Ask any nonprofit founder or fundraiser in India, and they’ll tell you: the signs are clear. The Bain-Dasra India Philanthropy Report 2025 reveals a troubling trend. Despite increased social sector funding, the gap between what’s needed and what’s available is growing. This shortfall, ₹14 lakh crore today, is expected to hit ₹16 lakh crore by 2029.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and family philanthropy are set to lead private sector giving. But everyday giving — donations from ordinary individuals — already contributes around 30% of all philanthropic funding and holds vast potential to grow.

In 2023, Anant Bhagwati (Bridgespan Group) and Woodrow Rosenbaum (GivingTuesday) proposed a bold idea: if 300 million middle-class Indians gave just ₹100 ($1.25) monthly, it would raise $4.5 billion — more than all CSR contributions combined.

The value of everyday giving goes beyond money. Research from GivingTuesday in the U.S. shows that donors are nearly twice as likely to trust their community and the nonprofit sector. This suggests a virtuous cycle: giving builds trust, which in turn fuels more engagement and generosity, strengthening civil society.

Why Isn’t Everyday Giving More Common in India?

By GIVING TUESDAY

The post The Power of the Crowd: The Case for Collective Giving in India appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

Table of Contents

• Why Men Hesitate
• The Turning Point
• Courage, Vulnerability, and Consistency
• Leaning on Each Other
• The Role of the Ecosystem
• Conclusion

We don’t know what we don’t know.

‘The battle for equality, equity, and inclusion is not whether one woman can or should fight alone. We need men alongside us. Yet, more often than not, men don’t fully grasp what women go through, and without that understanding, their ability to help is limited.’ This truth struck me deeply during a conversation with a renowned feminist publisher — and it has stayed with me since.

At ILSS, through seven cohorts of the Women’s Leadership Program, we’ve seen this reality unfold time and again. Women are forced to carry the impossible burden of balance: excelling at work, nurturing families, mentoring peers, and constantly proving their right to lead. Society calls it “resilience.” In truth, it normalises exhaustion and fuels the dangerous myth that women alone must fix what is broken. Strength, when demanded without support, becomes a subtle form of harm.

And yet, a harder question followed me: Have I ever truly invited men into this dialogue? Have I asked them about their own struggles, blind spots, and hesitations? Patriarchy does not harm women alone; it conditions men too, differently and deeply.

This realisation felt urgent. I knew I had to begin by listening. I turned to the men I know — friends, colleagues and seniors — and asked them, candidly, about their own journeys as allies (or their struggles to be). I spoke to men from all walks of life, each with his own story, his own hesitations, and his own moment of reckoning.

What I heard was no polished speeches. No rehearsed lines. Just raw honesty, as I heard them narrate their sides of the story.

And here’s the truth I synthesised. Stepping into the space of allyship isn’t easy for men either.

Why Men Hesitate

Many men want to be allies but aren’t sure how. They worry about saying the wrong thing, overstepping, or being perceived as performative. One respondent candidly admitted,

‘I’ve been in rooms where I knew I should speak up… but I froze. Not because I didn’t care, but because I wasn’t sure if my voice would help or harm.’

This uncertainty is only made harder by social conditioning. In most professional spaces, men are rewarded for being decisive, in control, and always confident — not for admitting they don’t have all the answers.

The irony is that real allyship often begins with that very admission.

The Turning Point

For some men we spoke to, the journey to becoming an ally began at home through a partner, a daughter, or a colleague whose struggles they could no longer ignore. For others, it came through a jolt at work — an uncomfortable moment that forced them to stop, reflect, and see things differently.

A quote from the conversation reads, ‘I thought I was already doing my bit — hiring women, giving them opportunities. But then a colleague told me she didn’t feel safe speaking in meetings I led. That hit me. I realised that allyship isn’t just about giving space; it’s about making sure the space is genuinely safe.’

These turning points mattered because in that moment, allyship stopped being just an idea and became something real, something lived, a responsibility they could no longer step away from.

Courage, Vulnerability, and Consistency

The men we heard from didn’t pretend to have it all figured out. They spoke about the awkward first attempts, asking questions that felt clumsy, challenging a friend’s sexist remark and getting laughed at, or stumbling over language in a DEI workshop.

And yet, they kept going.

As one person put it, ‘If the fear of making mistakes stops us, nothing changes. We have to be willing to look a bit foolish in the short term for something bigger in the long term.’

At ILSS, we believe this is where courage meets vulnerability. Allyship isn’t about a single grand gesture; it’s about the everyday act of showing up, listening, learning, unlearning, and then trying again.

Leaning on Each Other

One of the richest threads in these conversations was the need for men to lean on each other in this journey.

Too often, men committed to gender equity feel isolated. They may be the only ones in their leadership circle pushing for a new policy or questioning bias in recruitment. Without peers to talk to, the work can feel exhausting — even risky.

‘When I started calling out bias in hiring, a few people in my team thought I was just being “too sensitive”. Having a group of other men who understood what I was trying to do made a world of difference,’ confided one during the conversation.

It’s crucial to create spaces where men can speak openly about their doubts, their missteps, and their progress. These aren’t spaces to centre men’s experiences over women’s, but to help men build the resilience and clarity they need to show up better.

The Role of the Ecosystem

It’s not just about individual men doing the work. Organisations, networks, and the broader ecosystem have a role to play in making allyship sustainable.

Policies matter. Training matters. But so does modelling. When leaders, especially male leaders, speak openly about their allyship journey, it normalises the conversation.

At ILSS, we’ve seen that when men are invited into equity work not as ‘helpers’ but as co-creators of change, their engagement deepens. They stop treating allyship as a favour and start seeing it as part of their own leadership identity.

‘This isn’t charity. This is about building better teams, better organisations, and a fairer world, and I benefit from that too’, as one respondent summed it up.

Moving Forward

So, how do we create more of these spaces for men to step up?

• First, we have to acknowledge the fears and reluctance that hold them back, without judgment.
• Second, we must design opportunities for honest, peer-supported conversations.
• Third, we must embed allyship into leadership expectations, not as an optional extra but as a core competency.

The Men as Allies conversation was a reminder that there’s no perfect starting point. Some men are years into their journey; others are just beginning. What matters is creating conditions where both feel they can contribute, learn, and grow.

And perhaps the biggest takeaway? Allyship isn’t about men ‘saving’ women. It’s about shared responsibility for a more equitable world — and the courage to start with ourselves. As one of our colleagues so powerfully said, ‘If I wait until I’m sure I’ll get it right, I’ll never start. But if I start, I know I’ll get better.’

At ILSS, we’re committed to holding that space where starting is encouraged, mistakes are part of the process, and allyship is a shared journey. Because when men exercise courage, vulnerability, and authenticity, the ripple effect is profound.

Note: This blog wouldn’t have been possible without the men who chose to be part of these conversations — showing up with honesty, vulnerability, and courage. Though I keep their names confidential, I would like to acknowledge them with deep gratitude. Thank you for trusting me, and for lending your voices to a dialogue that I believe the world needs more of.

About the Author

Trisha Ramesh
Intern, India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS)

Trisha is a postgraduate student of Gender Studies at Ambedkar University, Delhi, and currently supports the Emerging Women’s Leadership Program at ILSS as a Program Management Intern. In this role, she contributes to coordination, logistics, and documentation, while learning from the everyday practice of feminist leadership.

She has previously worked with organisations such as Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), Misfyt Trans Youth Foundation and MarchingSheep where she explored gender, sexuality, and inclusion through research and writing. With a strong interest in advocacy, she is especially drawn to work that makes feminist knowledge accessible and grounded. She sees gender in everything—from policy to everyday interaction and is curious about how structures of power shape lived experience.

The post Allyship: The Conversations We’re Not Having Enough appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

Table of Contents

• Capital is Rising, but is Capability Catching Up?
• Why Execution is the Real Challenge
• The Human Capital Deficit
• The Governance Gap
• Strengthening the Core: Building High-Impact CSR Teams
• Examples of Two Effective CSR Team Performances
• Bridging the Readiness Gap

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India has evolved into a significant change agent over the past decade. In FY 2023–24 alone, over 27,188 companies invested more than ₹34,909 crore across 59,633 CSR projects (National CSR Portal). According to India CSR 2025 by Give Grants, this number could grow to ₹1.2 lakh crore annually by FY35. With boardroom engagement deepening, CSR teams maturing, and a strong ecosystem of partners and intermediaries taking shape, the sector holds enormous potential to drive meaningful, long-term social impact for corporate houses.

Yet, recent research tells us a more complex story. While CSR investment continues to rise alongside burgeoning corporate profits, its impact is unquestionably decided by the teams and their captive talent pool — be it the boards that set priorities, the CSR leaders who shape vision into strategy, or the teams that transform plans into cognisable action. While funds are flowing, the question remains: do companies have the talent and structures in place to convert it into meaningful and sustainable change? This blog examines why high-performance teams, not merely capital, will define the next decade of CSR impact in India.

Capital is Rising, but is Capability Catching Up?

The introduction of the CSR mandate in 2014 was a watershed moment for India. It redefined ‘giving’ not solely as charity, but as a strategy. In the decade since, it has unlocked over ₹2.17 lakh crore for social development, which is expected to rise to ₹7.24 lakh crore by 2035 (Give Grants 2024 ). But while budgets have grown manifold, teams have not always kept pace. According to the Bridgespan report, Practices That Power CSR Talent and Governance in India (2025), nearly two-thirds of the surveyed CSR leaders rank ‘best-in-class talent’ among the premier three ingredients for CSR success. The challenge today is not about how much is spent, but how effectively it is spent — and that comes down to the strength, structure, and strategic clarity of the teams managing CSR grant allocation and on-the-ground implementation. The money tap is wide open, but the talent pipeline continues to remain constricted.

Why Execution is the Real Challenge

The inherent complexity of CSR concepts and the layered nature of social challenges demand more than financial allocation. They require strategic foresight, adaptive execution, and sustained engagement, all of which depend on the understanding and capability of the teams executing them. On the ground, many CSR projects in India continue to struggle with limited baseline data, short-term project cycles, and a tendency to measure success based on output rather than outcome. These are not just budgeting challenges; they represent fundamental gaps in execution and impact measurement — barriers that only CSR teams with strong on-ground knowledge, sectoral understanding, and relevant skills can overcome.

The Human Capital Deficit

One of the most persistent hurdles to more effective CSR is the shortage of skilled and focused talent. The Bridgespan report referenced earlier reveals that 82% of CSR leaders surveyed believe they need to hire or upskill their teams to improve effectiveness. Many CSR leaders juggle multiple roles, often with responsibilities outside of CSR, making it difficult to bring the strategic depth and focus that their work demands. 35% of leaders report challenges in hiring at the junior level, pointing to a limited talent pool and a lack of long-term career pathways within the sector. Nonprofit founders and fundraisers, who work closely with CSR grantmaking teams, often highlight their lack of sectoral understanding and sensitivity to its complexities, which are essential for bringing about social change. The CSR function today requires professionals who can seamlessly blend corporate acumen with social sector fluency, a rare and demanding combination.

The Governance Gap

Strong governance is foundational to impactful CSR but remains a weak link in many organisations. The Bridgespan report highlights that most CSR committee members lack a deep contextual understanding of the social sector or the communities they are meant to serve. Only 54% of CSR leaders in the survey feel that their governance bodies bring this critical perspective to the table. This disconnect leads to well-intentioned decisions missing the mark, highlighting the need for greater ground-level insight right at the governance level.

Strengthening the Core: Building High-Impact CSR Teams

To address these systemic gaps in teams and governance, the Bridgespan report outlines a clear development agenda covering three core areas:

Leadership

• Positioning CSR heads closer to the C-suite to enable weaving CSR right into the fabric of business strategy, while empowering them with operational autonomy for faster and more strategic execution.
• Investing in building leadership pipelines and offering real-world learning opportunities to equip leaders for long-term and sustained impact.

Teams

• Attracting and retaining motivated CSR talent by offering a clear purpose, visible career growth, and hands-on exposure.
• Going beyond formal training by tapping into internal expertise, peer networks, and nonprofit partnerships to strengthen cross-functional execution and trust-building in the field.

Governance:

• Engaging governance members in CSR strategy, partnerships, and advocacy efforts.
• Establishing advisory boards with external experts and deepening their understanding through field immersions and community

Examples of Two Effective CSR Team Performances

High-performing CSR teams don’t happen by accident. They are built around key capabilities and mindsets that combine sectoral insight, adaptability, data-driven execution, and a strong focus on talent. Here are two examples.

• The MANSI Project by Tata Steel Foundation The Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI), operating in rural Jharkhand, has significantly reduced infant and maternal mortality rates. This long-running program has a dedicated team that understands the intricacies of the local health ecosystem, has successfully built a strong community trust, and meticulously trained and supported ground-level workers, leading to sustained behavioural change and improved health outcomes.
• The Clean Water Initiative by Astral Foundation In the water-scarce village of Hiwali (Maharashtra), Astral Foundation’s CSR team enabled the first-ever piped water access since Independence by constructing a 2.7 km pipeline, a deep well, and storage tanks. The initiative impacted over 300 residents and 1,500 livestock, significantly reducing waterborne illnesses and improving school attendance. Clear team roles, close coordination with the community, and support from senior leadership led to swift and transformative execution, addressing a critical need in the process.

Bridging the Readiness Gap

Despite growing ambition and funding, most CSR teams lack the right knowledge, mindset, and skills to set up systems to create the capabilities the social sector truly needs. Key areas, such as monitoring-evaluation-learning (MEL), strategic communications, digital enablement, and systems thinking, often remain inadequately represented or outright misunderstood. This results in disconnected initiatives, misaligned stakeholder expectations, and curtailed impact. CSR professionals require a nuanced understanding of the social sector’s complexity, encompassing its histories, power dynamics, systems, and communities. Without this grounding, even well-funded programs struggle to deliver sustainable change, precisely where structured leadership development can be a game-changer.

Recognising this, India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) has developed programs that help corporate professionals build the mindset, knowledge, and networks needed to navigate this space with confidence, while strengthening the skills required to lead with purpose. The ILSS Leadership Program is designed for individuals transitioning into or advancing within the social sector, including those already working in CSR functions. Complementing this, The ILSS Board Leadership Program equips senior leaders and board members to bring greater strategic depth, governance rigour, and sectoral sensitivity to the organisations they serve. These programs offer an integrated learning experience that combines exposure to development challenges, cross-sector perspectives, and immersive learning, enabling professionals to bridge the gap between corporate intent and community reality with nuanced clarity and absolute conviction.

The success of CSR isn’t just about giving more; it’s about understanding better and solving smarter.

About the Author

Tapoja Mukherji
Senior Manager – Marketing and Communication

Tapoja Mukherji is the senior manager, communications at ILSS, leading the organisation’s communications efforts to ensure its message is conveyed with clarity, impact, and resonance across platforms. With two decades of experience in publishing, content writing, and editorial leadership, she previously served as the senior editor of TTIS, a leading children’s weekly from The Telegraph, Kolkata. She has a strong background in storytelling and editorial management, specialising in crafting impactful narratives, proofreading, and copy editing. She began her career as a high school teacher before transitioning into media and communications, where she discovered her passion for shaping narratives and engaging audiences.

The post CSR in the Next Decade: Why People Will Matter More Than Capital appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

The Digital India Vision: A Foundation for Social Change

The year 2015 marked the launch of the ‘Digital India’ initiative with the ambition to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The core focus areas were developing robust digital infrastructure, delivering government services digitally, and enhancing digital literacy¹. This vision laid the foundation for a plethora of digital innovations to flourish, reaching even the remotest corners of the country.

Key pillars that have directly impacted the social sector include:

• Aadhaar: This unique identification system has become a foundational element for administering various social welfare schemes, ensuring transparency and reducing leakages by enabling direct benefit transfers (DBT) to beneficiaries’ bank accounts. As of April 2025, over 1.4 billion Aadhaar IDs have been generated, significantly increasing financial inclusion².
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI): UPI has revolutionised digital payments, making financial transactions seamless and accessible even for those in rural areas. It has redefined how money moves, contributing to an 83% share of all digital payments in India as of early 2025². This financial inclusion is crucial for empowering vulnerable communities.
• MyGov.in & UMANG: These platforms foster citizen engagement in governance and provide a consolidated mobile platform for accessing over 1,000 government services, from bill payments to healthcare, simplifying interactions and making services more citizen-centric¹.
• Common Service Centers (CSCs): These digital access points, especially in rural and remote areas, provide essential services like healthcare, financial services, and education, bridging the digital divide at the grassroots level¹.

Impact Stories: Digital Catalysts for Social Good

The theoretical framework of Digital India translates into tangible impact through various initiatives and the tireless efforts of social purpose organisations (SPOs).

Public Health In public health, digital tools are enhancing program delivery at scale. FMCH effectively reached over 147,000 families in 2023–24 by integrating health guidelines and real-time dashboards. This digital approach empowered field teams for proactive care delivery and demonstrated high adoption rates among first-time users, including Anganwadi workers.

Challenges and Opportunities

Despite the remarkable progress, the journey of digital transformation in India’s social sector is not without its hurdles:

• Infrastructure and Connectivity: Challenges remain in ensuring consistent high-speed internet access across all villages, with issues of non-functional broadband points and slow internet speeds in certain areas.
• Digital Literacy: A high level of digital illiteracy, especially in rural areas, remains a significant barrier to the effective adoption and utilisation of digital tools. Initiatives like the National Digital Literacy Mission are addressing this by certifying millions of rural citizens.
• Data Privacy and Security: The increasing reliance on digital platforms necessitates robust measures for data privacy and security, as concerns around data management and misuse intensify.
• Funding and Scalability: Many social initiatives struggle with funding constraints and the challenge of scaling successful pilot projects for broader impact. Donors are increasingly being urged to view digital capabilities as core infrastructure costs rather than just overhead.

However, these challenges present significant opportunities. The momentum is shifting, with more social purpose organisations actively seeking digital solutions and funders becoming more open to supporting technological infrastructure. The ‘India Stack’ model, with its interoperable, inclusive, and scalable digital public infrastructure, is being studied and adopted globally, showcasing India’s potential to lead in responsible technology development².

The Future is Digital and Inclusive

The future of digital innovation in India’s social sector is promising. Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are being deployed to analyse vast datasets, predict trends, and tailor interventions in areas like poverty, disease outbreaks, and environmental degradation³.

The emphasis is on building an inclusive digital future, where technology empowers individuals, enhances service delivery, fosters collaboration, and provides data-driven insights for evidence-based policymaking⁴. India’s journey demonstrates that digital transformation is not merely about adopting new technologies but about reimagining how we learn, interact, work, and deliver value to communities, ultimately striving for a more equitable and sustainable world.

About the Author

Mehak Jain

With over 5 years of Experience, Mehak is deeply passionate about reshaping the landscape of higher education in India. She has previously worked as a consultant at 9.9 Education setting up higher education institutions from scratch of idea to implementation. She is a Young India fellow from Ashoka University, and also an alumni of University of Hyderabad and University of Delhi.

Reference articles:

1. India-briefing.com. “India’s Digital Transformation.
2. Vision IAS. “Digital India: Transforming a Nation Through Technology Revolution.
3. NGOFeed.com. “Digital Dividends: How NGOs Are Leveraging Technology to Maximize Social Impact.
4. Digitalsocialinnovation.org. “The Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Social Innovation.

The post Transforming India through Digital Innovation in the Social Sector appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

She began her career with grassroots development organisations and went on to work with leading agencies like Save the Children, Sightsavers, and UNICEF. Her leadership has been instrumental in the success of two award-winning projects in West Bengal. As a state-level Child Safeguarding Trainer, she regularly conducts sessions for NGOs, government bodies, and academic institutions.

Arundhati is also the voice behind Development Dialogue, a blog that extends beyond her professional experiences. It serves as a reflective space to pause, question, and reimagine development practice. Through grounded insights, feminist values, and a human-centred lens, she explores leadership, systems thinking, and the everyday realities of development work. Her writing invites practitioners, learners, and changemakers to engage in deeper conversations about equity, care, and transformation in the social sector.

Article originally published on Substack.

The post From Pathways to Purpose – My Emerging Women’s Leadership Journey appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

Stranded on the planet Mars, with limited supplies and no way home, astronaut Mark Watney does not panic. Instead, he problem-solves, codes, calculates and survives by making data-driven decisions. Each small step and improvisation increases his chances of survival on the planet. Mark Watney’s survival in the 2015 sci-fi movie The Martian isn’t driven by luck; it’s driven by data, where each decision is informed, tracked, and refined through digital systems. He uses data to increase his chances of adaptation and survival every day.

Much like Watney, India’s social impact space has seen a remarkable digital transformation in recent decades. Organisations are leveraging technology to amplify their impact and reach millions of beneficiaries at scale, measuring outcomes more accurately and solving innovatively and much faster. The emergence of India’s highly penetrated digital infrastructure of the Aadhaar system, UPI payments, and widespread mobile connectivity, has helped the Indian social sector see unprecedented opportunities to scale their operations and reach the masses.

Transforming Learning through Digital Revolution

Expanding Healthcare Access or Making Healthcare Accessible

Scaling Impact in Nutrition and Child Welfare

Increased Reach and Scaling the Impact

Navigating Digital Challenges in the Indian Context

While the above examples showcase digital potential for the social sector, they might sometimes be difficult to adopt or implement.. Adapting digital solutions for Indian social sector organisations often comes with its unique challenges:

So, what do we do?

India’s social sector is a complex fabric of interwoven social issues. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach while leveraging the vast digital potential. For instance, organisations need gender-intentional programs working within existing social structures while gradually expanding opportunities for women. Group-based training sessions in traditional community gatherings can make technology adoption feel familiar rather than threatening to established norms. India’s diversity encompasses linguistic differences and complex social hierarchies around gender, caste, and class. This requires going beyond simple language translation to developing user-friendly interfaces that accommodate varying literacy levels through visual aids, voice-based interactions, and intuitive design elements. Organisations must also invest in robust security protocols and comprehensive employee training on data protection best practices, ensuring beneficiary trust while meeting emerging regulatory requirements.

In our conversations at India Leaders for Social Sector, we often hear leaders from some of the most dynamic organisations say, ‘Digital is tough..’ Our reply to them is, ‘Aren’t you already doing one of the toughest jobs in the world and working with some of the most wicked problems?’ It’s time now for organisations to start seeing digital as something that will help and ease their lives.

Conclusion

Digital is no longer peripheral; it’s central to almost everything that we do now. As the Indian social sector grows, supporting leaders and building organisational cultures embracing innovation and change becomes crucial. From data-led program design to real-time service delivery, digital tools are enabling organisations to act faster, reach further, and adapt smarter. Data is replacing guesswork in how voices once unheard are now visible through digital platforms.

It’s true that the social sector requires us to make a lot of ethical decisions with empathy, emotional intelligence and deep awareness of human needs. Hence, it’s imperative for social sector leaders to learn to integrate tech with equity, empathy, and an increased emphasis on preserving ‘human agency’.

Technology and human ingenuity must blend together seamlessly. Hence, by adopting this holistic approach, one that respects cultural contexts while pushing boundaries, prioritises inclusive design over one-size-fits-all solutions, and maintains the highest standards of data security, Indian social organisations can navigate the digital transformation journey successfully while staying true to their mission of serving the most vulnerable populations.

About the Author

Nupur Mahajan
Associate Director

Nupur Mahajan has a decade of experience in content creation, training, and facilitation, working across EdTech, Big 4, healthcare, and IT sectors. An entrepreneur at heart, she was a founding team member at Parwarish, leading efforts to unlock human potential. She later worked in both corporate and startup spaces, designing and delivering learning programs for senior women leaders, mid-management, and early talent at Deloitte India Shared Services Pvt. Ltd. As director of learning at Ingenious Faces, she taught a 110-hour design thinking course globally. Nupur holds a master’s in human development and childhood studies (University of Delhi) and is passionate about fostering entrepreneurial mindsets in young talent across India.

The post Digitisation and Its Relevance in the Indian Social Impact Sector appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

In India, where over 732 million people are online, digital fundraising presents immense opportunities. Yet, many nonprofits are hesitant — limited by budgets, technological unfamiliarity, or operational inertia. In today’s landscape, such reluctance is a strategic risk. Digital fluency is fast becoming a critical enabler of sustainability and impact.

The Fundraising Cycle: Enhancing Each Stage with Technology

A simple tool to understand fundraising is the fundraising cycle, which decodes fundraising as separate but interdependent processes: identifying potential donors, cultivating relationships, making the ask, managing donor communication and ensuring donor retention. Technology now streamlines each of these steps, making the process faster, smarter, and more personal.

Identifying the Right Donors: Beyond Guesswork

Finding aligned donors is the starting point. Traditional cold calls are giving way to smarter, data-led approaches. Tools like Candid’s India Funders Database and Tamuku’s grant alerts help discover funders already supporting similar causes. Apollo.io and Lusha provide verified contact data, while LinkedIn offers insights into philanthropic trends and networks.

AI tools now allow for deeper prospecting. By analysing the funders of peer organisations, AI can surface potential donors likely to resonate with your mission. It can even scan donor websites to detect frequently used language and values, allowing you to echo their tone and priorities in your outreach. This level of personalisation boosts alignment and improves response rates.

Building Relationships: The Power of Personalisation

Once potential donors are identified, cultivating meaningful relationships is crucial. In an era of hyper-personalised content, generic emails fall flat. Tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai transcribe and summarise conversations, capturing donor preferences and concerns. Platforms such as ChatGPT or Jasper.ai can craft custom proposals and emails that reflect a donor’s tone and communication style.

Video adds another layer of connection. Tools like HeyGen and Synthesia generate multilingual, personalised thank-you videos—sometimes with AI avatars addressing donors directly. More humanised video platforms like Loom or Bonjoro enable asynchronous messages that deepen emotional connection.

CRM softwares like Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Bloomerang, or Kindful track donor data, enabling personalised communication journeys based on giving history, interests, and interactions. These tools help nonprofits foster long-term, trust-based relationships.

Making the Ask: Strategic, Story-Driven Outreach

The moment of asking for support must be compelling, timely, and strategic. Crowdfunding platforms like Milaap and Ketto lead the way on seamless payment systems. AI can assist in refining proposals — ChatGPT helps craft persuasive narratives. However, context matters. When the Reserve Bank of India introduced new rules for recurring payments in 2021, many nonprofits saw donor drop-offs. Digital strategies must align with local regulations and donor habits.

Stewardship: Making Donors Feel Truly Valued

The act of giving marks the beginning — not the end — of the donor relationship. Stewardship involves thoughtful follow-ups and transparent communication. CRMs like Revolution CRM track donor history and preferences, enabling timely and relevant updates.

AI tools like Predis.ai help automate personalised impact reports, saving time while keeping donors informed. Even a short, mobile-shot video showing on-ground impact can go a long way in reinforcing donor trust and emotional connection.

Retention: From One-Time Donors to Lifelong Advocates

The final, and often most underestimated, phase is retention. Why do some donors give once and disengage, while others stay connected for years? The key lies in creating a sense of belonging. Exclusive updates, invitations to virtual town halls, or even a handwritten note can make all the difference. AI can also help by flagging patterns of disengagement, enabling timely re-engagement strategies tailored to individual donor behaviour.

The Road Ahead: Integrating Technology with Human Connection

Ultimately, while digital tools offer unprecedented capabilities, fundraising remains a human-centred effort. People give to people and causes they believe in. Technology should amplify — not replace — these relationships.

For nonprofits, the question is no longer whether to adopt digital fundraising, but how. Those who integrate smart tools with genuine connection will not only survive but thrive in this new era. With a single social media post capable of sparking a movement, the power to drive change has never been more accessible.

About the Author

Aashi Sengar
Associate – Communications and Marketing

Aashi Sengar is a dynamic communications professional with a Master’s in Mass Communication from Pondicherry University and a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Delhi. Her diverse skill set spans content management, digital media creation, graphic design, and social media strategy. Her love for storytelling was sparked by her avid reading habit, which has been a constant companion throughout her life. This passion for narratives led her to pursue a career in communications, where she could weave stories that resonate with diverse audiences.

The post The New Age of Giving: Why Digital Fundraising Can’t Be Ignored  appeared first on India Leaders for Social Sector.

This is the essence of advocacy — ensuring your voice is not just heard, but resonates; sparking change rather than merely raising awareness; telling stories that move hearts; presenting data that compels action; and crafting ideas that influence decisions.

At India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS), we empower leaders across India’s social sector to perfect this craft. We understand that effective leadership is not fuelled by passion alone; it is about harnessing that passion into a message that demands attention. Social change, as we know, is propelled by a powerful narrative.

Why Communication Is the Core of Advocacy and Social Change

Good Intentions to Meaningful Impact
Advocacy begins with conviction, but it succeeds through communication. Whether you are speaking up for gender rights, clean water, better schools, or inclusive policies, the goal is the same: to move people, to make them care, help them understand, and ultimately, inspire them to act. That’s what makes communication in advocacy so vital. It’s the bridge between mere good intentions to meaningful impact.

Storytelling for Social Change
Across time and geography, social change has been driven by individuals and movements that not only had a message but also knew how to deliver it. Think of the recent campaigns for LGBTQ+ rights and menstrual health awareness, for example. Each combined the power of storytelling, strategy, persistence to shift public perception, and eventually influence institutions.

Context Is Key
In India, where social issues are complex, layered, and deeply contextual, effective advocacy communication enables nonprofits and changemakers to build trust, mobilise communities, shape public discourse, and influence systems. When messages reach the right people at the right time, social change happens.

Strategy Meets Storytelling in Advocacy Communication

Once you understand why communication is essential to advocacy and social change, the next step is learning how to do it well. Successful advocacy communication is never ad hoc. It begins with a clear goal and is backed by a thoughtful, strategic plan. Whether you’re trying to make your work visible, influence policy, shift public perception, or mobilise support, there are four essential steps in any effective advocacy effort.

Know your audience: Who are you trying to reach? A message meant for policymakers won’t resonate the same way with young volunteers or rural communities.

Shape your message: What do you want them to understand, feel, or do? Framing the right content can turn confusion into clarity and concern into action.

Choose the right channel: Is it a tweet, a town hall, a WhatsApp message, or a long-form article? Your medium should match your message.

Offer a clear call to action: What’s the next step? Whether it’s signing a petition, donating, or simply sharing a story, action needs direction.

Running through all of this is one powerful thread: storytelling. The most compelling advocacy efforts don’t rely on numbers alone; they translate data into lived experience, making the abstract feel personal and urgent.

Some core principles can make advocacy communication truly effective.

Clarity: Strip away the jargon. Say it simply. Make your message stick.

Credibility: Back your story with facts and tell it with honesty. Trust builds confidence.

Adaptability: Stay responsive. Campaigns that evolve with time remain relevant and powerful.

When these elements come together, advocacy and social change cease to be abstract goals. They become actionable, compelling, and achievable.

Reaching the Masses with Digital Advocacy

Digital platforms have revolutionised the landscape of advocacy. Today, a viral Instagram reel or a compelling tweet can ignite conversations that previously took months of campaigning to generate. At the heart of successful digital advocacy lies the ability to craft a purposeful communication strategy — one that not only broadcasts messages but actively fosters communities, encourages dialogue, and drives ongoing action.

Key Pillars of a Strong Digital Advocacy Strategy

Audience Mapping: Know who you are speaking to and where they are. Digital campaigns must segment and understand audiences not just demographically, but also psychographically. What do they care about? What platforms do they use? What content formats engage them?

Content Strategy: Every message must be tailored to the platform and moment. Short-form videos, explainer threads, infographic carousels, and vernacular storytelling are all part of the expansive modern digital toolkit. Content should educate, move, and empower.

Multilingual and Inclusive Communication: In a country as diverse as India, digital advocacy must cross linguistic and cultural lines. Adapting content into regional languages and reflecting local realities ensures that messages are accessible and resonate more deeply.

Data-Driven Decision-Making: Digital tools offer real-time feedback through engagement metrics, comment sentiment, share rates, and more. This allows for agile campaigning and sharper messaging.

Ethical and Responsible Use: With great reach comes great responsibility. Digital communication must be rooted in truth, transparency, and respect. The goal is not manipulation, but mobilisation. Leaders must be mindful of privacy, misinformation, and digital fatigue.

Community Building, Not Just Broadcasting: The most successful digital advocacy doesn’t just go viral; it sparks conversations. By fostering interaction, inviting co-creation, and nurturing trust, organisations can build lasting digital movements instead of mere short-lived spikes.

For nonprofits and changemakers in India, digital advocacy is both a great equaliser and a powerful amplifier. From grassroots WhatsApp groups organising community action, to data dashboards showcasing real-time impact, the digital shift has enabled even small organisations to punch above their weight. But success in this space isn’t about simply being online; rather, it’s about being strategic, authentic, and culturally aware.

The Role of Leadership in Social Advocacy

Behind every meaningful movement is a leader who knows how to communicate, not just clearly, but purposefully. In advocacy, leadership isn’t just about holding a position; it’s about setting a direction, building belief, and creating alignment. The most impactful leaders in the social sector are often the most effective communicators. They don’t just speak, they effortlessly connect.

ILSS has consistently emphasised communication as a core leadership competency. Our programs are built on this belief. Whether through structured learning or coaching, we help leaders master the art of communication by refining their ability to craft effective messages, tell compelling stories, and convey them with authenticity and conviction. When leaders learn to wield the power of effective communication, they lead transformation. Those who understand the nuances of strategic communication can transform abstract goals into achievable realities while navigating the complex labyrinth of the social sector and rallying diverse groups towards a common purpose.

How ILSS Equips Leaders to Craft Their Narratives

ILSS is an institution dedicated to holistic leadership development within India’s nonprofit ecosystem, with a communication approach grounded in practical and context-relevant training. Through its programs, ILSS has been nurturing a new generation of changemakers who are as comfortable crafting narratives as they are designing interventions.

The ILSS Fundraising Program, for instance, incorporates the Pitch Fest as a key component. This competitive element enables participating fundraisers to craft and present the narrative of their work, ensuring they pitch to donors with clarity of mission, authenticity in storytelling, and confidence in making the ask. The ILSS Emerging Women’s Leadership Program aids mid-career women in discovering their voice, increasing their visibility, and speaking with authority — skills that are essential for both personal leadership and broader systemic change. A standout feature of the program is the ‘My Terrifically Tiny Tale’ exercise, where participants develop a three-minute narrative that encapsulates their personal story, lived experiences, and vision for the future. This exercise helps them define and refine their leadership identity, enabling them to express it with impact. In The ILSS Digital Transformation for Social Impact Program, participants navigate the course to identify a digital solution tailored to their organisation’s needs, culminating in a presentation of their proposed solution to mentors for validation and support.

Through these and other efforts, ILSS enables nonprofit leaders to move beyond operational execution and become confident, credible voices for the causes they champion.

Driving Social Change Through Voice and Vision

As India’s social challenges evolve, so must its leadership. The ability to communicate with purpose to inspire, persuade, and spur action is no longer optional; it’s essential. ILSS is championing a new kind of leader: one who doesn’t just understand the problems, but can shape the conversations that lead to solutions.

If you believe in the power of voice, vision, and values to drive social change, ILSS invites you to be part of this journey. Explore our programs and discover how you can become a leader who doesn’t just respond to change, but pioneers it.

Visit India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) to learn more.

About the Author

Tapoja Mukherji
Senior Manager – Marketing and Communication

Tapoja Mukherji is the senior manager, communications at ILSS, leading the organisation’s communications efforts to ensure its message is conveyed with clarity, impact, and resonance across platforms. With two decades of experience in publishing, content writing, and editorial leadership, she previously served as the senior editor of TTIS, a leading children’s weekly from The Telegraph, Kolkata. She has a strong background in storytelling and editorial management, specialising in crafting impactful narratives, proofreading, and copy editing. She began her career as a high school teacher before transitioning into media and communications, where she discovered her passion for shaping narratives and engaging audiences.

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The team soon discovered that the problem was not the quality of training. In fact, the girls loved the content, the teachers and their simple ways of training. The program’s success was being shaped by the larger social and cultural ecosystem. Like many underprivileged households in India, these girls faced pressures to do housework, care for their younger siblings, marry early, or have limited hours for which they can step outside their homes. The team soon realised that they had to work through navigating the larger socio-cultural barriers at play. They started working with the community and their families. They talked about redefining gender roles within the community and ensured the learning space felt safe and supportive to the parents. The team even planned to conduct sessions for parents and create new support systems in the community, so that these girls can take out time for the training.

The above anecdote reflects a broader truth about India’s social sector. Behind every social issue lies a web of other interrelated issues. It is this complexity that makes working with the social sector so demanding yet so vital.

This is a composite story based on real challenges faced by nonprofits working in informal settlements across India.

What Makes the Social Sector so Complex?

Working in the social sector means working to improve social issues in the domains of education, health, poverty, environment, gender equality, sustainability, and much more. Over the last few years, the sector has seen an increase in the number of nonprofit organisations and other civil society groups working in different ways to solve social issues at scale. The problems that these stakeholders want to solve are rarely straightforward, but highly interwoven. Take, for instance, a nonprofit trying to improve school attendance. They can’t do so without looking at a child’s access to proper nutrition, overall family income, or the safety of getting to school. Child nutrition and health, on the other hand, may involve taking care of clean water, sanitation, and access to proper healthcare facilities.

Each problem is connected to many others, and hence, trying to fix just one issue without understanding the full picture can lead to limited results or even create new problems. Moreover, India is a land of socio-cultural diversity. Hence, social systems such as caste, gender, and geography also play a big role in access to equal opportunities within the larger social context of the Indian subcontinent.

‘You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’
— Buckminster Fuller

Systemic Lens: Seeing the Bigger Picture

Systemic Approach

To make lasting change, social sector organisations must look beyond individual problems and adopt a systemic approach, i.e. seeing issues as parts of a whole. Returning to the Dharavi example, what seemed like an increased dropout rate turned out to be a web of deeper challenges, such as family expectations, gender norms, safety, and restriction on mobility. Hence, the team had to not just work around training, but also build long-lasting trust with families, create safe spaces, and subtly challenge gender and social norms over a period of time.

Akshaya Patra Foundation

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, for instance, operates one of the world’s largest mid-day meal programs, serving over 2.25 million children across 16 states and 3 union territories in India. Their studies have shown that midday meals improve attendance rates among school children, reduce dropout rates, improve classroom performance, help in cognitive development and improve nutritional levels drastically. Hence, by providing nutritious meals in schools, the organisation not only combats classroom hunger but also incentivises school attendance, especially among children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Effective Practices to Navigate Social Sector Challenges

Apart from adopting a ‘systemic lens’, navigating the complexity of the social sector also includes adopting some other effective practices such as:

Stakeholder Alignment

This involves aligning all stakeholders, beneficiaries, community leaders, funders, and government officials to build a shared understanding of the problem and a shared vision for a solution. It’s only when the problem is identified clearly, can the problems be solved.

Digging deeper

Solutions to the social sector issues might appear very simple and logical at the outset. However, they are rarely as straightforward. Looking for root causes of problems, not just symptoms, and asking oneself, ‘What exactly is going on here?’ becomes imperative.

Adaptability and flexibility

Once the root cause of the problem is identified, the social sector organisations need to constantly adapt their implementation and impact strategies for need-based, real and sustained impact.

Redefining the meaning of ‘success’

Unlike the private sector, ‘success’ in the social sector is much harder to measure. Improvement in the lives of the people at large – better living conditions and access to health, empowered girls, women and communities takes time, and might not show up immediately. In fact, it might not show up for years. Human shifts like changes in mindset, attitudes or confidence, are difficult to measure.

Collaborative Efforts

While approaching a problem, all stakeholders come with different expectations and impact needs. The on-ground organisations need to hold it all together and need to strongly align with various stakeholders from time to time. Solutions to social issues need to be created with collaboration, patience, and creativity. Sometimes, situations demand tough choices where there is no perfect answer, yet one has to take the best possible way ahead.

Social sector leadership to navigate the complexity

The Need for Purpose-Driven Leaders

The sector needs leaders who not only understand scale and systems but who also lead with empathy, humility, and a people-first mindset. The sector needs seasoned professionals from the corporate world, where their experience in navigating complexity, leading teams, building systems, and driving results can be transformative for the social sector. However, leaders who cross over to the sector, often find themselves in situations where traditional success metrics don’t apply, and impact is much harder to explain and quantify. The sector doesn’t provide simple answers, and progress is often slow and time-consuming. This often calls for a significant shift in mindset and a deeper understanding of the social sector’s unique dynamics. Crossover leaders who choose to work in the sector must have a clearer understanding of their values, motivations, and limits to stretching.

ILSS: A Transformative Leadership Journey

Such a transition requires a structured space that can foster reflection, learning, and help build a systemic lens towards the sector. The ILSS Leadership Program is a 9-day immersive experience designed for senior professionals from the private sector who seek to meaningfully engage with the social sector. Blending theory with practice, the Program focuses on both the ‘head’ and the ‘heart’. Leaders are encouraged to think clearly and act with purpose and empathy by embracing approaches that are inclusive, holistic, and sustainable. The participants leave not only with practical tools but also with the clarity and confidence to navigate the complexities of the social sector.

Conclusion

By now, it has been established that the social sector is not just about solving problems; it’s about understanding them deeply. This comes from a conscious work on listening, adapting, and working with the system as it is. This can be challenging and uncertain, but it is also deeply rewarding. It asks us to bring not just our skills, but our whole selves, with clarity, compassion, and courage. As Margaret Mead once said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ For those of you who are ready to navigate this complexity with intent, the social sector offers a powerful opportunity to create impact that lasts and to find meaning that truly matters to you.

See you on the other side!

About the Author

Nupur Mahajan
Associate Director

Nupur Mahajan has a decade of experience in content creation, training, and facilitation, working across EdTech, Big 4, healthcare, and IT sectors. An entrepreneur at heart, she was a founding team member at Parwarish, leading efforts to unlock human potential. She later worked in both corporate and startup spaces, designing and delivering learning programs for senior women leaders, mid-management, and early talent at Deloitte India Shared Services Pvt. Ltd. As director of learning at Ingenious Faces, she taught a 110-hour design thinking course globally. Nupur holds a master’s in human development and childhood studies (University of Delhi) and is passionate about fostering entrepreneurial mindsets in young talent across India.

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But the reality? It’s far less sci-fi and way more spreadsheet. At the India Fundraising Conference (IFRC 2024), Ekhlaque Bari, founder and CEO XDotO, opened the conversation on AI with a bang, calling out the fear many of us feel around the tech. He shared that the future is less about humans vs AI than it’s about humans with AI vs humans without AI.

Why AI Matters in Fundraising

Fundraising is one of the most multifaceted and resource-intensive functions in any nonprofit organisation. With typically lean teams and leaner budgets, fundraisers are responsible for everything from researching potential donors to crafting proposals, managing outreach, and maintaining ongoing donor relationships.

AI has the potential to support each of these tasks, helping fundraisers work more efficiently and strategically. Used effectively, it can:

• Draft and personalise donor communications
• Research prospects using specific parameters (such as sector, giving history, or income)
• Analyse survey results and donor behaviour
• Generate tailored proposals
• Assist in identifying and prioritising new donor opportunities

Rather than replacing the human element, AI augments what fundraisers already do best – building relationships, telling stories, and creating meaningful impact. Building on thoughtful usage of artificial intelligence can be a game-changer for fundraisers.

To fully leverage AI, it’s helpful to distinguish between traditional and Generative AI. While traditional AI works with structured data (like spreadsheets), generative AI can understand and produce content from unstructured inputs, such as text, images, or even audio.

This makes it especially useful for communication-focused tasks. For example, tools like ChatGPT can provide a first draft of a donor report or event summary, which can then be reviewed and refined by a human team member to ensure tone, accuracy, and authenticity.

Also Read: Fundraisers Congregate at the India Fundraising Conference

How to Get the Best Results from AI Tools

While talk of using AI is manifold, users are often not clear on how exactly to use generative AI in their daily tasks. The first step to take is sharpening our prompts on the various AI platforms. Nick Scott, Director, The Centre for Responsible Union AI, shared a useful framework at IFRC 2024 for making AI prompts more effective. His six-step approach includes:

1. Role – Specify who the AI should act as (e.g., an experienced grant writer, a major gifts officer)
2. Goal – Clearly state the objective of the task
3. Expertise – Indicate the skills or background knowledge required
4. How – Suggest a structure or methodology for the response
5. Personalise – Include context such as the organisation’s tone or branding
6. Limits – Highlight any constraints or things to avoid

Ekhlaque Bari also offered a practical acronym structure to remember: PROMPT

• Prequel: Context for the task
• Report Format: Preferred output format (e.g., slide deck, bullets, CSV)
• Objective: What you’re trying to achieve
• Me: Your identity or role
• Persona: The role the AI is assuming
• Task: The specific assignment or action

This kind of prompt engineering helps generate more accurate and relevant responses – especially useful when working on time-sensitive or high-impact tasks.

One of the most promising applications of AI in fundraising is in donor stewardship. According to Josh Hirsch, Education and Training Strategist at Fundraise UP, sentiment analysis is emerging as a valuable tool to assess how donors feel about their interactions with an organisation.

By analysing donor emails, survey responses, and social media engagement, AI tools can help identify donors who are highly engaged or at risk of disengaging and personalise communications based on interests or past behaviour. It can also help respond proactively to donor concerns.

This deeper understanding allows organisations to build more responsive and human-centred donor relationships at scale.

Recommended Tools for Fundraisers

Here are a few AI-powered tools currently supporting nonprofit professionals:

• ChatGPT (Pro) – Draft communications, summarise reports, analyse documents
• Otter AI – Transcribe meetings with action points
• Perplexity – Research tool with reliable, cited sources
• HeyGen – Create videos from text
• DALL-E 3 – Generate images from prompts
• Opus – Turn long-form videos into short, shareable clips

These tools can significantly reduce manual workload and free up time for strategic thinking and relationship building.

Ethics and Transparency in AI Use

With the far-ranging benefits of AI, using AI responsibly is essential. Nonprofits should develop clear policies around AI usage, especially when handling donor data. This includes being transparent about how data is collected and used, respecting donor privacy and confidentiality and ensuring all AI-generated content is reviewed before being shared externally. Informing donors about AI-supported processes fosters trust and demonstrates a commitment to ethical practice.

While AI can streamline many aspects of fundraising, it also comes with potential risks.

• Low Risk – Internal content creation using public data, with human review
• Moderate Risk – Content using internal data for limited external use
• High Risk – Content involving donor data or public release without sufficient oversight It is important to always apply critical thinking and human judgment, especially when working with sensitive or external-facing content.

AI is still fairly new and its larger impact on the world is part of many ongoing debates. Like with everything else, it’s good to tread with caution. However, as a new technology, we must also embrace it as a part of our work culture. By leveraging AI for your fundraising effort for the many mundane and laborious tasks, you can free up your bandwidth for more exciting things like donor conversations, pitching and meetings. Embracing AI doesn’t mean letting go of the personal touch. It means working smarter, staying ahead of the curve, and enhancing the work you already do. With thoughtful integration and a strong ethical framework, AI can be a powerful ally in advancing your mission.

Just like the headline, it’s still the sidekick, you are the main lead!

About the Author

Vishakha Singh
Program Manager – Centre of Excellence for Fundraising

Vishakha Singh is a development sector professional with over five years of experience in experiential learning, government partnerships, and fundraising. She has worked with the Piramal Foundation across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, collaborating with government stakeholders in education and health. Her most fulfilling role was mentoring Gandhi Fellows. Previously, she was a senior associate, fundraising at The Antara Foundation, focusing on maternal health. A Lucknow native with a passion for academics, Vishakha has also been actively involved in college theatre, performing street and stage plays across universities.

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