When you forget the Cause, and just see the Institution

Two years ago, I started supporting a NGO in Bangalore that works for the visually impaired/disabled children. I first came to know of them during a corporate event when these kids performed on stage in gratitude to the donation the company had made. I was totally moved. There was absolutely no need for this nonprofit to bring these kids and make them sing and dance before a crowd of ‘gifted’ (yes, gifted with sight) people to say “Thank you.” They could have simply sent a representative who would have said a few words and saved them the trouble and efforts in arranging logistics, preparing & rehearsing the song/dance, etc. Yet they did. The kids were at their best dressed and were very eager to showcase their talent. And I admired the NGO because they accomplished many things with this action: say thank you to the company, give these kids a chance to exhibit their talent and feel good, and show the people gathered at the venue the immense amount of courage these young ones have to live in this society and happily at that.

In the next two years, I made several passive small-time contributions (meaning no volunteering or even visits to their centers/schools but pure cash donation) to the NGO. The first time I donated, it was purely voluntary - I donated the money by myself without any effort on their part. Thereafter, every time, it was solicited by the NGO through phone calls. In fact, it came to a point where the NGO regularly started calling me every three months thanking me for my previous contribution and asking me to contribute again. And it was not necessarily at the end/after my contribution ran out – For instance, I usually donate towards the cost of mid day meals for 4 children for six months. So it was not necessarily at the end of these six months. In fact, they just called me up today and told me about a new program they have launched for these kids. I recall that I gave them a cheque three months back. And this is what has brought me a little soul-searching. Let me be frank here and thank you for not jumping to judgment.

So when I got a call from them this morning, my first reaction was irritation. Man, these guys can be persistent and annoying. What’s worse, their lengthy sales pitch (yes, sales!) is very convincing and definitely pulls all the right strings. And even worse? I end up feeling a complete moron when I try to put them off for a few days. You see, I have not really figured out my philanthropic side yet – I really don’t know if I want to keep donating a sum every month or every other month to the same charity. I do support other charities who I occasionally contribute to (but who never so actively pursue me!). And admittedly, this particular NGO is just asking me a few thousands which is not that great an amount of my salary. But I couldn’t bring myself to say an instant yes. It’s like I need some time to think and look at my financial position at the time of my month before I commit to them. When I tell them that, you know what’s the reply I get? Ma’m, we accept post-dated cheques. That annoys me even further!

So, on one hand, I have a high regard of them for all that they do and enable. On another, I get really annoyed with their constant solicitations. Conversely, I even admire their fundraising efforts! It does take quite a bit, resources and otherwise, to track your supporters, keep calling them and make them part with the measly amount they are willing to, to make a big fund for new programs.

But to do it so actively? So intrusively? Like making a telephone call on a Saturday/Monday afternoon when you know for sure the person will pick up. They probably also know that their supporters aren’t really the type of people to store the NGO’s number and not pick the call the next time they call (yes, that has occurred to me :( ).

I know they have limited resources which they are employing to call me and call me again when I tell them to call me another day. So they do listen, it is not like they are exasperating. But…but I still have this itch. Something is not right. Why am I feeling cornered? Why am I feeling pursued? Why am I feeling forcibly compelled? Am I not supposed to continue feeling the way I felt when I first donated to them? Why are they calling me so many times? Why can’t they just send me an email or a card? Will that cost them more? Or will that be less effective? Probably the latter because I do know that I am going to donate to them next month in spite of all these questions – because they called. But why is there this resistance to an instant decision?

In all this thought process, I forget to think about the cause that made me give in the first place. I forget the children. It has become more about the institution and not anymore about those children who I saw perform that I fell in love with.

What is a good duration to give your supporters before you call them again? Do NGOs just rely on a small set of supporters who give periodically continuously? What about getting new supporters? What can be a non-intrusive, yet effective, means of soliciting donations?

Your thoughts?

The elusive bird

Guess what was the most exciting part of a fun day outing from office? Sightings of the elusive paradise flycather :) I've been wanting to catch this little fairy for the past four or so years and he decided to bless me this fine saturday afternoon. I was trying to photograph my fav little one, the Green bee eater, when I heard this sudden swoosh, and there he was. He flew in right in front of my eyes and sat for a long minute on the branch right above my head. I felt so blessed.

Here is the little fellow as seen from my lame camera.

The hands are just itching to get dirty

2010 shall be the year, I hope. All this and yet am missing something...

1. Regional Coordinator for India for Twestival. Working with an amazing team of volunteers and trying to pulling them all together for @Concern
2. Active Volunteer with Startup Saturday Bangalore. Working towards realizing the joys of entrepreneurship... and hoping it will rub off on me.
3. Starting out working with Trupti on We are Children, a six-month media to raise awareness on the impact of child sexual abuse. At last a chance to get up from the armchair.
4. Covering the #Anganwadi mela at Mangalore on this Saturday, which is being organized by @breakthrough and @bell_bajao. Hoping to get inspired.
5. Being part of a Fun team to promote fun at work. In charge of making people have fun! Can get scary at times. And boring.
6. Being a mommy and getting all the special hugs and kisses reserved just for moms :)
7. The words are starting to bubble. The pot is ready to be opened and I do hope the writing starts soon. Can't take the silence too long, however eloquent I imagine it to be.
8. Self-employment is coming nearer and nearer...just a few more months and I shall be there.
   

So what is missing?

The farm of course! If only I can get that up and running quickly. If only I can start planting my tomatoes and Mango trees. If only I get to find a nice farmland up for grabs, conveniently located between Chennai and Bangalore somewhere...if only Life can get better. The hands are just itching to get dirty.

Stranger in the house

There is a stranger in my house
Who looks in on everything I do
I can feel her eyes at times, sometimes her whole presence
But no one can see her, not even the family’s rockstar of a dog
She remains mostly hidden

I wonder what she does when we go out
She doesn’t feel bothered at being left alone, rather must rejoice
I hear her speaking to herself in the night, wondering why she is here
I would like to know too
I think

She disappears when there are too many people around
Probably can’t take all that noise
I feel her strongest when there are hushed conversations, and
And all faces turned towards the TV
Must be lonely to be unnoticed

I look into the mirror and ask myself how it must feel to be unnoticed
I ask the kid to give me a hug and a kiss
To shake the lingering gloom off
I wonder who she asks
For a moment close

On a particularly bad morning, with leftover unpleasantness from difficult confrontations
I muster the courage and turn towards her
How long do you plan to stay, Stranger in the house?
Shouldn’t you be leaving, I ask
Not yet, no not yet, I tell myself.

Stranger in the house.

Please! Enough of these impersonal wishes now!

So many new year wishes...some forwards, some originally written, some on email, some as sms, some thru Twitter, some thru Facebook, and very few (none really) through a phone call! Whatever is happening to this world? No one is sending a real greeting card out, no one is picking the phone to make a call!

On the other hand, I am not really feeling enthused to reply to any of those smses, direct messages, scraps, or posts. Seems expected. Seems boring. Seems like lip(?) service! Its just another day, isn't it? A day is as you make of it, so what difference does the Earth returning to its original (?) position make to us mortals? As humans, we are always, ALWAYS looking for reasons to be merry! Seems stupid...why should there be a reason to let go and have fun?

Enough of the verbal (written?) diarrhea. Just an excuse to post really!

To be or not to be an entrepreneur

If you have read through some of my archives, you will know that I am very keen to become self-employed. Now whether that will make me an entrepreneur or just a freelancer does not matter. The very thought of the freedom associated with self-employment and the responsibilities and risks attached to it gives me a rush. As it does jitters. The reason I decided to test the waters, so to speak, volunteering with HeadStart, a nonprofit supporting the entrepreneur ecosystem, organizing Startup Saturdays in Bangalore, before taking the plunge. The last six months working with the SSB gang has been wonderful and fantastically educational. Of my own capabilities, nature, attitude, and a whole lot of other things that won’t be interesting to anyone else other than me. And before I start writing my autobiography, let me get to the point which is the theme of this month’s Startup Saturday “To be or not to be an entrepreneur”. To say that this SSB saw a high number of participants would be an understatement. It was the highest ever. Makes me feel proud to be part of the team that organized it. God, there I go again, writing my biography. The self-interest does creep in between the lines, doesn’t it? But hey, isn’t that what blogs are for? Argh, stop. Before you become more philosophical. That was for me btw. Goodness, I have two writing personalities? STOP.

To continue with SSB November, here’s what we wrote in our mailers and event introduction – “Many aspiring entrepreneurs are still stuck and not able to take the Plunge…. This month’s SSB will have a session on whether or not to be an entrepreneur by a three-time startup expert….”Perfect for me and others who have been loitering around in the lobby and twiddling our thumbs. The only problem was that it clashed with my daughter’s first ever fancy dress day at her playschool. Mommy or Boss? Which comes first? Father! Roped the guy in to make sure daughter’s dress up doesn’t suffer and went ahead with enlightened self-interest. Mommy will not miss this month’s Startup Saturday at any cost. So attend I did and came away with lot of notes. Not sure about that enlightenment. I still feel like loitering around. But that’s beside the point as always.

Just to ensure that those notes don’t go wasted, I sat and put in almost an entire half a day at office trying to write a very interesting, very educational, very enlightening post on the session for the HeadStart blog. It turned out like an essay that my final year college self would have written. But then I loved my college self. So here’s an excerpt of what she, I mean me, lets just say we wrote.

“Chaos and uncertainty – two things you must learn to live with if you want to be an entrepreneur” – started Surya, our presenter for the expert talk this Startup Saturday. One of the most awaited sessions, November’s Startup Saturday saw the highest number of participants in the history of SS Bangalore. Over 170 people assembled at the IIMB auditorium on this brisk Saturday morning eagerly waiting for some insights on entrepreneurship. While the event started with a series of the regular lightning pitches the audience waited eagerly for the key attraction of the day, the expert talk and discussion on “To be or not to be an Entrepreneur.”

“You have an idea or a maybe even a lot of them. But you don’t know where to start. You are confused.” continued Surya, adding “Then you can assume you are in the right place… you are fit to be an entrepreneur.” A huge collective sigh of relief spread through the audience. You could almost hear them thinking “thank god, am not alone.”

Dot. Dot. Dot.

The session concluded with Surya’s last slide which resonated with all of us long after the Saturday. It simply stated thus:

“Don’t be disappointed if the world refuses to help you out. Remember what Einstein said – I am thankful to all those that said No. It’s because of them that I did it myself.”

Yes.

Read the complete write up here. And SAY NO to me please.