Mumbai : The world’s leading study on global generosity, the recently-launched World Giving Index 2015 report by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), which ranked India at 106th position globally, set the perfect platform for various stakeholders to come together anddiscuss strategic ways of nurturing the giving culture in the world, especially India which could help the nation climb up the generosity ladder. India was ranked 69th in the World Giving Index report last year.
Representatives from corporate sector, civil society organisations and students of Post Graduate Program in Development Management (PGDM) at SPJain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) exchanged ideas and experiences at the World Giving Index Roundtable organised by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India, in association with SPJIMR in Mumbai.
Meenakshi Batra, CAF India CEO, Prof. Rukaiya Joshi, Chairperson, SPJIMRs Centre for Education in the Social Sector (CEdSS), Abhejit Agarwal, Assistant VP, Responsible Banking, Yes Bank, Nagma Mulla, COO, Edle Give Foundation, Manav Singh, Director, Operations and Strategy, Vidya India and Poonam Bhonsle , Associate Director Operations, Door Step School were the panelists at the World Giving Index 2015 Roundtable.
Speaking at the event, Meenakshi Batra, CEO, CAF India, said, ‘’Wealth is not always the best measure of generosity. It’s not always about how much money you are giving, but also about how we are engaging with beneficiaries.”She further added, “The WGI report has revealed that India still has the largest number of givers but as a proportion of our population, it’s not huge. Hence, at CAF India, we are committed to building a society which can give more effectively to causes they care about.’’
Prof. Rukaiya Joshi, Chairperson, CEdSS said, “We need to go beyond the surface to see how India can become more generous. NGOs and the corporate sector have their own strengths and if both these sectors work on their strengths, it can greatly benefit the society. We want our students who are pursuing the PGDM course to be socially responsible business leaders of tomorrow. CAF’s WGI report will help us all to understand the giving landscape in India better and come up with solutions that can be used effectively in the corporate world.’’
Future leaders of the development sector pursuing PGDM at SPJIMR participated in engaging sessions with the NGO and corporate sector that could help India move up the rankings and find strategic solutions to improve the giving culture in the country.
Abhejit Aggarwal, Assistant Vice President, Responsible Banking, Yes Bank, said,‘’The essence of the WGI Index is its simplicity and it gives us a sense of how generous we are as a nation. It is important that the corporate sector integrate their social responsibilities with the objective of making money. The bridge needs to be crossed and this is where white paperslike the World Giving Index are important. This is howorganisations like CAF India and SPJIMR play a key role in the society in helping the corporate and NGOs sector meet on a common platform.’’
Speaking on behalf of the NGO sector, Manavi Singh, Director, Operations and Strategy, Vidya India, said, ‘’We rely on giving a lot. If there isn’t enough giving, NGOs would facea tough time in coping up with the programs they have designed for social causes.’’
Nagma Mulla, COO, Edel Give Foundation, added ‘’Given the economic situation we were going through last year, I think the findings of the World Giving Index 2015 is not too bad even though India is ranked 106th in the world. CSR brought a lot of attention on the giving landscape in the country. We are a smart population and I am hopeful we can climb up the WGI rankings in the near future.’’
Another NGO representative in the panel, Poonam Bhonsle, Associate Director Operations, Door Step School added, ‘’It’s important to report back to our donors to keep the donors informed about how their donations are being spent. We inculcate the culture of giving through our beneficiaries as they are our best ambassadors to spread the good word.’’
The question and answer round with the audience saw some insightful observations and highlighted the areas where there is a need to bridge the gap between the NGOs and corporates to build a relationship of trust and understanding.