Process/Methodology

Field Level Background Work

  • Through a NEEDS survey we identify schools in rural areas that require our intervention.
  • We then conduct due diligence on the school via background checks and field visits to the school.
  • Schools are finalized keeping in mind the outcomes of the survey and due diligence
  • Collect school information and documentation (registration certificate, etc.) and enter into a formal agreement with the school and establish baseline for metrics to monitor impact of donations in the schools
  • Approach various stores/vendors (including grocery, appliances, furniture, stationery, clothes, pharmacy) to identify prices of products identified in the NEEDs survey, discount opportunities and proximity to schools

Donations

  • On the e-commerce enabled website a donor can browse firstly the different areas and secondly the different schools where he/she can donate to. The website will have numerous details and pictures of the area as well as the schools within those areas such as what kind of students study there, what kind of funding is already being provided, who the trustees and headmasters are, etc.
  • The donors can then see the NEEDS of each area, choose items he/she would like to donate, choose the number of classes he/she would like to donate to, and pay for them using one of many available payment methods. The reason we restrict donors to donate to an area rather than a school is so that we ensure an even distribution of funds to all the schools we are engaging with. We have developed an assignment model that not only ensures equal distribution to schools but also ensures that we can pool numerous donations to complete donation of an item to each student of the school rather than only partially.
  • Once a donor donates on this site, we send the donor a receipt for their donation which will contain the details of the school that their donation went to and which will also entitle them to receive tax benefits under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.
  • Simultaneously their order automatically gets communicated to our field team who purchase and deliver the items that have been ordered
  • A picture/letter confirming that their donation has reached safely is then sent to the donor.

Post Donation Monitoring

  • Our field resources are required to visit each school once a week to ensure that the donations are being well used and only for the benefit of the students.
  • The field staff will also collect data on the impact measurement metrics on a half yearly basis.
  • The core team prepares half yearly reports on each of its schools based on these metrics as well as the weekly field visits. These reports are reviewed by the advisory board before being sent out to donors and published on the website
  • The core team will be in touch with the advisory board on a regular basis and there will be a minimum of 1 Advisory Board Meeting in a year with the core team to review current operations and plan out the future strategy for NEEDS.