Why Do NGOs Need CSR Support?

Sharing happiness, sharing love, sharing joy – as they say, “Sharing is caring.” In the complex world that we live in today, a world crippled by the agony of the people who may not particularly be born under a lucky star, it is important as fellow human beings, to sensitise ourselves to the plight of the lesser privileged.

While there is a lot that we can do on an individual level, providing support to NGOs that work towards specific causes and issues such as poverty alleviation, cancer or heart disease in children, education, empowering communities to name a few helps beget an overall positive impact and change.

With greater sensitivity and compassion towards these issues, NGOs are working ardently towards enhancing the quality of life of as many people as possible. Working at the grassroot level they have played an integral role in filling gaps where official institutions have fallen short. They are able to execute programmes that are tailor made to meet the needs of communities at the doorstep.

Moreover, NGOS function as a bridge between individuals who wish to help and those who are at the receiving end of this support.

However, more often than not, the resources of NGOs are stretched thin. Despite diligent efforts, they may not be able to function as seamlessly, reach as vast a number of people and make a gargantuan impact without support from various stakeholders of society.

The Importance of Corporate Charity Donations.

This is where corporate donations to charity holds significant importance. Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR essentially refers to the efforts of companies that go beyond profit making. It highlights the role of companies as harbingers of positive change in society, functioning as compassionate socially responsible entities and not merely profit making machines. Big companies have the resources that help advocate a cause and inspire change. These resources can be leveraged to provide massive amounts of support to NGOs, for them to effectively support their cause and alleviate the pain of those agonised by various misfortunes.

We are grateful to our CSR partners for supporting our mission to #SaveLittleHearts

Corporate donations to charity in India have played an important role in supporting NGOs plan and execute programmes that have helped thousands of lesser privileged people. While more traditional funding methods such as government funding and individual donors do exist and play an important role, they come with their own set of limitations. While government funding may prove to be insufficient and tougher to secure, donations from individual donors may sometimes be inconsistent and are unpredictable in nature. These limitations can be tackled by Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships.

CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships can help address the problem of funding gaps that most NGOs face. Funding gaps refer to the difference in the resources required by an NGO to carry out their activities and funding that is actually received by the NGO.

While CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships prove to be very advantageous for NGOs, they also hold great importance for the companies and benefit them in a plethora of ways. These benefits include:

1. Increased brand recognition: Being involved in CSR activities help increase awareness and visibility of the brand, thus resulting in increased brand recognition. Participating in such activities highlights the brand and their efforts.
2. Reiteration of the values of the company: Acts of compassion undertaken by the brand help reiterate their commitment to the betterment of society and ethical practices. It showcases them as responsible citizens of the society and aligns their actions with their stated values.



3. Positive brand image: These activities help foster a positive image and enhanced reputation of the brand or company, thus encouraging their audiences to hold them in high regard.
4. Increased sales: A positive brand image and increased brand recognition will essentially lead to increased sales and profits for the brand. The target audiences will be more inclined to purchase the product or services being provided by the brand.
5. Increased customer loyalty: People like to be associated with brands that are woke and compassionate. Today’s consumers are sensitive and woke. They prefer to be associated with brands that share these values with them. An increased sense of this resonance with the brand, will eventually beget a sense of loyalty in the customer, thus making their demand for the products of the particular brand less elastic.
6. Advantage over competitors: In a world filled with options and alternatives aplenty, customers seek brands that stand out in some way. Associating the brand with a noble cause helps the brand stand out and increase the base of resonance with their consumers.
7. Employee satisfaction and retention: Employees like to be associated with companies that are socially responsible and ethical in their practices. It helps instil a sense of trust in the company. This leads to greater satisfaction in working for the company, thus increasing employee retention.

Corporate donations to charity have come to hold a lot of significance in the world of NGOs. At the Foundation we are grateful to our CSR partners for supporting and believing in our work to provide treatment for congenital heart disease in children. With their help we have been able to provide lifesaving interventions to 4500+ children suffering from a critical medical illness in the country. To find out more about our CSR partnerships write to us on [email protected]