Raisers’ Ask is a magazine that aims at equipping fundraisers in South Asia with information and good practices to guide their fundraising. It shares skills in the form of articles, case studies and tutorials, besides experiences and perspectives in communication, fundraising, governance, donor relations and technology. It also seeks to provide research based on which fundraisers can make decisions..

1. October 2008
Communication Fundraising Accountability Governance Technology
Unmasking
The Fear Of Asking
So, What’s Your
Story?
Who Does The
Fundraising?
www.fundraising-india.orgwww.fundraising-india.org
Raisers’AskRaisers’AskSouth Asia’s Fundraising Magazine

3. Charities Aid Foundation
A-85, First Floor, East of Kailash New Delhi 110 065
Tel: 091-11-41689100 Fax: 091-11-41689104
Email: contact@cafindia.org
Website: www.cafindia.org
It’s
time to
diversify
the government is going blue in the face denying or limiting the effect that the
global recession is having on India. But with markets in a freefall and news of pink
slips making headlines, caution is the name of the game.
What does this augur for giving to good causes? Companies - that in good times
contributed less than 5 per cent globally to charity - are being cautious about
committing support to non-profits they have not worked with in the past. Companies
that had verbally agreed to pitch in even a few weeks ago, are now hemming and
hawing. Colleagues in fundraising have reported drops in individual responses to
festive mailings, when compared to last year.
The drop in giving can be ascribed not as much to economic realities, as to the
perceptions surrounding the downturn. Corporates and individuals are opting to wait
and watch, hesitant to make fresh or regular commitments.
Some might argue that this is an unwise time to test new strategies in fundraising.
Others might suggest that this is not the best of times to make a start in local
fundraising.
We at Raisers’ Ask would say that now is the time to start diversifying income sources,
if your organisation has not already done so. The uncertain economic climate only
reinforces the need to spread your income across individuals, institutions, companies
and statutory sources, to avoid being overly dependent on any one.
It is a time to return to the basics - of being systematic about fundraising, of
establishing a solid database, of regular and appropriate communication to donors,
and of doing two or three things in fundraising - and doing them well! That’s the
best way to insulate your organisation against future downturns or changing donor
priorities.
Sure, it might be a tougher ask to make under the circumstances, but you can blame
every ‘no’ on the slowdown and award every ‘yes’ to your growing fundraising
capabilities. What better way to unmask your fear of asking!
Bharati Ramachandran
editor@fundraising-india.org
Team MCC thanks Charities Aid Foundation
for sponsoring Raisers’ Ask

4. 1 Editorial
3 News
Across India
Across South Asia
Across the World
5 Fundraising
Who does the asking? We all do!
7 Communications
So, what’s your story?
8 Cover story
Unmasking the fear of asking!
12 Governance
On Board!
14 Events
15 Case study
The Hippo runs for reading!
17 Interview
Meena of Give India
19 Book reviews & excerpts
‘Asking properly’ by George
Smith
20 Accountability
Building trust, made easy!
22 Tips & tools
Database to the rescue!
24 Job opportunities &
classifieds
Publisher
Murray Culshaw
Editor
Bharati Ramachandran
Manager -
Communications
Ranjini Victor
Designer
Sapna Gupta
Printed at
Nevellos Graffiti Scanning
(I) Pvt. Ltd.
Cover Story 8
Unmasking The Fear Of Asking
Bharati Ramachandran talks to
fundraisers to demystify common fears
about asking, and offers practical tips on
overcoming them.
www.fundraising-india.org
Email: editor@fundraising-india.org
MCC - Murray Culshaw Consulting
2nd Floor No 80 KR Colony
Domlur Layout Bangalore 560 071
Tel: 91-80-2535 2003/ 4115 0582
Advisory Panel
Ken Burnett
Consultant – Burnett Associates, UK
Bina Rani
Founder, Director – Connect for Change, UK
Priya Viswanath
CEO – Charities Aid Foundation, New Delhi
Arundhati Ghosh
Deputy Director – India Foundation for the Arts,
Bangalore
Vishal Talreja
Managing Trustee – Dream a Dream, Bangalore
Vijay Ramachandran
Editor-in-Chief – International Data Group,
Bangalore
in this issue October 2008
Noshir Dadrawala
Executive Secretary – Centre for Advancement of
Philanthropy, Mumbai
Vinita Tatke
Director – GreenEarth Social Development
Management Consultancy, Pune
So, What’s Your
Story? 7
Save your presentations, pitches and
five-year plans for later. Tell a good
story first, says ARUNDHATI GHOSH
Who Does The
Asking?
We All Do! 5
You’re not alone, MURRAY CULSHAW
tells fundraising professionals. Get
those Board members, CEOs and
programme staff moving!
Raisers’Ask welcomes letters. These should
be addressed to
editor@fundraising-india.org
Raisers’AskRaisers’Ask

5. News
Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 3
News - India
the government of Himachal Pradesh will impose a voluntary ‘green tax’ on vehicle
users to generate a fund to combat climatic changes. The voluntary tax would be
utilised to create an environmental fund to protect nature and make the state a
carbon-neutral state.
The tax became a reality with cabinet ministers recently deciding to contribute Rs 100
per month towards creating the corpus.
“With the climatic changes around the globe posing a serious threat, it’s our duty to
contribute a certain amount on a regular basis towards the environmental fund as
cost of damage caused to the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions”
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said.
The state has already taken various initiatives towards ecology conservation. As part
of its first micro level drive, residents across the state planted 1.5 million saplings on
a single day (3 August 2008), under the Jan Jan Sanjivani programme. From next year,
the government plans to plant 4.5 - 5 million medicinal and wild fruit plants through
the year.
Source: www.igovernment.in
News - South Asia
Young doctors push for
greater social responsibility
according to Thanh
Nien News, a group
of young doctors in
Vietnam highlighted
the need to do more
for at-risk population
at a forum entitled
“Young physicians
volunteering for the
community’s welfare”
in Hanoi.
The young doctors not
only organised medical camps, but also made efforts to create
awareness about prevention, general healthcare and medicine.
“Why don’t we also incorporate short-term training courses for
local physicians in those consultations trips?” asked
Mr Nguyen Hoai Nam of the Ministry of Public Security’s
Hospital. Dr Hoai also suggested to host a website with
information on diseases, contact details of doctors, clinics and
hospitals to help the public.
The young doctors from Ho Chi Minh City’s University of
Medicine and Pharmacy have conducted more than 1,000
consultation trips across the country and even over the
boarders of Laos and Cambodia.
These young doctors seem to distribute their duties among
themselves – some manage logistics, while others are
responsible for raising funds and securing sponsorship.
“I feel I have received more than I have given – the innocent
eyes of sick children in dirty clothes and an old man who sees
a doctor once in his lifetime make me feel more responsible for
the community’s health,” said Dr Khanh, reflecting on his years
of rural healthcare service.
The group found it difficult to find sponsors in the beginning,
but companies, who heard of the doctors’ work, came forward
to support through donations and medicines.
The group also felt that it is not the patients who benefitted but
they also gained valuable experience through this journey.
According to Dr Pham Thi Thao, who has worked in one of
the most challenging facilities for the past eight years, she never
could have imagined working here when she first visited the
hospital at the age of 19… But, now she cannot contemplate
ever leaving.
Source: www.thanhniennews.com
Himachal starts ‘green tax’to combat climate change

6. News
4 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask
Newman planned
for charitable
legacy
actor Paul Newman, who died at the
age of 83 on 26 September 2008, took
steps before his death to ensure that 100
per cent of the profits from Newman’s
Own, the multimillion dollar food
company Newman created with friend
and write A E Hoetchner, will continue
to benefit the development sector.
Paul Newman broached the subject of
his philanthrophic legacy several years
ago while fishing with friends Robert
Forrester and David Horvitz.
Newman personally distributed the
profits from the time of the company’s
founding in 1982 until two years ago
when he established the Newman’s Own
Foundation to carry on his work after his
death. Over the years, Newman and the
foundation have given more than $250
million to a range of charitable causes
and groups.
“We will miss Paul, but we will honour
his vision for the common good through
dedicated stewardship of his company
that will perpetuate his philanthropic
legacy,” said a statement on the
Newman’s Own website.
Source: PND News
Sri Lankan organisation
honoured for wildlife
conservation
the Sri
Lanka Wildlife
Conservation
Society (SLWCS)
has been chosen
as one of twenty
five outstanding
winners of the
Equator Prize 2008
by the UNDP. The international award
is in recognition of the organisation’s
pioneering contributions towards
mitigation of human-elephant conflict
through community participation.
The Society works closely with the
Department of Wildlife Conservation
and many other government bodies. The
News - Global
Despite recession, there’s hope for
charitable giving, researchers say
despite turmoil in the financial markets and a slowing economy, giving levels
may not be affected as much or for as long as some fear, say researchers at Boston
College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy.
According to John J. Havens, a leading authority on empirical patterns of wealth,
there could be a year or more before the impact of the current crisis is seen in giving
levels. In the most recent recession, the nation began to see a decline in net wealth
in 1999, while a falling stock market in 2000 contributed to a downward trend in
household wealth that lasted three years.
The decline in net worth, however, did not directly correlate with changes in giving.
Average household contributions did not begin to fall until 2000, and they did not
drop as much as households’ net worth did. From 1999 to 2002, average net worth
dropped by as much as 20 per cent, while aggregate charitable giving fell only 10 per
cent. Moreover, when net wealth began to rise again in 2002, aggregate giving also
began to increase.
In the current climate, said Havens, net household wealth began to decline in late
2007, which means there could be a lag of up to a year before giving declines-in part
because high-net-worth donors tend to plan their contributions a year or more in
advance.
“One key characteristic of this crisis is that it has certainly affected the top eight per
cent of households of the income-wealth spectrum, which is responsible for more
than 50 per cent of charitable giving,” said Paul G. Schervish, director of the Center
on Wealth and Philanthropy. “So the challenge facing charitable and philanthropic
enterprises is to see if the emotional identification that can be elicited from the
donor - the sense of caring - can overcome what is, for now, still hoped to be a
temporary crisis.”
Source: PND News
News - Global
Society is renowned for its efforts to
mitigate human-elephant conflicts,
particularly in villages bordering the
National Parks.
The Saving Elephants by Helping
People (SEPH) project began in
1997. It integrates ecological research,
applied conservation, community
participation, community development
and sustainable economic
development.
The Society has teamed up with
Travellers Worldwide and World Wide
Experience to bring international
volunteers to its projects.
The Equator Prize is an international
award that honours community-based
projects that represent outstanding
efforts to reduce poverty through the
conservation and sustainable use of
biodiversity.
Source: OneWorld South Asia

7. Who
does the
asking?
We all
do!
aBuddhist Jataka tale speaks of
a flock of crows trapped under a hunter’s
net, and how they all threw in their
weight to lift into the sky, snares and all!
The story is, of course, meant to be an
illustration of the power of collective
effort.
The story brings to mind a vivid image
of most fundraisers in India - whether
designated as such or not - as lone crows
struggling hard to lift off.
The metaphor reiterates a fundamental
principle, that asking is not any one
person’s job, but the responsibility of
everyone in the organisation.
Fundraising is, after all, team effort.
You’re not alone,
MURRAY CULSHAW tells
fundraising
professionals. Get those
Board members, CEOs
and programme staff
moving!
Fundraiser:‘Why do I feel like a
different animal?’
Fundraisers are wonderful people to
have in an organisation. We did a
random survey of the qualities people
thought fundraisers should have: words
such as positive, optimistic, enthusiastic,
articulate, energetic, committed,
persuasive, confident, imaginative, were
suggested. We agree
with all of these, and
would like to add two
more: persistent and
hardworking.
But the great new animal
with these qualities
cannot do a thing, if
it does not have the
support of the whole team - from the
chairperson, through the CEO, to the
receptionist and the driver. Fundraisers
will also need specialist skills, training
and opportunities to expand their
knowledge.
If fundraisers are not assisted by the
whole organisation, they will quickly
move on to a new organisation where
they are confident there will be more
support!
Board member:‘You didn’t tell
me I had to ask for money!’
A board that is enthusiastic about its
role will inevitably support fundraising.
An unenthusiastic board is a drag on
any organisation. A reason why board
It will not work for 95 per cent
of staff to be spenders, and
only 5 per cent to be raisers!
members are unwilling to ask is the fear
that they will not succeed, and the fear
comes from lack of preparation and
practice.
Senior staff should therefore engage the
board on fundraising, share plans and
seek their support. Staff could help Board
members prepare - even do some training
in fundraising, if required!
Many Board members don’t pitch in
because they don’t know how. Here are
some ways in which Board members can
lend a hand:
• Make a personal donation
• Lend their name to appeals
• Help build relationships with
institutional funders, as well as major
donors
• Use their personal connection to open
doors
• Write and sign thank you letters and
appeals
• Host fundraising events and dinners
And our favourite…
• Run in the Mumbai marathon, the
Delhi half marathon or the
Bangalore 10K!
Fundraising
Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 5

8. A CEO who just wants to focus on the
‘real’ work and delegates responsibility
for fundraising to professionals is
the wrong kind of chief executive!
Increasingly in South Asia we will need
a new kind of CEO who gives the
right balance of time to all aspects of
an organisation, including fundraising.
These will be people who - while they
do excellent work at the grassroots - are
also comfortable asking for money from
a bunch of high flyers in the corporate
sector.
Programme and support staff:
‘I spend, you raise - that seems
like a fair distribution of labour.’
Programme and support staff need
to know the importance of raising
resources so that the good work can
continue. They must be involved to
the extent possible. A good way to get
everyone to participate is an annual
event. In addition:
l Share targets, initiatives and
CEO:‘Why can’t fundraisers do
their job, and leave me alone to
do the real work?’
To be fair, in most organisations in India,
the chief executive is the main fundraiser.
But increasingly, some chief executives
are happy to ‘hand over’ the job to a
fundraising professional.
We would advocate the middle path.
Clearly, it is unhealthy for fundraising
to be entirely dependent on the CEO.
At the same time, the CEO must give at
least 25 per cent of time - better still, 50
per cent!
The CEO is responsible for engaging
the Board and securing their active
support in fundraising, as in other
matters. Likewise, it’s the CEO’s job to
ensure that all staff are aware of current
income sources, the fundraising strategy
and the need to keep expenditure down.
The CEO should have the personality
to provide practical and psychological
support to fundraisers, whether the team
has one, two or many more persons.
Best wishes
MARK V ENTERPRISES
10, 7/2, 4th
Cross, Byrappa Layout, Nagashetti Halli
Boopasandra Main Road, Bangalore 560 094
Tel: 080-2341 4696 Email: kevin06@dataone.in
Fundraising
Murray Culshaw is the Chairperson of Murray
Culshaw Consulting. He can be contacted at
murray@fundraising-india.org
progress with all staff
l Ensure courtesy at the gate and
on the phone - be welcoming
and friendly to visitors and
enquirers.
l Start a voluntary payroll giving
system among staff, so that
they all have the opportunity to
themselves donate and
understand the value of giving.
6 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask

9. Communications
So,
what’s
your
story?Save your
presentations, pitches
and five-year plans for
later. Tell a good story
first, says ARUNDHATI
GHOSH
everybody loves a good story. It is perhaps the oldest of our art forms, the first
human expression. Even before we learnt to read or write we were telling stories. In
front of our bonfires, on the walls of our caves, through our songs and dances we were
narrating stories of wars won, loves lost, new horizons explored - tales of the far and
near. And like it was then, it still is now. We sit in front of the screen in a movie hall, or
the stage in an auditorium or in front of the pages of a book, wide-eyed and hungry, our
hearts wrapped up in the sagas being told, journeying thousands of miles in our minds,
living the legends ourselves. Our lives become one with those in the story. We laugh and
we cry, we get angry and we seek revenge, and we see ourselves and find meanings for
our own lives through living the stories that we experience. Such is the power of a good
story.
However, when we believe in a cause and work for it and need to raise support for it - be
it funds or volunteers - we somehow forget the power of a good story. We go ready with
our presentations and pitches, with our vision and mission well articulated, our annual
report and five-year plans, with graphs and figures and parameters of impact assessment.
We aim to floor the potential donor with arguments for the absolute necessity of our
cause, with how many schools we have built, or how many more health units need to be
put in place - dry facts devoid of emotion - and wonder why we have failed to get our
point across.
In my many years of work in fundraising, I have realized that people respond to people.
They respond to the human condition. They respond to the difference our work has
made to people - even a single street child or a woman who has faced abuse or a poor
cancer patient. They respond to stories.
Once I had gone to potential donor
ready to overwhelm him with the
staggering number of grants IFA
has supported and I found him cold.
But when I told him how a grant
had enabled sufi musicians from
Punjab to record and sell their music
in the village melas and how that
had changed their lives, I found him
smiling. A similar incident happened
with a corporate in Hyderabad. I had gone to ask them for funds to support a project
that would document traditional designs of weavers in Andhra Pradesh. I met the senior
leadership team and took them through the presentation. They all nodded in agreement
that the work we were trying to do was good, but still, there was no excitement in the
room. A colleague of mine started talking about the people we were supporting, which
communities they came from, what were their challenges, etc. Suddenly one of the senior
managers said, “Hey, that’s the community our factory workers mostly come from!”
And in that instant the people we were supporting had faces, had names, were real and
familiar for the team evaluating us. We got the funding.
In my various meetings I have seen people warm up to and listen to stories - stories that
capture lives, stories that tell the tales of courage and inspiration, of struggle and strife,
of success and failure. I have seen them respond to emotions more than any cognitive
articulation of strategic interventions. People, end of the day, want to help others and to
see how that has transformed lives. That is the story they want to hear from us.
It is tough to find those stories in the documentation and reports we do in our sector.
Tough to find them in our offices where the essence of our work often gets buried in the
dailyness of our business. We need to find them in the field. We need to look for these
stories by engaging with the lives of the communities we support, the people who make
our work meaningful. We need to go back to them and find these stories - stories of
survival, stories of blossoming, stories of re-imagination. And if we can find even one
story that moves us deeply in our hearts and makes us feel that just because of this one
story our organisation and our work is worth it - this is the story that we must retell to
people whom we ask for support and funding. This is the story that will make them feel
the way we do about our work and some day soon, they may even support us!
Arundhati Ghosh is the Deputy Director of
India Foundation for the Arts
www.indiaifa.org. She can be contacted at
arundhatighosh@indiaifa.org
People respond to people.
They respond to the
difference our work has
made to people.
Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 7
Telling a powerful story got
Arundhati $100

10. Cover Story
BHARATI RAMACHANDRAN talks to
fundraisers to demystify common fears
about asking, and offers practical tips on
overcoming them.
at an international workshop, a
fundraiser who raises millions of dollars
for her cause asked participants to write
down the earliest personal experience
of money that they remembered. Most
people recalled that they had never talked
about money at home! The fundraiser
probed, “Did anyone forbid you from
talking about money?” “Well, not
exactly,” came the response, “but it was
– like sex – one of the things you didn’t
mention in polite company!”
The fundraiser then said, “Very rich
people never have a problem asking for
money. They are too used to money for
it to be an uncomfortable subject. People
who have been very, very poor also never
have a problem asking for money. They
learn about its value early in life and have
enough respect for money to know what
it can achieve.
“It’s those in between… that have a
problem with money. They are taught
from childhood that money is not the
most important thing in life, that money
is the root of evil. They grow up with a
dislike or worse, disdain for money that
makes them very uncomfortable when
they have to ask.”
In Indian society, the problem is
compounded by the nature and history
of voluntary action. Do good work
and the money will come. At a recent
Unmasking
The Fear of Asking
8 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask

11. Cover Story
fundraising workshop, the founder of a voluntary organisation
told me with pride, “I have never had to ask for money!” The
idea that somehow society ‘owes you’ is common. A Board
member at the same workshop said, “If my organisation is
doing a good job for a good cause, then money should come to
me. What hurts the most is when people don’t empathise with
my cause, yet they give because they have the money.”
What makes grown up people afraid of
asking?
While childhood conditioning may lead a lot of grown up
people – who I’m sure understand full well the value of money
– to shy away from asking, that does not explain it all.
Fear of rejection ranks on top of all the reasons why fundraisers
say they’d rather not ask. Rejection, whether in love or in
fundraising, can be a painful thing, and it’s not for the weak-
hearted. One fundraiser I know had built up such a monstrous
image of the donor’s rejection, that each time he needed to
ask, the monster would raise its head. Others fear asking their
friends. ‘What if they think badly of me?’ ‘What if they stop
taking my calls?’ ‘What if I embarrass them?’ ‘They will think I’m
a failure…’ If you live in fear of rejection or are embarrassed by
having to ask for money, you’re not alone. There are, as we will
see, ways in which these fears can be overcome.
There are other fears that stem from lack of knowledge. ‘How
should I frame the ask?’ ‘What if my ask is much more than he
Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 9
can afford?’ ‘What if she’s bored by my story?’ ‘I have never
asked before.’ These apprehensions can be put to rest by solid
preparation and practice.
But the one reaction that’s unacceptable is, “Asking for money
feels like begging.” If you’re a fundraiser, Board member or
head of an organisation and you feel this way, you don’t need
more knowledge or skills. You need another job.
Fighting the fear factor
Asking is not begging
Asking for money for a cause is not begging. You are not asking
for money for yourself. You are asking for money for a good
cause. Every ask you make has the power to change a life or
many lives. The best fundraisers take such pride in the work they
do, that they consider it a privilege to be part of it. What’s better,
they feel they are doing donors an honour by giving them a
chance to be part of something so special.
It’s not you they are rejecting
‘It’s not you, it’s me’ doesn’t quite work for love, but in
fundraising, it’s true. When a donor says no, it’s not a reflection
on ‘you.’ He may have just made a large investment; her
children’s school fees may be due this month… Remember,
when a donor says no, the donor most often feels worse than
you do. Take the no philosophically and move on to how else
they can be part of your cause.
w Research the donor
Who is the donor? What are his concerns, her interests?
What are his values? What is her likely motivation for
giving? If you have no way of knowing this before you
meet, listen for clues during the conversation to what
drives this donor.
w Tell a powerful story
Take a story that moves you. It should be a story of
change brought about by your organisation’s work.
Practice telling the story till you can tell it well. Test it on
others. This will become the core of your pitch to people.
w Know what excites people about your
organisation
Surprise, surprise, it’s not your organisation’s history or
the number of years you’ve been around. Learn to paint
a vivid picture of the need you are trying to fill, with one
or two well chosen facts. Give donors a sense of what
their money has achieved in concrete terms. Show
them how much more work needs to be done, and
how they could help.
w Role play
Ask your colleague to pretend to be a major donor, and
role play how you would ask her for a large donation.
Role play eases the pressure of saving the big ask for an
actual donor, besides giving you a chance to anticipate
and field questions, and listen for clues to the (pretend)
donor’s motivations. Role play often. This could be your
most important tool to fight your fear of asking.
w Choose your communication material well
A simple attractive brochure, or even better, an annual
report, should do. With large asks, it helps to leave a
brief concept note behind. Do not overwhelm the
donor with research reports, press clippings and
photo-copies of your trust deed!
Five Tips on Being
Prepared

12. No is the second best answer
The best answer is yes, of course. But the second best answer
is no. At least you know where you stand. Have the courage to
ask why not, in a warm, wonderful way that does not embarrass
either of you. It could be the amount, the timing, the cause…
here’s your chance to listen. If you are too busy wallowing in
self-pity because the donor said no, you will miss the chance to
find out what makes her tick.
Oh yes, and what’s the worst answer? ‘Maybe later.’ ‘Let me
think about it.’ Guaranteed to have you chewing your nails.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
Remember the time you were in school and saw that the test
paper had questions from all the bits you studied? How that
helped quell the bile rising from the pit of your stomach! In
asking for money, too, solid preparation goes a long way in
making the ask easy, almost natural. See box: Five Tips on Being
Prepared
You have an obligation to ask
Christiana Stergiou of Pareto Fundraising says, “Asking for
money is not a decision. It is your job. If your charity needs
money to help people, you are negligent if you don’t ask.”
Thinking about the consequences of not asking can be a
sobering but useful exercise in motivating yourself to take the
plunge.
Just do it
This week, your goal is to meet as many people as you can,
face to face, and ask them for money. That’s all. How they
respond, whether they give you money or not - tell yourself
that this is not part of your KRA (key result area) this week.
Your target is to just ask x number of people for money
every day.
What’s the point? Practice. Not only will you perfect your pitch,
you will also find your fear ebbing away. Not to mention the
rise in positive responses. As in bungee jumping, the first step
dispels all fear and nervousness. Ameen Ahmed of Greenpeace
India says, “I looked around and found people who were
asking, and getting! It fired me up and I made my first ask.
Never stopped since then!”
10 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask
Cover Story
Gender, Poverty and Rights: A Trainers Manual
Ranjani K. Murthy and Mercy Kappen, 120 pages, Suggested contribution Rs. 200
First in a series on Gender, Diversity and Development, this manual will familiarize
facilitators with current debates on gender, poverty and rights.
Institutionalising Gender within Organisations and Programmes: A
Trainer’s Manual
Ranjani K Murthy & Mercy Kappen, 142 pages, Suggested contribution Rs. 250
The manual focuses on equipping participants with perspectives and skills on
institutionalising gender with organisations and programmes
For copies write to: bijujohn@visthar.org or mail@visthar.org
What makes a good ask?
1 It’s about the change - the end result - that will benefit
people, animals or the environment. It’s not about the
activity for which you need the money. Say you need
Rs 25,000 to dig a well. Don’t ask for money to dig a well.
Ask for money to save the lives of children who are dying
of dysentery because they don’t have clean drinking water.
2 It’s about the donor. Have the donor’s concerns on top
of your mind, not what your organisation can get out of the
donor. That’s the only way you can learn from even a ‘no’ or
a ‘maybe.’
3 It’s specific. Ask for a certain amount of money, and offer
options of how the donor can donate. Do not bury the ask
in phrases like ‘We need your support,’ or ‘Please help
generously.’
4 It’s made often enough. Don’t leave large gaps between
asks. Donors can get distracted by other causes, or by life.
You decide what is often enough for your target audience.
Some organisations ask every week, others ask once in a
quarter. Once is a year is just not enough.
5 It’s followed by a thank you. And by regular updates on
what the money is achieving, as personalised as you can
manage.
The fundraiser with whose story I started this article taught
me how important it is for fundraisers, Board members and
chief executives of voluntary organisations to have a healthy
relationship with money. She narrated the story of how as a
teenager she fought hunger and poverty to put herself and her
siblings through school and college. She then said something
that has stayed with me ever since I heard this story, “I love
money. Money can put small children in school. Money can
feed hungry people. Money can save people’s lives, and those
of their families and whole communities.”
And that is the most compelling reason a fundraiser can have
for getting out there and asking for money.
Bharati Ramachandran, is the CEO of
Murray Culshaw Consulting. www.fundraising-india.org.
She can be contacted at bharati@fundraising-india.org

13. • Dealers of desktops, servers & laptops of all the popular brands like
Wipro, Acer, HP, Lenovo & HCL etc,.
• Provides wide range of Hardware, LAN, WAN & Wireless LAN solutions
from end user to voluntary sector and corporate level.
• We undertake Annual Maintenance & Annual Service Contracts.
Telnet Computers
10/5, Kuber Complex, Dinnur Main Road,
Opp Navodaya School, R T Nagar,
Bangalore – 560 032.
Tel: +91-80-41244018 / 23431503.
Email: info@telnetcomputers.com
www.telnetcomputers.com
Tropic
Wings
Tours &
Travels
Domestic & international travel agent
#32, 2nd Main Road, Binny Mills Road, Ganganagar Extn, Bangalore - 560 032
Phone: 23438013 Telefax: 23632834 Cell: 98450 34778
E-mail: dennischandrashekar@yahoo.co.in

14. AARTI MADHUSUDAN offers practical tips on how
you can get your Board to itself give and help you
raise resources
On Board!
how often have you wondered
whether your Board is doing its job –
or doing anything at all? Some of you
may even wonder: “What is the Board
supposed to do in the first place?”
Move from being to doing
The answer lies in a word that appears in
both questions: Doing. The Board’s job
– any Board’s job – is to do something.
How this translates in practical
terms largely depends on the type of
organisation you have, the stage you are
in and the kinds of people there are on
the Board. However, one of the things
that cuts across these factors and that a
Board must do is help the organisation
raise funds, or broadly speaking, mobilise
resources. The Board’s job is, as much as
anyone else’s, to help with this activity.
The reality is that in the Indian context,
Boards play a fiduciary role more than
a hands-on one. This maybe all right
for the small number of organisations
that have very high implementation or
managerial capability. The majority of
organisations neither have these skills,
nor can they afford to recruit people
who do have them. It therefore becomes
important for the Board to play a more
active role.
Give and get others to give
Here’s some practical advice on one
aspect of the Board’s job - resource
mobilisation. In this context, it is
essential to clarify that resource
mobilisation is not the same as
fundraising. Resource mobilisation
involves all those activities that either
directly result in bringing more funds
into the organisation, or that help the
organisation save funds so that it can
divert the same into the programme.
Simply put, a Board member could give
and get others to give. How can you
achieve this?
• Make sure you have a Board that is
open to ‘doing’ as opposed to just
giving advice on what to do.
• Build relationships with individuals on
the Board. Understand what each
Board member’s motivations are, what
other networks and alliances they are
a part of, and how active they are in
those contexts.
• Engage your Board in a manner that
constantly kindles their passion for
your organisation and keeps it alive.
Share your successes and your failures.
Do not wait for the Board meeting to
share information. This will help
convert your Board members into
advocates for your mission and
organisation.
• Resource mobilisation involves
directly giving money, creating access
to money or to those that have
money, finding human resources that
can take on responsibility, networking
with other individuals and institutions
that can offer services to your
organisation… and so on.
12 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask
Governance

15. This copy line that every writer wishes he or she had written. If
half the challenge with legacy marketing is how do you raise this
delicate subject with donors, then this brilliant promotion hits
every button perfectly.
The copy concept first appeared on a billboard outside Sydney,
Australia. Initially, it may just have been a one-off indulgence
for such a great copy line. But, somebody evidently thought it
deserved more.
Source: www.sofii.org
The Greenpeace legacy mat
Readers could become members of SOFII (www.
sofii.org) by registering for free. Please email
maxine@sofii.org for registration and receive
Maxine’s regular updates.
• Once your Board is engaged, they will
find it easier to speak on behalf of
you, advocate your cause and solicit
support.
• Ensure that you support Board
members in this task. Provide them with
appropriate communication material.
• If a Board member is asking for
money, present the financial
information or overall picture against
a yearly plan in a comprehensible
manner. Ask for a ‘specific’ amount.
This will indicate that you have done
your homework on the individual’s
capability.
• If the Board member is asking for
other forms of support such as
sponsoring printing costs of
stationery, indicate what it will save
your organisation and where you will
use the money thereby saved.
• If the Board member is soliciting
volunteer support, for example from
an accounting firm to help manage
the finances of your organisation,
indicate how much value in money
terms that means for your
organisation and where you will be
able to use it to better lives.
n Tell your Board member what
you expect in terms of tasks
and time
n Define and clearly articulate this
and get mutual agreement
n Set a beginning and an end
date for the activity or the task
for which you need help
n Support the Board member
with timely, appropriate a nd
accurate information and
resources
n Check back to ensure that this
is adequate
n Review periodic progress with
the Board member
n Keep the Board informed of
progress on the task that a
Board member has undertaken
n Appreciate the Board member
for the help
How to get a working
Board
• Stay in touch with Board members,
giving feedback on how you are using
their contacts, and whether any
resources are being generated through
the contact or not. This will keep the
Board member involved, engaged and
motivated to do something for your
organisation.
Having tried this, if you find that a Board
member has added no value in directly
or indirectly accessing a resource, review
your decision about having the person on
the Board.
Aarti Madhusudan runs Governance Counts,
an organisation that strengthens Boards of
voluntary organisations and promotes good
governance practices. She can be reached at
aarti@governancecounts.in
Governance

16. Events
5th South Asian Regional Workshop on Resource Mobilisation
October 2008. CAF India (Charities Aid Foundation India) completed 10 years
in India. Our vision: to build a society motivated to give ever more effectively -
transforming lives and communities around the country.
For 10 years CAF India has been a leader and innovator in the philanthropy
space… A trusted advisor, driving corporations to invest in communities; an
enabler for the non profit sector - building credibility and capacity. A celebration
of the spirit of partnership!
CAF @ 10 celebrates these partnerships. In various forums and platforms we
help to bring together key partners and stakeholders–companies, charities and
individuals - to engage and enable.
Capacity Building and training initiatives for partners; Community Leadership
Experience (CLE 2008) in Hyderabad; a South Asian Forum for Grantmakers;
a Diaspora Night in the UK; a Charity Art show in New Delhi, are some of the
events being planned.
27 – 29 November 2008
Taj Samudra Hotel,Colombo,Sri Lanka
This workshop aims to be an inspiring event,
offering memorable and unique sessions as well
as providing participants with the opportunity
to share their ideas and experiences with a
diversity of individuals from all over the world.
The workshop is suitable for directors and staff
of voluntary organisations, donor agencies,
governmental agencies and civil society
organisations. Individuals and organisations
interested in building fundraising capacity, local
resource mobilisation and advocacy would also
benefit greatly from what this event has to offer.
The courses are intensive 90 minute sessions,
which offer an in-depth look at the latest issues
and techniques. The topics offered will include:
• Understanding the Fundraising Cycle
(Developing a Fundraising Plan that Works)
• Key Thinking & Skills to Ensure Fundraising
Success
• Corporate-NPO Partnerships A Win-Win Situation
• Developing an Inspiring Case for Support
• Events for Fun, Friends and Funds
• Raising More Money from Individuals through
Direct Marketing
• Effective Leadership and Good Governance
• Effective Budgeting
• Crisis Management
• Cause Related Marketing A Fundraising Technique
with Immense Potential
• Raising Funds Through the Internet
• Taking the Fear out of Finance
• Creativity and Innovation in Fundraising
This workshop is organised by Centre for
Advancement of Resource Mobilisation,
Sri Lanka. For further information, please visit
www.carmsl.org

17. The Hippo Runs
for Reading!
is it hard to imagine a bunch of
librarians signing up for a 5.7 km run on
a Sunday morning? When we could be
slobbering over a Roman mystery or the
adventures of the Greek gods in New
York City! It wasn’t the sacrifice of a
lifetime or anything – as a rule, we avoid
anything that we don’t enjoy ourselves,
and running together seemed like fun!
Besides 5.7 km seemed do-able even
for those of us who dreaded physical
education at school. The 10-member
Hippocampus team signed up to Run for
Reading! As part of its corporate social
responsibility initiatives, White Canvas, a
Bangalore-based ad agency, came forward
to create a striking direct mailer and
poster.
We began to invite friends and well-
wishers to run with us, and the response
staggered us. Some even interrupted
their holidays to be there in time for the
run. One couple turned up for the run
with their 14-month-old daughter in the
stroller, non-availability of a babysitter
notwithstanding!
We registered a group of 40 runners,
with three participants in the Open
10 K. Once the group was in place, the
focus shifted to raising pledges. SMS
reminders to the group of runners
kept us together as a team. Red T-shirts
with ‘Run for Reading’ printed on the
back were distributed to the group.
Calls were made to every single runner
to motivate them to spread the word
and raise pledges. The response was
positive from the first day. It was not
just friends who came forward readily
with their contributions; even those
who had heard about our work mailed
in cheques. Of course, incessant phone
calls worked where appeals to a generous
and a charitable conscience did not! On
a serious note, we were clear that any
amount, big or small, was welcome. It
presented a great opportunity to talk
about HRF’s work and objectives, the
impact it has had on the children and
even librarians.
Perhaps it is our association with books
and children, irrespective of whether it is
for mainstream or lesser privileged that
worked for us. We want children to be
able to read and enjoy a book and that is
not a privilege of a chosen few. From the
response we received, it’s obvious that
many agree with us.
When the cheques came and were
counted, we were pleasantly surprised to
see how much it added up to – about
Rs 4.68 lakh. It was touching to see the
total faith that our supporters have in
our endeavour to promote libraries and
reading for children. More so, when we
were told our collections were among
the top three. It is a motivating factor
and at least some of us will be driven to
run longer distances, as we reach more
libraries to children across the country.
UMESH MALHOTRA tells the story of the
Hippocampus Reading Foundation’s prize-winning
maiden effort at the Bangalore 10k
Case Study
Umesh Malhotra is the
Executive Director of
Hippocampus.
He can be contacted at
umesh@hippocampus.in

18. M Sivasamy
Shobika Industries, 34 Sannathi Street
Vennaimali, Karur, Tamil Nadu
Tel: 04324-220301
Mobile: 9443720931
>
Email: sivasamy_sivasamy@yahoo.co.in
With best wishes

19. Making a case for
regular payroll giving
Interview
Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 17
all organisations dream
of building a constituency that
regularly gives to their cause.
Regular giving provides some
certainty of income, enables
organisations to therefore plan
expenditure, and helps donors
connect to the cause over a
period of time. Of the types of
regular giving, payroll giving is
unique, because it helps
organisations build links at two
levels: one, with the company,
and two, with individual
employees. It allows employees
to voluntarily make donations
to any cause, directly from
their pay.
Give India’s Payroll Giving
programme works with
companies to offer their
employees a regular way of
contributing to a cause, from
among a list of organisations
that have been screened for
transparency and
accountability. MEENA DAVE
of Give India talks to PRIYA
ANAND about the implications
and benefits of payroll giving.

20. 18 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask
Interview
How far has Give India’s payroll giving
programme come since inception?
We started the payroll giving programme in 2003 in Mumbai.
The first company to sign on was ICICI Bank. Since then
we have taken the programme to Bangalore, Delhi and
Chennai. We now have more than 25,000 employees in over
50 companies enrolled on the payroll giving programme,
contributing more than Rs 50 lakh every month.
How do companies and employees benefit from
payroll giving?
In several ways. For companies, payroll giving could be a
flagship programme of their corporate social responsibility
initiative. Give India’s online programme is automated and easy
to implement. The company gives its employees an opportunity
to easily donate to social causes.
For employees, Give India’s online donation mechanism is
convenient. The employee can contribute to any cause from
a list of certified organisations that have been scrutinised
for transparency and accountability. But what is truly lovely
is the feeling the donor experiences on getting a feedback
report about how their money has been used. They begin to
understand that even Rs 100 or Rs 200 per month can change
the life of a person.
What are the challenges that you face when you
approach an organisation?
Reaching employees in a large company is difficult; either they
are busy or are in scattered locations. We also meet employees
who are sceptical about the concept and are reluctant to sign
up. There are companies that limit direct access to employees
because of security concerns. The global slowdown is also
beginning to affect company sign-ups, though individuals are still
just as ready to sign on.
What keeps you motivated?
The look of wonder on people’s faces when they get feedback
on how their money has been used! The same person who was
dismissive of the programme a few months ago is transformed
when he looks at the changes that have been brought about.
How do we make payroll giving attractive to
corporates?
It is important to have a system that is simple yet robust with
tried and tested processes that cannot go wrong. Stress that
giving is voluntary and that employees can donate any amount,
even as little as Rs 50 per month. Give employees a range of
causes and organisations that they can support. Ensure that
employees get a feedback report on how their donation has
helped change lives.
How do you ensure that employees give on a
sustained basis?
It is important to send them feedback on how the money has
been used, along with testimonials of other givers. We also send
them regular newsletters with stories of the change that has
been brought about in the lives of people and communities, as
a result of even a small donation.
If a voluntary organisation wants to get into
payroll giving, what tips would you give them?
• You need to offer donors a choice of donation options.
• The voluntary organisation needs to be open and
transparent about its work, especially its finances.
• It needs to put in place an automated, online machinery to
run the programme.
• It needs to test this system and remove all glitches before it
approaches a corporate. A good way to do this is to test this
internally with staff of your own organisation.
What are the positives and challenges of payroll
giving for a voluntary organisation?
The great thing is that the organisation is assured of a steady
source of income through the year. Payroll giving allows you to
target a large group of people i.e employees in a company, at a
minimum of costs.
The biggest challenge is that the initial investment in terms of
time and finances are high. This is especially so if the voluntary
organisation wants to run the payroll giving programme on its
own, or institute a method of accepting online payments. One
needs to have a foolproof system in place and that takes time
and resources.
The other challenge is the amount of time spent in initiating
contact with the organisation. You need to get approval from
the CEO as well as the CSR head, and to get both to arrive at
a consensus takes time. Sometimes there is a delay in meeting
employees and explaining the programme to them.
Of course, if your organisation is listed on Give India, we take
care of both these steps - managing the online payment system
and negotiating with companies.
Meena works with the Payroll Giving unit of Give India, a
nonprofit that advocates and promotes internet giving. She can be
contacted at meena@giveindia.org
No. of companies 50
No. of employees enrolled 25,000
Funds raised per month Rs 50 lakh
Avg amt donated by an employee Rs 160 per
month
Where Give India wants to go in 2009
No. of employees enrolled 75,000
No. of companies 100
GIVE India’s fundraising
facts

21. Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 19
BOOK REVIEW
Asking Properly,The Art of
Creative Fundraising,
by George Smith
Boldly stated on the reverse of the dust-jacket, “You will never ever
read a book quite like this”. And you probably won’t!
Filled with thought provoking insight, brilliant examples, and poignant
wit, George Smith’s Asking Properly is a culmination of years of
experience in the field.
In it, he studies the creativity, success and failure of campaigns. From
the traditional black and white Oxfam press appeal, to the language
on the outer envelope of an Alzheimer’s Disease Society mailer; from
feelings imparted through an SDP donor certificate, to the
long-lasting appeal of a new-years’ UNICEF diary, the impact and
effect of every ask is carefully analysed. Nothing goes unexamined.
If you are looking for a how-to workbook for communicating to raise
support, this book is not it. George pushes the reader to consider
aspects of ‘the ask’ that he or she has not thought of before.
A point of contention I have with the book, however, is its failure
to address how creative fundraising will take shape in the near
future. In fact, Smith goes as far as to state his scepticism of the cost
effectiveness and fundraising potential of the internet. Was 1996
really that long ago?
Additionally, while the book offers fundraising professionals an
in-depth view of communication strategy, it is written for a very
Western audience, where the voluntary sector is more mature. I
couldn’t help but think how great it would be if there were, in fact,
another book somewhat like this – one written specifically for the
South Asian voluntary sector!
Interesting
websiteswww.foundationcentre.org
The Cente maintains the most comprehensive
database on US grant makers and their grants.
It also operates research, education, and training
programmes designed to advance philanthropy
at every level. The Foundation Centre offers
free newsletters exclusively to registered visitors.
Registering is easy and free.
www.sofii.org
View a free gallery of the best fundraising
communications done by nonprofits globally. If
you think your work deserves to be there, send it
in to maxine@sofii.org today.
www.agoodmanonline.com
‘a goodman’ is a communications consulting firm
that helps organisations effectively communicate.
Emphasis is on ‘story telling’ as the most powerful
communication tool. You could order a few
publications as well download a few capsule
reviews and excerpts for free.
www.donorpowerblog.com
Source of ideas on how to win your donor over
for life and maintain that long-term relationship;
interesting and useful articles on donor power; and
many more fundraising features.
Jeff Brooks, creative director at Merle, has been
serving the nonprofits community for nearly
20 years.
www.gettingattention.org/my_weblog/
Showcases ideas and tips for communicators and
fundraisers who wish to explore avenues through
effecting marketing.
Nonprofit marketing expert Nancy E. Schwartz is
the primary author of the Getting Attention blog
and e-newsletter.
Interesting
blogs
Riz Khambata
rizwaan@fundraising-india.org.

22. Building trust,
made easy!CREDIBILITY ALLIANCE
underlines the importance of
public disclosure
Accountability
those with passion for the cause of
underprivileged understand why building
trust is important, not only among the
beneficiaries, but also the benefactors -
the donor community and the society at
large.
In South Asia, where the voluntary
sector has seen a big growth in the
last decade, there is a need to ensure
effective utilisation of resources, better
structure and governance in the voluntary
organisations along with transparency.
Credibility Alliance is a step towards
addressing this need in India.
What is Credibility Alliance?
As the voluntary sector in India has
continued to grow, accountability and
transparency have
become key factors for all stakeholders.
To address this need, 2000 voluntary
organisations in India joined hands in
2001 and discussed common norms for
accountable and transparent practices
in the voluntary sector. This interaction
led to an independent and dedicated
organisation - Credibility Alliance,
registered in May 2004.
The Credibility Alliance (CA) is a
consortium of voluntary organisations
striving to enhance the credibility of the
voluntary sector through development
and promotion of norms for good
governance.
Over the years, the Alliance
has
registered around 700 voluntary
organisations as members, 100 of them
already in the process of accreditation.
What does CA do?
• Develop and promote norms for
good governance.
• Accreditation of voluntary
organisations based on Credibility
Alliance norms.
• Policy advocacy for enhancement of
credibility.

23. Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 21
• Information and communication
support for enhancement of
credibility.
The norms development process of CA
is through consultation with voluntary
oragnisations. CA had developed
norms for governance, disclosure
and programme. The norms of good
governance are divided into -
i) minimum norms
ii) desirable norms
To know more about these, you can
download CA Norms Booklet from
www.credall.org.in or request Regional
Coordinators of CA to send it to you.
What are the benefits of joining
CA?
• The organisation belongs to the
broader movement towards building
the credibility of the sector and gets
recognised for its commitment to be
accountable, transparent and
democratic.
• Accredited NGOs avail of better
funding and donation opportunities,
nationally and internationally.
• Members become a part of a network
of over 1,000 NGOs, funding
agencies and social responsibility
divisions of corporate houses.
• Organisations in the CA family
receive support to identify your
capacity-building needs.
• Listing your organisation on our
website, and access to information
and resources.
How to join CA:
Voluntary organisations in India have
three options to join CA:
Basic Membership*: - request or
download the membership form for
Credibility Alliance, fill it, attach required
documents and send it across.
Peer Group Review*: - review done
by one of our member organistions. A
simple check on your organisation against
the compliance to our norms.
Accreditation*: - Compliance against
the norms is assessed by independent
individuals and organisations
commissioned by the Credibility
Alliance.
Through this process, your organisation
will be certified as an accountable and
transparent entity.
*To know how much these will cost,
Contact details
Head Office:
3rd Floor, West Khetwadi
Municipal School
Lane # 5 Back Road, Khetwadi, Mumbai
400 004
Phone: +91-22-23894046
+91-22-23894047
Email: info@credall.org.in
Website: www.credall.org.in
Accountability
contact the CA Regional Coordinator
in your region. (www.credall.org.in/
contactus/contact_us.htm)
Supporting CA
If you believe in building an accountable
and transparent voluntary sector in
India:
• Become a member (applicable to
voluntary organisations only)
• Sponsor the cost of a voluntary
organisation/ your partner NGOs
getting accredited (applicable to
donor agencies, corporates)
• Make a donation to the general fund
or corpus fund of CA (applicable to
everyone)
• Actively engage/ volunteer for CA
(applicable to everyone)
Annual reports are an important element in public
accountability and promotion of transparency within the
voluntary sector.
CSO Partners announces the Annual Reports Awards
2007-2008 to promote public transparency in the
voluntary sector.
We invite organisations to send in three copies of their
2007-2008 annual report. The reports will be assessed
for:
1. Compliance with Norms of public disclosure
and good governance developed and reviewed by
Credibility Alliance, Mumbai
2. Quality and presentation of financial information
against norms of Indian Chartered Accountancy
Association – ICAI, reviewed by FMSF – Financial
Management Services Foundation, New Delhi
3. Readability of content against the good practices for
fundraising-friendly annual reports developed by
MCC– Murray Culshaw Consulting, Bangalore.
There will be two awards in three categories of
organisations:
Category 1: Those with a budget below Rs 50 lakh
Category 2: Those with a budget between Rs 50 lakh
and Rs 5 crore
Category 3: Those with a budget above Rs 5 crore
The prizes will be in the form of cash awards.
A reputed independent panel will make the final decision
which will be announced at the awards ceremony to be
held in February 2009.
For further details contact
Trupti on email trupti@fundraising-india.org or
phone +91-80-2535 2003/ 4115 0582
CSO Partners Annual Reports Awards 2007-2008

24. Database to the
rescue!
watching a crime thriller
on TV might be some people’s idea of
entertainment, but the bit that turns me
on is the sophisticated database that is
used to identify and nab a suspect. The
database usually stores fingerprints,
details of crime scenes and is relational
as well – connecting people (suspects),
crimes, locations and personal data.
A donor database is a similar framework
that stores vital information on donors,
their preferences, their relationship and
donation history. But most organisations
in India – whether small, medium or large
– have a casual approach to management
of even basic contact information, leave
alone donor data. Data is scattered and
stored on filodexes, MS Excel sheets,
cellphones, and even on scraps of paper.
Even in large organisations, it is not
uncommon to find different departments
maintaining their own database, which
leads to duplication and makes integrated
database management impossible.
Database options in India
It is true that Indian organisations are
increasingly becoming aware of the need
to maintain a database of contacts and
donors, but the options are limited:
• International database software such
as Raisers’ Edge, DonorPerfect and
DonorAccess are way too expensive
and much too complex for most
Indian organisations and their limited
fundraising and technological
capability
• Large Indian and international grant
making agencies have their own
custom-built software, which is highly
personalised
Tips & Tools
Jimmy Behlihomji, Chairperson
The Central Society for the Education
of the Deaf, Mumbai.
www.csed.org
“We realised that we were disorganised in
storing our contacts. After using a
professional database, we are amazingly
organised. We started with 200 contacts in
2004 and today it has grown to 600 donors.
We regularly update information of our
contacts and are confident the number will
increase.”
22 I October 2008 Raisers’Ask
Start with a basic contacts’
database and gradually build
it up, says Raisers’Ask

25. • A range of free and open source
software is available but tech support
is limited, which prevents
organisations without technological
capability from adopting these
databases. Moreover, free software
(for a limited number of records)
such as eTapestry is not available to
users in India
• Murray Culshaw Consulting’s Contact
and Donor database is CD-Rom
based and affordable, but requires
organisations to be familiar with MS
Access, and capacity for extensive
customisation for large numbers of
organisations is low. A more user
friendly online version of the donor
database is currently under
development.
Build a basic contacts
database first
Your organisation need not wait for the
perfect database software to become
available in order to establish a contacts
database. Start with a basic framework
on MS Excel if you must – usually data
from Excel can be easily integrated into
any new system you might later wish to
adopt.
Once you have a basic structure in place,
get everyone in the organisation to collect
addresses and put into the database.
These are the categories of contacts you
might wish to store:
Individuals
w Trustees/ Board members
w Network members
w Volunteers
w Staff contacts
w Supporting professionals
w Consultants/ advisors
w Writers/ columnists, media personnel
w Government personnel
w Researchers, academics
w High net worth individuals known to
the staff, board
w Diaspora
w Well-wishers
w Enquirers
w Visitors (from a visitors’ book!)
w Donors
Institutions
w Cooperating civil society organisations
w Members of associated networks
w Social service organisations such as
Rotary
w Religious, community groups/
institutions
Companies
w Suppliers, service providers
w Local businesses/ institutions
w Shops and restaurants
w National and multinational companies
Grant-making agencies
w National trusts and foundations
w International grant-making agencies
Government
w State departments
w Central departments
w Bilateral sources
Tips & Tools
w Multilateral sources
A basic contacts database can easily
be upgraded into a donor database,
with keywords to differentiate between
categories of contacts and donors.
Who owns the database?
Everyone does!
Maintaining and upgrading the database
should be the responsibility of a person
who is not just technologically sound,
but who also understands how the
information in the database will be
used. The individual must be passionate
about gathering and updating data, and
about ensuring that information from
the database is available for different
purposes: labels for mailing, reports for
analysis, and so on.
Here are some ideas for keeping your
database in spiffy shape:
• Support the database manager by
getting all staff and Board to collect
addresses and visiting cards, and
research potential sources of support.
• Create volunteer opportunities for
students to enter or clean up data
from time to time.
• Initiate a game with prizes for those
who enter the most of number of
addresses in the database.
No matter what software you choose, it
is important that the organisation and all
staff realise its importance and remain
committed to updating information.
Remember, a database is only useful if it
is current!
Raisers’Ask October 2008 I 23
There’s only one way.
But which is it?
If this is how you feel after a day looking at
databases, change your consultant.Source: www.sofii.org
RA Staff Correspondent

26. Classifieds
MCC – Murray Culshaw Consulting envisions
a vibrant voluntary sector that engages with and secures
widespread support from the public.
We strengthen voluntary organisations. To communicate
the wonderful work they do, to people everywhere. To
raise funds from diverse sources to sustain their work for
as long as is needed. To become models of transparency
that people would want to support.
We are looking for individuals with conviction in the
importance of this work, and the passion and skills to
make this happen.
We want people who can pay attention to detail, while
keeping their eyes firmly on the dream.
Technology assistant, Bangalore
You will be responsible for maintaining and updating the
MCC database, acquire data on voluntary organisations,
and assist in marketing database software products. The
job profile will include administrative responsibilities such
as intranet management, invoicing, filing and information
management.
You should have an understanding of and work experience
in SQL, MS-Office/ Access and import/ export/ mapping of
datasets. Experience in HTML would help. A minimum work
experience of 1-2 years would be preferable (though freshers
are also encouraged).
Salary: Up to Rs 1 lakh (gross)
Important: Apply by sending in your CV and clearly stating the
position you have applied for.
Contact
Shireen Kurian
MCC - Murray Culshaw Consulting
2nd Floor No. 80 KR Colony
Domlur Layout
Bangalore 560 071
careers@fundraising-india.org
Individuals with passion and conviction needed
Job Opportunities
A unique space for social action!
Chatuvatike
Do you need space and support
facilities for your ideas to grow?
MCC has just what you need. We
offer social entrepreneurs space for
between one and 40 persons.
Good location
Chatuvatike is a unique space for
social enterprises coming up in north
Bangalore – just inside the Outer
Ring Road, on the south side of the
Bharat Electronics Ltd corporate
office.
Great atmosphere
Rub shoulders with and test ideas off
other like-minded organisations and
social enterprises in an atmosphere
of mutual creative support.
Chatuvatike provides workspace,
formal and informal meeting
facilities, a training room with a
capacity of 30, an ever growing
library, dining and recreation space,
and several quiet green corners to
retire and think. We will share some
central services such as reception,
security, coffee/ tea and phone and
Internet connectivity. Regardless
of the size of your organisation,
Chatuvatike will add value to your
operations.
Rental or long lease will be less
than market rates, while the facilities
are much better than market. There
is limited car parking and a good
amount of two-wheeler parking.
Space available from
1January 2009
Interested?
Call Suguna:
080-2535 2003 or 98443-82604
email:
suguna@fundraising-india.org
This is an initiative of MCC - Murray Culshaw
Consulting Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore
Jeeves Consumer Services Pvt. Ltd.
No 1A, Malack Chambers,
Ulsoor Road,
Bangalore 560 042, India
Tel: +91 80 41133195/ 6/ 7
Fax: +91 80 41133198
support@jeeves.co.in
For all your IT Needs
• Systems • Peripherals
• AMC • Consultant
• Service • Networking
No. 17, 18th ‘B’ Cross, C.M.H. Road,
Halasuru, Bangalore-560 008
Phone: 25571679
Mobile: 93420 15002, 98458 15002
email: selvi.b@kaushik.co.in

27. GMS Hub Office
#5, 5th MAin, 9th Cross, Jayamahal Extension, Bangalore - 560046
Phone: 080-41279231/32 Mobile: 98455 50214
E-mail: gmsblr@gmail.com
www.gmsexp.com
#48/49, Chammundi Nagar,
Near Newton Public School,
R T Nagar Post, Bangalore - 560 032
Phone: +91-9880229975
Fax: 080-5994693
E-mail: glchandan2007@gmail.com
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