seek government support

Finding funds to support capacity building work has been tough for voluntary organisations. Most voluntary organisations have limited budgets to pay for staff training and resource organisations providing training, charge fees which many organisations can hardly afford. Could more support come from Government sources?

We have recently heard of the Tamil Nadu Government's support for the Tamil Nadu State Non Government Organisations and Volunteer Resource Centre (What a mouthful! They could do with a snappier name.) The Centre supports voluntary organisations in building self-reliance by providing training in management, communication and fundraising skills; and encouraging information sharing.

Such an example makes us realise that there are people in the government willing to support capacity building initiatives and that perhaps more effort can be made from the voluntary sector to find those willing to allocate government funds.

Having said that, we know about the difficulties of dealing with the  government  and time taken in getting funds released. But, given the isolation that the Indian voluntary sector works in and therefore the lack of credibility of the sector in the public eye, it would definitely be beneficial for voluntary organisations to seek government support.

Editor
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FR Snapshot

Cherishing the deeds of one's alma mater - Bangalore Medical College gets donation for its alumni

Bangalore Medical College (BMC) is one of the premier medical colleges in the state and the second oldest government medical college. The alumni association of BMC, which completes 50 years in 2006, plans to donate an electronic library and a state-of-the art lecture/ seminar hall.

The alumni association, at present is  concentrating on establishing a database of all the alumni. Any alumni wanting to be in the database and/ or pay back their alma mater, can get in touch with the college or call 26701529/ 26704342.

Time to pay back your alma mater - medicos!

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News in Brief

What's happening in communication & fundraising?

Flying high to raise funds... by Parikrama Humanity Foundation

Corporates flew kites at the 'Parikrama Patang Utsav' held on 14 January 2004 (Sankranti) with the children of Parikrama Humanity Foundation by paying a fee, which went towards the welfare of the children. A novel idea to fundraise! Also, Guinness record holder, Prof Dr Ramesh Babu, (21 world records and seven national records in kite flying – from flying the largest kite to flying one with the largest tail)gave the children a few tips on flying kites.

Mumbai Marathon raises funds for NGOs

Many NGOs came together on a common platform to raise funds, and came up with the idea of getting their brand ambassadors to participate in the marathon. Actor Rahul Bose ran for the Spastics Society of India, Dino Morea and Farhan Akhtar for  Dream A Dream, Tara Sharma for Magic Bus and former sheriff Bakul Patel for Impact. Other participants paid a registration fee of Rs 200, of which half went towards charity.

Mr Venkat Krishnan of GIVE Foundation, the official charity portal for the Mumbai marathon stated that they had raised approximately Rs 50 Lakh which would be divided among GIVE partners.

Fun and Adventure - through fundraiser

It was fun and adventure all the way in the groves, off East Coast Road in Chennai. Groups of enthusiastic individuals were practicing for various events which included three legged football, wall climbing, grease pole climbing, rappelling down an artificial cliff and wheel-chair racing.

This was at Sadya, an inter-corporate adventure event and fundraiser conducted by Vidya Sagar, a voluntary organisation working with children with special needs. 13 corporates — pitched in with Rs 1 lakh each for a social cause, and got a chance to have a crack at the trophy.

ACCEL ICIM won the two-day event in a field that consisted of Hyundai, Airtel and HDFC, among others. But it wasn't merely about winning; "the event provided a platform for knowing and developing leadership, teamwork and lateral thinking", says Major Swaraj Roy of Adventure Zone, the chief organiser of Sadya. The `adventure' tag notwithstanding, success in most of the games hinged on the ability to plan and leverage the strengths of the team, he said.

For Vidya Sagar, Sadya has become an important avenue for raising money, with this year's participation fee of Rs 13 lakh, a significant 15 per cent of its annual budget.

Singing along for a noble cause - A R Rahman 'Global Ambassador' for Stop TB Partnership

Stop TB Partnership, a forum  of agencies working for control of tuberculosis, has tied up with A R Rahman to be their global ambassador. A formal announcement is to be scheduled in London on 10 March 2004.

Mr Rahman will advocate the cause by composing a song on the disease and its relationship with poverty. Mr Satyajit Sarkar, campaign officer is expecting the composition by 24 March 2004, World TB Day.

It is estimated that globally about eight million people develop TB every year and that a  person dies of the disease every 15 seconds.

Good cause to sing for!

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Tip of the month

Saying 'Thank You' goes a long way

Say “thank you' with inspiration and information. Saying thank you  in a thoughtful, respectful and unique way is
marketing at its best. This is your opportunity to honor your donors and prospects, spread the word about your success
and engage your constituents in future projects – says Susan O'leary – a Senior Director of of 'Changing Our World Inco.USA'.

Care enough to send the very best 'thank you' letters because what matters is 'Would I enjoy receiving this?'

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Making a presentation about your organisation - Part I

Before the presentation - preparation 

It's important to plan since you have only one chance to convince the listener. For every 5 minutes of talking, you may need to spend at least one hour preparing. Prepare carefully, practise once or twice in front of the mirror and with colleagues/ friends.

1. Objective: Focused, clear and crisp. You should have a single objective. Spell it out. Eg: At the end I want the audience to be sufficiently moved to make a donation.
   

2. Target audience: Understand the size and background of the audience.

3. Time allotted: Stick to the time allotted. Keep some time for questions during and after the presentation.

4. Structure: Once the presentation’s objective is established, decide on the structure. Every presentation has an introduction, a main body and a conclusion.

5. Plan your delivery: Plan the overall style of your presentation. Your style can vary from very formal to informal.

6. Visual aids: Check the venue well in advance. Make sure all necessary equipment is in place. The audience will remember what you say better if you reinforce your message with visuals. Use blackboards, flip charts, overhead projectors or computerised presentations wherever you can. Photographs, films, real objects, video films and audio clips are even more effective. Combine talking with writing and pictures.

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 and direct support 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: 91-80-2535 2003/ 5115 0580 email training@fundraising-india.org  website: www.fundraising-india.org