Marketing the NGO: How to add the Trust factor to organized philanthropy

A few months back, I ended up giving a small donation to an NGO, which went into the critical care of a child admitted in a local hospital in Bangalore. The NGO had brought detailed documents about the child and credentials from the hospital to establish a sense of confidence and trust when I donated the money. 

Of late, however, I have seen far too many NGOs not taking this critical initiative to establish that trust factor with the customer. They will call from some obscure number from Delhi or some other place. They will have a shoddy looking website with messages that aim more at emotionalizing you than establishing trust or confidence. Above all, there is no mechanism for a donor to cross verify the credentials of the organization from a trust worthy third party.

Governments can play a major role in this. Every NGO which is working towards raising funds for such causes should have a unique number verifiable from a website owned by the Government. Every quarter the financial statements of such organizations should be made available at this website for donors and public to see and verify. 

No brand can survive without Trust and it holds true of even Non Government Organizations as much as corporate brands. Organized philanthropy is still in its nascent stage. A timely Government intervention will pave a way for a great philanthropic nation.    

 

Single sports mania is so Un-Indian!

Let me be honest. I thoroughly enjoyed the India-Pakistan match in the WC. There is no doubt cricket is the most dominating sports in India. But it’s simply un-Indian and very unlike India. Can we imagine idli-sambar being the most loved breakfast across India? Or “Paneer Mutter” being the most popular gravy of India? Nope. The same goes with our clothing, language, culture and all the diverse nuances that India is known for. But when it comes to sports, the heavy tilt towards cricket is unbelievable. Not only the people but even the Government and media are skewed towards this game. The un-briddled attention that it gets makes it sound to the young boys that it’s the only game worth playing.

In my childhood, we used to play a variety of games, many of whom were kind of local inventions. They encouraged us to think creatively, use all our skills and faculties and help us understand our strengths and weaknesses. Today I see almost every boy running around with a bat and a ball. The imagination begins and ends with that game. This is definitely not a healthy trend for the sports diversity of India. The Govt. should take steps to ensure that even other games get their due attention. This will be in the interest of all the youngsters whose power of knowledge, skills and imagination is just taking wings. A well diversified sports-engaged nation is the beginning of a truly healthy India.