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Give & Take
Business India – January 2-15, 2006
After keeping philanthropists informed about where their money is going, Mastek Foundation will now help NGOs follow effective corporate governance practices.
A global software solutions and integration services providers, Mastek is a 250-crore company, ranked among the top four IT companies in the world. In collaboration with Indian NGOs.com, Mastek has been running a philanthropic unit-The Mastek Foundation-for a year and a half. The last two phrases of their mission statement-‘Informed giving’ & ‘responsible receiving’ are what distinguish Mastek’s efforts to make a difference to society.
Says chairman Ashank Desai, “Our initial efforts were our contribution of 1 per cent of our profit to The Mastek Foundation.” The money would go to the partner NGOs such as Aangan, Apnalaya, Magic Bus & Maharashtra Dyslexia Association. Meanwhile, an independent survey conducted by Mastek among the software community revealed that people want to give but they don’t know how, where or what. Another important concern was whether or not the needy will receive what is given for them. “Thus, the concept of informed giving was developed,” says Desai.
Informed giving :
“We have designed a modular programme, which prepares you for informed giving step-by-step,” says Desai. The nine-step module is internet-based and has been refined through feedback and user interaction so that each module can be completed in 10 minutes. About 400 Mastekeers have been through the programme since its inception. Apart from the nine modules, an additional module involves a field visit, which can last for half to one day, depending on the issue being dealt with and location of the employee. Ten field visits to volunteering efforts have been organised.
Each module contains information such as the number of NGOs that work for a particular cause, how to judge the credibility of an NGO and suggestions on how contribution can be made, either by offering voluntary service or money. Questions such as “What do you really enjoy doing?” and “Do you prefer to work with people or on your own?” help the employees identify their own aspirations. An NGO’s creditability can be judged using questions like, “What is the structure of the organization?” and “What is the need of frequency for your work?”
Once the ‘givers’ have identified the NGO and/or the cause that they want to give to, they make their contribution, often independently. “Employees also have the option of a payroll giving procedure,” informs Desai, in which case the pre-decided amount is deducted from the employees’ salary directly. The foundation raised Rs.3.5 lakh from Mastek employees since September this year through this procedure. Through this programme was initially open only for Mastek employees, it is now available for other corporates as well as well. Philips, Asian Paints, and Standard Chartered Bank are a few companies that have taken up the programme on informed giving.
Responsible receiving :
“Through our interaction with NGOs, we discovered that they require guidance on running their organizations efficiently too,” says Desai. As C.M. Jaywant, executive director, National Association for the Blind (NAB), India points out, “There are issues with transparency, especially when it comes to smaller NGOs run by families. They lack the professional approach that brings credibility to their work.” ‘Responsible receiving’ thus focuses on helping NGOs apply the good governance practices that corporate entities follow.
To address this need and establish The Mastek Foundation’s NGO Governance clinic, a meeting was held on 13 December in Mumbai. Apart from NAB India, other NGOs present were Child Relief and You (CRY), Apnalaya, Akanksha, ICMH saathi, the Kherwadi Social Welfare Association and the Give India Foundation. “Among other outcomes of the discussion, one of the biggest issues was selecting the right board members,” says Desai. However, not all the NGOs are there to receive help. NAB India, a 54-year-old organization, is in a position to offer advice. “We already have appraisals & performance linked incentives built into the system,” says Jaywant. “Our discussions with other large and established NGOs, along with Mastek acting as a facilitator, can help to form a credibility alliance between all member NGOs & help to inject professionalism in their operations.” He feels Mastek can also offer help by way of capacity building of the NGO. “The Main thing is to inspire people to give their time, money and effort,” says Desai.
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