This post is contributed by Team Samhita.

Findings of the Samhita fundraising survey speaks of the kind of support trusts and foundations provide to NGOs and the feedback mechanism they prefer to follow.

Nearly 45.8% of the NGOs who took the survey say they approached the trusts and foundations via personal contacts. 34.5% used online channels and 20.7% got in touch with them through partners.

The fact that a significant number of NGOs are using online channels to reach out to trusts and foundations indicates that there is a paradigm shift in fundraising outreach methods. NGOs are moving away from conventional methods and adapting newer and perhaps more cost effective means to expand their network of donors and organizations.

Most trusts support project and programme costs of the NGOs followed by infrastructure costs and capacity building.

Survey results contradict the general perception that most trusts and foundations do not wish to support organizational capacity building expenses. Although majority of support goes toward project/program expenses a significant amount is spent on infrastructure, capacity building and salaries.

The survey quotes 60.9% of the NGOs saying that trusts diligently monitor the progress of the funded activities.

54.2% of the NGOs say that trusts expect regular feedback through phone calls and emails, 29.2% through detailed reporting and 12.5% through personal visits.

Majority of respondents are satisfied with the support received from trusts and foundations. It was also found that support from trusts and foundations also come in the form of better credibility, higher visibility and improved sector linkages.

Watch this space for other interesting findings of the fundraising survey. Read the first report of this series ‘Individual donor base most critical for NGOs’