May 2005
February 2004
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February 2004
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Issue 32 |
In this issue
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Editorial |
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FR Snapshot Amar Seva Sangam at the Mumbai marathon Amar Seva Sangam was among the numerous voluntary organisations that raised funds (around Rs 9 Lakh!) at the Mumbai Marathon last month. We thought it would be best to put what Sankara Raman, Secretary of Amar Seva Snagam had to say in his letter to us, in his own words. 'I went to Mumbai on 7th February 2004 with the main objective of raising funds for Amar Seva Sangam since by that time I was informed that wheelchair users are not permitted to participate in the Marathon. After internal discussions on the eve of my departure to Mumbai it was decided that I should nevertheless go to Mumbai and concentrate on raising funds while on the sidelines keep trying to convince the organisers to permit wheelchair users and if necessary help them in this regard. The Marathon was held on 15th February 2004 and there were many International Athletes vying for the Championship. There were three categories of run being the Marathon which evoked the International response and a celebrated media event, the half Marathon where several celebrities and business tycoons participated and the Dream Run for the lesser mortals wherein enthusiasts of NGOs, Film Stars and Sports Celebrities participated. But as it turned out, I returned back on 24th after participation (?) in the Marathon in my own way. Even though they did not permit me to run (wheel!) they allowed me as a special guest to sit and watch the fun from the sidewalks. Shiny Wilson ran for our cause and that was indeed a great gesture from her. She was prominently covered in Bombay Times. Her gesture was commendable as she did not ask for any appearance money nor fussy about accommodation. She cooperated with us in accommodating in our friends apartment. Her Air ticket was sponsored by Jet Airways. My wife Pushpa also ran the entire 7 Kms stretch of the Dream Run. Mr.Yadav, Inspector General of Police, Mumbai flagged off the Amar Seva Sangam group of runners. I also got the opportunity to spread the work done by Amar Seva Sangam in the field of disability management and also advocate the need to look at the disabled persons in a different perspective. We also could raise good amount as pledges and sponsorships for the cause of Amar Seva Sangam and also could expand the family of Amar Seva Sangam donors and well wishers. At this juncture I should thank all of you for the wonderful support right from the beginning. It is encouragement from people like you all that bolster our confidence level and make us work more. We could mobilize about Rs.9 lakhs in the process. ICICI sponsored Rs.2.5 lakhs and Amber Investments Consultancy (P) Ltd also sponsored Rs.2.5 lakhs. M/s.Transworld and M/s. Import and Export Bank sponsored Rs.1 lakh each. M/s. Galaxy Surfactants of Mumbai also helped us to the tune of Rs.50,000. The entire home loan division of the Standard Chartered Bank ran for Amar Seva Sangam and their pledge and support are still coming in (already has crossed Rs.1.2 lakhs). The staff of AMP Sanmar Insurance also contributed their support from their salaries. There were many individual and small donors whose value of contributions is immeasurable. Pledges are still coming in even on today nearly a month after the Marathon event. We will be putting up the list in our website shortly.' Lots of lessons learnt... You can contact Sankara Raman at sankara_raman@amarseva.org |
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News in Brief What's happening in communication & fundraising? CRY successfully initiates face to face marketing Meet, talk and initiate the public to 'give'. This is what CRY did in their new 'face-to-face-marketing' campaign that has brought home a whopping amount of Rs 4 Crore, contributing to over 20% of their total income. This method of fundraising not only increased their income but also lowered the cost of raising funds from first-time donors and costs otherwise incurred in handling mail and processing. NCDHR sets up a media campaign and fundraising wing The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights has set up a media liaison office in New Delhi and is making serious plans to garner local support for its work. It has begun by recruiting Uma Subramaniam as its 'Communications and media manager' and Sandra Agnes D'Souza based at mcas in Bangalore as the 'Trusts fundraiser'. The organisation is also under the process of registering itself. Organisations and networks training staff in local fundraising increase The past few months has seen an increase in training of staff in voluntary organisations in the basics of public fundraising. Centre for Youth and Social Development in Bhubaneswar, organised a five-day training programme for about 14 staff members drawn from various departments. Cordaid, an international development organisation based in the Netherlands organised a two day workshop for a select group of South Indian Partners in local resource mobilisation. CAF India organised two workshops for its partners in New Delhi on communicating their work to corporates and drafting a fundraising strategy. IGSSS is organising a three day workshop for senior members of its partner organisations around Kolkata in the basics of public fundraising. Early Warning! The South Asian Fund Raising Group is planning its annual conference this year from 21-24 September in New Delhi. Plans are on to make this event bigger and better than ever! We hope fundraisers reading this are including the conference in your annual plans... For details contact Pradeep Patro at ceo-safrg@dishnetdsl.net If you have any news or announcements pertaining to communication and fundraising, do write in to us. Thank you. |
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Tip of the month Planning and the 'ASK' St Mark's Cathedral on M G Road in Bangalore is a church that believes in involving its members in all the work it does. What happened though, in the month of March was slightly different. A member donated Rs 3 Lakh to a project at Hunasanhalli (a village on the outskirts of Bangalore) without being asked! What the donor had heard was the plan of the project being spelt put in a Sunday morning mass. The Presbyter-in-charge, Rev Vincent Rajkumar shared with FI, that if you have a plan in hand, it is easy to initiate the 'Ask'. It is essential to plan, implement and show results in order to retain and cultivate donors. |
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Tutorial Making a presentation about your organisation - Part II Making the presentation Introduce yourself – in one sentence, say who you are, what role you play in the organisation Introduce your organisation – Use a story of change or a statement of work and limit it to 2/ 3 slides The main part – Get to the ASK quickly, repeat it at least once and substantiate why you are asking for it Project achievements; avoid exaggeration Be clear on targets and deliverables Mention how it will benefit the audience to support to you Avoid Jargon Conclusion – State what is expected of the audience; provide contact details Number of slides – not more than ten Questions – Keep some time for questions; decide in advance how you want to handle questions (one by one, or as a group – make notes) End well – Sum up; say 'Thank you'; hand out marketing folder |
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