Stronger together

Stronger Together

Curious about crowdfunding? Some Indian sites to get you giving

There is a positive side to our hyper-connected reality: our awareness of social issues is on the rise and most of us want to give back in meaningful ways to our communities. While the merits of signing petitions and joining protests cannot be denied, sometimes the most effective way of making a difference is to donate to organisations that are actually doing the work. These crowdfunding initiatives will help you do just that. We came across three excellent websites (and there are many more out there!) that enable us to give in small, easy ways.
https://giveindia.org/
GiveIndia Foundation

Best for: Giving every month towards causes you are passionate about. This is a donation platform that lets you choose from about 200 verified NGOs working in areas like child welfare, education, health and sanitation, women's empowerment and environment. Started by IIM-A graduate, Venkat Krishnan, in 1999, Give India is managed by a team of young professionals from offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. The website allows individuals and organisations from all over the world to make periodic contributions. Donation amounts can be as little as ₹110 every month and in return you get detailed donation utilisation feedback reports within 4-6 months along with tax receipts.
https://impactguru.com
ImpactGuru

Best for: Not just contributing, but also creating, leading and promoting campaigns. This Harvard-incubated crowdfunding platform enables individuals and NGOs to easily create and run campaigns to raise money for social initiatives, medical expenses and personal/ entrepreneurial projects. You can also get behind causes and campaigns that you feel strongly about and contribute through donations. Impact Guru, a brainchild of Wharton graduate Piyush Jain, was launched in India in 2014 by Maneka Gandhi with the objective of harnessing the power of the masses for social impact. The whole process is breeze thanks to the platform’s speedy tools and seamless social media integration. https://ketto.org/ Ketto

Best for: Donating to larger, more mainstream campaigns and issues, eg the Kerala floods of 2018. Founded in 2012 by actor Kunal Kapoor and entrepreneurs Varun Sheth and Zaheer Adenwala, Ketto is one of the more popular crowdfunding sites in India and has been used by everyone from Amitabh Bachchan and Alia Bhatt to Shashi Tharoor and Virat Kohli to raise funds. In 2015 Ketto raised ₹1.2 crore from 100 campaigns and 2,500 donors to help people affected by the Nepal earthquake and ₹1.9 crore to help the Chennai flood victims. The platform offers secure tools to create and mobilise fundraisers in a matter of minutes with options to support causes of your choice.