Click, and it is given

Courtesy: Mr Kris

On my way back from Auroville,  as I was walking to the Pondicherry beach, a middle-aged couple approached me. They introduced themselves as residents of a small town in Karnataka. I soon came to know from the man that he had recently fought with his brother and left their house in a huff with his wife. When he had cooled down, he realized what a stupid act he had done and was now desperate to return back. Problem was that they did not have any money on them and he requested me to help him out with that. Like most of us, I was in a quandary as to whether it was a genuine story or they were just some locals who play this act on every tourist that lands on the beach. Being conscious of the value of money, I wanted to make sure that the cause that it would serve was genuine.

Each of us faces a similar dilemma when we want to donate some of our hard-earned money to NGOs. We have doubts about their credibility, the way in which the funds are used and the causes that they hope to serve. Given our busy schedules, we do not always have the luxury of time to actually research and find out more about these aspects. This is where an organization like GiveIndia comes in. A not-for-profit organization, GiveIndia has screened for transparency and credibility over 200 trustworthy charities that you can chose to donate to.

Donating through their website is really simple:
1. Register and logon to the GiveIndia website.
2. Choose a cause to which you want to donate.
3. Add the NGO/project of your choice to your shopping cart.
4. Make the payment.

Voila, you made a difference in someone’s life, somewhere and also ended up saving some tax :)

Once the payment is done, GiveIndia sends you a receipt and the money is promptly transferred to the chosen NGO. Every donation is tracked rigorously and GiveIndia ensures you get a report from the NGO on the project that you contributed to. Since its inception in 1999, GiveIndia has channeled over 1 lakh donations amounting to over 55 crores. A fee of 9.1% of the donated amount is charged by GiveIndia for this service. While you may think that this is not trivial, the satisfaction of knowing that your money goes into the right hands makes it all worth it.

If you liked this post, also try...

1. The Colours of Joy
2. ‘We told the blood bank the next time you have to say “No” to someone asking for blood, please send the person to us’
3. It’s Playback Time…
4. Become a social investor!
5. Two cents of hope