Each of us like to do something different on our special days then why not choose to donate for special occasion? There are innumerable occasions we celebrate during the year. Be it birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, festivals, success parties and the list goes on. During these times we spend lavishly because we are capable of spending so much but would it hurt our pockets if we decide to spend some amount from our budget for the benefit of the underserved children? Hope not!
Donation for special occasion does not mean one has to contribute lump sum of money to a non-profit organisation in India or abroad. It is the intent and the potential behind the donation that counts. For example: if a donor donates Rs. 750 for special occasion towards The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit organisation in India implementing the mid-day meal scheme, then the donor is actually taking care of a child’s school lunch for one whole year. How? The operational and administrative efficiency of Akshaya Patra allows the NGO to provide one wholesome meal per day to a child at a cost of just Rs. 750 for one whole year. This non-profit organisation in India has been implementing the mid-day meal scheme since 2000. Today, it serves freshly cooked nutritious mid-day meals to 1.4 million children across the entire country, every day.
As a transparency and accountability policy, this non-profit organisation in India regularly publishes its Annual Report for each financial year. Along with reporting the achievements, developments and plans for the next year, it religiously publishes all its audited financial statements and reports for its stakeholders. It accounts all the grants, subsidies and donations it has received to implement the mid-day meal scheme and how the fund was utilised. In the financial year 2013-14, Akshaya Patra’s programme-wise break-up of cost is, 84% for the mid-day meal programme, 12% for programme management and 4 % for fund raising and communications. Among various communication awards, Akshaya Patra has become the first NGO to have been inducted to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India’s (ICAI) Hall of Fame as a result of being the recipient of the Gold Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for five consecutive years – a true testimony to the Foundation’s transparent model of operation.