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Anjali Prayag

Here's an organisation that helps corporates chart their philanthropic strategies.

Philanthropy is not about writing a cheque and walking away. Part of my job is to make companies realise this when they express a desire to do community good," says Venkatesh Raghavendra, Director, South Asia Partnerships, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. His organisation promotes social entrepreneurship.

Washington-based Venkatesh's work is to involve citizens in social action in India and advise US-based companies on their philanthropic strategy. "Companies that are doing good work are realising the need for a long-term plan. And they are taking a real hard look at how they are doing it." In other words, the `giving' climate has changed radically and companies want professional help in the `do-good' area.

Talking of Ashoka's role, Venkatesh says, "Our 25 years of learning around the world enables us to advise the business sector in its philanthropic strategies." He has been working closely with companies such as Cisco, Philips (Argentina) and some Indian companies for the last three years.

Each year, the organisation identifies 150 social entrepreneurs worldwide and supports their work. "We have an overall perspective on societies and systemic problems rather than just one view, and are in a position to make a difference not just in one village, district or taluk, but in an entire system."

For instance, Ashoka is doing a due diligence of several not-for-profit organisations that Cisco wants to work with and support. Ashoka helps identify projects suited to the company, and determines how they match Cisco's long-term plans as well as employee interests. Currently it has identified projects in the areas of drinking water, education, access to IT, etc. "We want to help them start in India and perhaps move onto other West Asian countries such as Jordan and Egypt."

Such thorough groundwork has been necessitated as more companies show interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR). "And remember, this is not about Ashoka or any other not-for-profit organisation saying how philanthropy should be done or corporates giving the money for it. This is about both sides coming together to achieve maximum long-term impact."

His organisation also helps companies scale up the work it is interested in doing. "We have several successful initiatives in the fields of education, environment and economic development driven by social entrepreneurs. We can learn from those experience, cull out principles and ideas, and package them as best practices so that more people can benefit."

What kind of value addition would Ashoka bring to CSR? "We have the commitment of the corporate sector and the expertise of the citizen sector. For example, if a company wants to work in the area of disability, then we can give them better guidance, because someone at Ashoka has already worked in the area of housing for disabled persons, some in corporate placements, and someone in the area of mental health. We can bring all these learnings together."

Speaking about the challenges involved in his area of work, Venkatesh says that the teething phase is always the hardest. He, however, adds that Ashoka has had some enlightening interactions with some Indian companies. "Together we want to achieve an impact, so it's more of a collaborative process."

Venkatesh says, "Right now, in the aftermath of the tsunami, companies are approaching Ashoka to determine the best ways of involving themselves in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts"

Around the world, Ashoka has desisted from approaching the government for monetary support. "But, of course, you cannot work without the support of the local government. If we want to scale up, then the government has to come in because they are one of our biggest service providers. The entity does have its loopholes, but ultimately we have to use government vehicles also to deliver."

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