How Govt Departments can celebrate DaanUtsav

Ideas for NGOs

Offline Activities
Virtual Ideas

IDEAS FOR NGOs SEEKING RESOURCES

Crowdfunding Campaigns
Set up online crowdfunding campaigns or participate in challenges organised by crowdfunding portals that offer matching and incentives.

Symbolic Online Campaigns
Online fundraisers using powerful visual symbols related to the NGO’s own cause, e.g., a hazy image becomes clearer as more cataract surgeries are funded, water fills up in a well as more people donate, etc.

The 24 Hour Disability Challenge
People are invited to experience a disability for 24 hours (blindfolded or ears plugged or can’t speak or legs tied, etc., and donate to charity if they fail. They are invited to share their experiences online.

IDEAS FOR NGOs SEEKING RESOURCES

Charity Shows
Get an artist to put up performances such as concerts, plays, and stand-up comedy for charity with the entry fee going to the NGO/social cause.

The 24 Hour Challenge
NGOs invite supporters and public to spend 24 hours with their beneficiaries- in the villages, slums, govt schools- to sensitize them and create long term supporters out of them.

Play With Us
NGOs organise street plays or performances that showcase the work they do and the problems they tackle to engage the public and raise money.

Citizen Webathons
Set up a “telethon room” in your office and broadcast it live on Youtube. Supporters sit and make calls to friends and raise donations. A
scoreboard tracks who has raised how much.

Skills for a cause
NGOs get their supporters to offer their skills for a cause (e.g., a writer will write 1 piece or a consultant will do 1 days’ pro bono consulting, etc.). People bid for their skills and the proceeds go to the NGO.

Crazy Challenges
Crazy challenges like a mirchi eating challenge for acid burn victims’ benefit (or throat cancer victims’ benefit), hold-your-breath challenge to understand environment & pollution, etc.

Rain Bows
Across schools, colleges, corporates, students/employees wear “rainbow” costumes, take a selfie and donate towards LGBTQ support.

Blind Tournament
People pay and play against skilled blind players- chess, painting contest, etc.

De bility triathlon
In a school, college, corporate or club, a contest where the participants take part with a handicap (eyes blindfolded, legs tied, etc.).

IDEAS FOR NGO BENEFICIARIES

Fistful of joy
Encourage members to donate a fistful of grain/ sugar which is collected and given to an NGO.

1 Rupee Campaign
Children collect Re1 from each family in the community and use the money to fund an act of social good.

Become a volunteer

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FAQs for Corporate (Employee Engagement)

Why should corporates engage their employees in celebrating #DaanUtsav?

One of the important challenges for many corporates is improving teamwork across cross-functional teams and between departments. The beauty of #DaanUtsav is that it creates opportunities for different teams to come together rather organically. For example, if you are an investment banker organising a tree plantation drive, you will get your debts team, along with the equities and the treasuries teams working together in planting trees. The teams build camaraderie and trust, and relate with each other and work together even after they get back to their daily routine work.

#DaanUtsav also helps build trust, keeping aside differences and competition. The festival creates a positive environment as it is about giving to others in unison. This ultimately makes people start looking at their colleagues as humans and not just competitors, enabling an environment of trust

What kind of ideas work for employee engagement?

Here is a compilation of ideas that you can refer to for creating your event.

Is there “fatigue” with the same ideas, or do people love having a predictable list of events to look forward to?

It’s a combination of both. There is a lot of warmth and comfort in the predictable. So there are some events like Wish Trees that people love to do again and again. People know exactly what the idea is and they know what exactly to contribute. However, as a corporate entity, new quirky events keep the interest in the festival alive. Throw in a Masterchef contest for men or “Weird Clothes Day” on a particular day of the festival, and see the interest levels spike!

How does one pitch the concept of #DaanUtsav to their employees?

Most employees look for opportunities to give back to society and if there is a hectic corporate life, they are unable to do so. When their employer finds opportunities for them, it becomes easy for them to participate. So, the best way to reach out and convince employees to participate is to plan simple structured giving activities that are easy for them to partake in.

How can corporates get maximum employee participation in an event?

Maximum participation is encouraged by:

Keeping the events simple and easy
Conducting several fun events during the week. Corporates may have one for each day of the festival, so employees can participate in the activities that they like best
Bringing NGO partners to the office. For example, getting children supported by the corporate to the office increases interest in the event

How much time does it take to plan a #DaanUtsav for employees?

It depends on the kind of activity you have in mind.

If it’s a simple Housie or Raffle, it might be organized in a week’s time.
If it’s an event like a Mini Seva Mela with several NGOs and senior management participating, it might require minute scheduling and about 2-3 months’ prep time.

How can corporates tell all their employees about the #DaanUtsav activity?

There are several ways to reach out to employees. Some ideas are:

Flashing notifications or ads in the login screen of the employee.
Mails from head of company or HR team
Posters at high traffic areas: cafeteria, lobbies, etc.

How can #Daantsav volunteers support corporates in planning and/or executing their events?

#DaanUtsav volunteers can help connect corporates with relevant NGOs. For instance, if a corporate wants to conduct a blood donation drive or organize a handicraft mela in their office, a #DaanUtsav volunteer can try to make the connections.

More Videos

Here is a YouTube playlist which you can use to get more ideas and examples for organising your #DaanUtsav activity.

Click on icon to browse the playlist.

Ideas for Government

Offline Activities
Virtual Ideas

Circular Logic
Various Govt Departments like education (school & college), Panchayati Raj, NSS, etc. send out circulars asking schools, colleges, panchayats, NSS clubs, etc. to celebrate #DaanUtsav in their networks.

Kindness Challenge
Ask the Railways to make announcements related to kindness like asking people to give their seats to someone else or asking people to be more conscious of their way of entering trains and going out of their way to be a little more kinder.

Date Auction
A virtual date with a popular minister or head of ministry is auctioned in front of the public and proceeds go to the charity of the minister’s choice.

Shadow An Officer
Public gets to bid in an auction for a chance to shadow various Govt officials for a day. Proceeds go to a charity of the official’s choice or a cause supporting temporary/ contract staff.

Clean up drive
Organise an event to clean up public spaces like beaches, lakes, bus stands, stations, parks, govt hospitals, etc.

Gandhi For Gram
Identify a village nearby and get the youth to visit and volunteer there for a day, to promote greater understanding of the challenges of rural life in modern times.

DaanDe March
Organise a march/walk involving your students/employees/members and also other organisations near your institution, raising awareness about causes and inviting the public to contribute in cash and kind

Tree plantation
Carry out tree plantation campaigns in nearby school/college campuses and grounds, parks, office campuses or in nearby plantation areas identified by environmental NGOs. Plantation can also be done in nearby rural areas.

Beautification Drive
Organise an event to beautify public spaces like compound walls, bus stands, stations, parks and gardens, govt schools & hospitals, shelter homes, etc.

Jail & Bail
Ministers are “jailed for doing good” and public has to “bail them out” by donating to a charity of the minister’s choice. The minister with the maximum amount collected for his or her cause gets to donate all of the money collected for all charities to the charity he/she had chosen.

Blood donation camps
Government encourages blood donation by spreading awareness and setting up camps across the city in association with nearby blood banks and hospitals or groups like Lions that conduct such camps.

IDEAS FOR RAILWAYS

On Track!
One NGO is allowed to talk about its cause and solicit donations on each long-distance train, during the week of #DaanUtsav.

Journey of Life
Ask the Railways to allow groups of people to come and paint the trains from inside, writing simple things like- ‘You are enough’, ‘You are beautiful’, etc.

Kindness Challenge
Ask the Railways to make announcements related to kindness like asking people to give their seats to someone else or asking people to be more conscious of their way of entering trains and going out of their way to be a little more kinder.

Stall ’em
NGOs put up stalls sharing their work or selling products at platforms of railway stations.

FAQs for Government

Why should government departments celebrate #DaanUtsav?

A democracy will work really well only if every citizen stands up and takes responsibility to engage. A festival like #DaanUtsav provides a wonderful opportunity to citizens to experience what governance feels like, to understand the challenges that government officials face on a daily basis, and to develop empathy, respect and trust between the citizens and the officials.

What kind of events/ideas work for various departments?

Ideas that are likely to work will vary across departments. For example:

Education department: The easiest thing for the government is to reach out to various schools and colleges, send them a circular with ideas of how they could celebrate #DaanUtsav and encourage them to do so. In teacher trainings planned from July to September, they could encourage the faculty member to talk briefly about #DaanUtsav, so that teachers who attend get exposed to the ideas, and when they go back to their respective schools and colleges, they are able to ensure that #DaanUtsav is celebrated is those institutions.

Departments like police: Just a couple of examples: Prisons celebrating #DaanUtsav with inmates making bars of soap for children living in orphanages, construction companies offering a skill building course for prison inmates…

Railways and transport: Corporations have celebrated #DaanUtsav, by using their vehicles as a means to spread the word as well as to give adults and children a joy ride.

Simple ideas that are easy to implement work best with the government.

Alternatively, to see some ideas for your #DaanUtsav event, click here.

Who in the department can one approach for getting permissions to organise an event?

First, decide what kind of event you want to organise. Do you need access to government infrastructure or government employees for it? That will help identify the right department to contact.

Contact information for government officials is available on their website – both, names of the officers/ministers and their phone numbers. Usually, the secretary of the department is the best person to reach out to.

Some departments like police and corporation have commissioners, deputy commissioners, etc. They are the right people to reach out to.

Educational officers at the district level, block development officers, district development officers, collectors could also be approached.

Irrespective of whom you get in touch with, government officials are known to quickly respond with the name of the relevant person/department for permissions and support.

From the chief secretary of the state down to the juniormost person in administration, everybody is accessible to the public. As a citizen, any one of us can literally walk into the chief secretary’s office of the state. As long as you are willing to wait for 2-3 hours, you will get a chance to speak to him/her.

How does one pitch the concept of #DaanUtsav to them?

The easiest thing to do is to just explain that #DaanUtsav is a festival; it is not an organisation, and the government department is free to celebrate it the way it chooses, with any beneficiary group. Share at least three ideas that the government officials could use to celebrate #DaanUtsav.

The other thing that works well with the government is to have a very specific ask. For example, can the post and telegraph department request all the postmen in the area to distribute this leaflet along with all the letters that they will deliver? Or can the municipal corporation request the education officer to issue a circular to all the school principals for celebrating #DaanUtsav? (Share the circular/notice draft with them in English and the regional language.)

What are some of the objections/questions raised and how does an event organiser or volunteer address them?

Objection 1: “How can we work only with you?”

You could clarify that #DaanUtsav is not an organisation but just an idea, and therefore, they are free to celebrate it the way they want to, with any group they want to.

Objection 2: “Who are we giving permission to celebrate to?”

If you want permission to felicitate the municipal workers, then carry a request letter written on the letterhead of the organisation that is organising it. That makes things much easier.

Questions can also arise when people reach out asking for money (since the mechanisms to give small amounts of money are complex). Hence, this is not recommended for #DaanUtsav activities.

More Videos

Here is a YouTube playlist which you can use to get more ideas and examples for organising your #DaanUtsav activity.

Click onicon to browse the playlist.

Ideas for Group and Comminities

Offline Activities
Virtual Ideas

Kaun Test Karega
Send out a newsletter, notice or circular to all member institutions sharing about #DaanUtsav and inviting them to celebrate in various ways. Have awards for the members that celebrate in the most exemplary manner.

You e-wish!
Set up a digital wish tree for a local non-profit that you wish to support and allow members to fulfill wishes sourced from a local nonprofit.

Charity Raffle / Virtual
A virtual raffle, housie or “tambola” where members donate items as prizes (spare new phones, crockery, travel accessories, bags, watches, etc.), and everyone buys tickets with the proceeds going to charity.

Card Carrying Membership
Virtual poker, rummy, bridge or other card games where everyone “buys in” and nominates a charity, money goes to the winners’ nominated charities.

Karaoke Idol Kaun?
Organise a karaoke fundraiser night with members. People pay for the event and vote for the best performance of the night. The raised sum goes to the winner’s charity.

Soulful Stories
Record a story in your native language and share it with children and the elderly.

One sign saves multiple lives
Sign up for organ donation and encourage your friends to do the same.

E-garage sale
Get together with your members and set up a digital garage sale on Instagram, Facebook or any other online platform. The money raised can go to a charity of your choice.

7 Days 7 Givings
Pick 7 different acts of giving, one for each day of the #DaanUtsav week and get students/ residents/employees/members to contribute. The 7 acts could simply be 7 different items to be given (books on 1 day, clothes on another, etc.) or 7 types of activities (money, material, time, blood, skills, etc.).

Date Auction
In colleges, offices, clubs, gyms, a lunch or safe dinner date with the popular members is auctioned and proceeds go to the charity of their choice.

Joyfest
Organise an event that brings all members together- around a theme that is at the core of the group or community (e.g., Yoga, Service, Spirituality)- and encourage all members to do acts of giving & kindness.

Fistful of joy
Encourage members to donate a fistful of grain/ sugar which is collected and given to an NGO.

Clean up drive
Organise an event to clean up public spaces like beaches, lakes, bus stands, stations, parks, govt hospitals, etc.

Gandhi For Gram
Identify a village nearby and get students/employees/members to visit and volunteer there for a day, to promote greater understanding of the challenges of rural life in modern times.

DaanDe March
Organise a march/walk involving your students/employees/members and also other organisations near your institution, raising awareness about causes and inviting the public to contribute in cash and kind.

Tree plantation
Carry out tree plantation campaigns in nearby school/college campuses and grounds, parks, office campuses or in nearby plantation areas identified by environmental NGOs. Plantation can also be done in nearby rural areas.

Beautification Drive
Organise an event to beautify public spaces like compound walls, bus stands, stations, parks and gardens, govt schools & hospitals, shelter homes, etc.

Plog Run
Get participants to go on a run and collect all the plastic they encounter on the run, from the streets. The collected plastic is given to a recycler.

Collection Drive
A drive to collect and donate new or old books, toys, bags, stationery, uniform, newspapers, shoes, clothes and other stuff and donate them to NGOs.

Run/Walk for a cause
A walk/ run for a cause, where participants donate and fundraise to support the chosen cause.

Seva Mela- NGO stalls
In a school, college, corporate, club or large apartment complex, NGOs put up stalls showcasing their cause and selling their products.

Seva Mela- Fun for a Cause
In a school, college, corporate, club or large apartment complex, NGOs put up stalls with food and games, and all proceeds go to charity.

Jail & Bail
Leaders (CXOs, Principals, Directors, Trustees, Office bearers) are “jailed for doing good” and others have to “bail them out” by donating to a charity of their choice.

Charity Raffle / Housie
A raffle, housie or “tambola” where members donate items as prizes (spare new phones, crockery, travel accessories, bags, watches, etc.), and everyone buys tickets with the proceeds going to charity.

Card Carrying Membership
Poker, rummy, bridge or other card games where everyone “buys in” and nominates a charity, money goes to the winners’ nominated charities.

Visits to NGOs
Visits to nearby shelter, old age home, orphanage, special needs org, etc.

Who’s The MasterChef? (MasterChef Kaun?)
In schools, offices, clubs, apartments, a Masterchef contest, where each participant creates, others “buy” food coupons, proceeds go to charity. The winner’s charity gets a special prize. Can focus on men cooking to change stereotypes.

Blood donation camps
In association with nearby blood banks and hospitals or groups like Lions that conduct such camps.

Kara-OK Action (Kuch Achha Karao-ke)
Sing for a cause on karaoke, the audience buys tickets to listen, proceeds go to charity.

Food drive
Preparing, collecting and distributing food to those in need on the streets or at shelter and care homes, or even to auto drivers at a stand, etc.

Seva Sandwich
Individuals in a group contribute various ingredients of a sandwich, get together and make sandwiches and distribute them to those in need.

Kindness Fridge
Set up a “kindness fridge” in a public place like an apartment, school, college, hospital and create groups of people who will ensure the fridge is stocked.

Thank’Em
Thank class 4 staff of school, college, corp, club, apt, etc. – serve them, have fun WITH them, treat them as equals.

Record Audio Books
Everyone records an audio book for the blind.

Change Festival
In colleges, clubs, theatres, large corporates, large apartments, a TEDx/ Litfest type format featuring social enterprises, ticket donations to charity.

Bake Sale/ Art Sale
People exhibit their talents in baking/ other arts and sell their products, proceeds go to charity.

Adopt an Institution
Help a govt school, bus shelter, night shelter, newspaper stand, park get a complete makeover and take care of it through the year.

The Tiny Flea Garage Sale
Flea market within school, college, corp, apartment, club etc. where members bring items and others buy them, all proceeds go to charity.

Cycle/ Bike/Car Rally for a cause
A rally for a cause, where participants donate and fundraise to support the chosen cause.

7 Days 7 Givings
Pick 7 different acts of giving, one for each day of the #DaanUtsav week and get students/ residents /employees /members to contribute. The 7 acts could simply be 7 different items to be given (books on 1 day, clothes on another, etc.) or 7 types of activities (money, material, time, blood, skills, etc.).

Street Store
Organise a collection drive for items in good condition, clean, mend and pack the donated items nicely and set up a “store” on a street nearby. Offer “coupons” to potential beneficiaries which they can use to “buy” the items that THEY choose from the street store, instead of being handed over something that someone else chose for them.

Wish Tree
Set up a “Wish Tree” and allow members to fulfill wishes sourced from a local nonprofit that you wish to support.

#DaanUtsav Booths
Pop-up #DaanUtsav booths in public spaces provide opportunities to donate for a particular NGO/cause.

FAQs for Group and Comminities

Why should groups, clubs & communities celebrate #DaanUtsav?

The best thing about most groups and communities is that camaraderie and goodwill and relationships are at the core of these organisations. Regardless of whether the group is based on religious or spiritual beliefs; shares a passion like cycling, trekking, or playing bridge; is well-established like Lions or Rotary; is a gymkhana or club with an actual physical presence, #Daan Utsav is an opportunity to make a difference. It is a platform that appeals to those who are already inclined to giving, but more importantly it is an easy way to involve those who wouldn’t normally participate in social activities.

What kind of events work for groups, clubs & communities?

Different kind of clubs will have different initiatives. For example Rotary or Rotaract clubs already have a calendar of event and campaigns, so they just need to ensure that one or more of these existing initiatives falls during #DaanUtsav.

Some clubs may have their own non-profit organizations that they choose to support. For these kinds of organizations, building an event that involves celebrating what they already do or reinforcing and supporting those initiatives might be the best way to participate in #DaanUtsav.

For other communities and groups, that don’t have a chosen cause or NGO there are several simple initiatives, even ones that do not involve a large number of people, like a tree plantation campaign or a clean-up drive or coming together to cook and deliver food to people in need.

For clubs, societies and communities that have their own premises, some ideas are a seva mela or a day-long mini Ted X conference where you get social entrepreneurs to come in and talk about their work. Another popular idea is to hold a fun fair where part of the proceeds go to charity. You can even have a MasterChef contest for all the men who are a part of your club or your society, to let the men show off their cooking skills.

Click here to see a list of ideas to get you started.

Who can one approach for permissions to do this in clubs & communities?

Typically every club or community will have a secretary, chairman or a president along with a committee or set of office bearers. The best place to start would be to approach them. Not only do you require their permission, but having their blessings and support will be very valuable as they can influence the entire member body.

Many groups, clubs & communities do charitable events throughout the year. How does one convince them that they should celebrate #DaanUtsav?

While giving is a part of life and should be an on-going activity, #DaanUtsav is an opportunity to show the difference that can be made by millions coming together to give at one time. An example of this are the marathons that now are held all over India. Before the first large scale, well-organized marathon took place in India, there were a few die hard running fans in every city who would run every weekend in parks and their local neighborhoods. However the Mumbai marathon, and those that followed, dramatically increased the visibility of running as a cause. Now you see several thousand people in every city are running and fitness fanatics.

In the same way if those of us who already practice giving come together and do it on a large scale through #DaanUtsav, then we can link our small efforts in to one very large movement that creates a giving culture. So while your club should continue with their other activities, they should also have an event or campaign during #DaanUtsav.

How do you get maximum participation of members in your event?

After putting in hard work to plan your event, the best outcome would be to see wide scale participation. Here are some ideas:

- Set expectations: Let your group members know how much of their time will be required and what you’d like them to do prior to and during your event.
- Communicate regularly: Ask members to block the date well in advance of the event and send regular updates on how the event is shaping up. Send reminders prior to the event and follow-up after with a thank you and photos. Social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, and Facebook along with email will make this easy. Also for clubs that have a physical presence don’t forget their notice boards, and newsletters.
- Nominate a few event champions: If you’re part of a large club you won’t be able to personally contact everyone, so find a few fellow enthusiasts and get them to talk to their circles.

How do you get more members to join you in organizing the event and promoting it?

Any event like this is more fun and more powerful if you have several people working together. The best way to get started is to ask other members who know you well to participate and form a sort of steering committee. Once a few dedicated and enthusiastic people are in place, then you can reach out to the general body of your club, society or group. Start with those who you know are socially inclined. Another important angle is to get people who are the key influencers within your group involved because we all know that not all members are equal. There are some who are more respected and active than others. So getting a couple of these influential and credible members to become part of your initiative will really help to get other people to join the event.

What are some of the objections/questions raised?

One of the most common objections raised is: we do this throughout the year so why should we do this again and we have already given an answer for why that should be the case. Sometimes the objections will be related to the availability of space related to specific dates around #DaanUtsav i.e. between 2nd and 8th October, sometimes it will be around that we have already planned things around that time. So typically, the best way to answer some of these is to think through or anticipate these questions and come up with solutions to them. For example if there is a question around security that if you are planning an event where everybody will bring cooked food and people are worried about how to be ensured that everything is secured and there is no risk of any external people coming and doing something. You answer that by thinking through the logistics of your event and being prepared with what security elements you are going to take care of.

For eg. all the equipment that will come in will be scanned or checked by somebody at the gates before it is brought in, you can offer to have a team of volunteers to support the security staff at the gate. So you kind of help the society prepare or the kind of club or group prepare for it by helping them put together the disclaimers, you know the terms and conditions for participation in the event, etc. So thinking through the kind of questions that could come and answering them in advance actually helps overcome a lot of these issues.

More Videos

Here is a YouTube playlist which you can use to get more ideas and examples for organising your #DaanUtsav activity.

Click onicon to browse the playlist.

Ideas for Networks and Associations

Offline Activities
Virtual Ideas

Kaun Test Karega
Send out a newsletter or Whats App circular to all members sharing about #DaanUtsav and inviting them to celebrate in various ways. Have awards for the members that celebrate in the most exemplary manner.

You e-wish!
Set up a digital wish tree for a local non-profit that you wish to support and allow members to fulfill wishes sourced from a local nonprofit.

Charity Raffle / Virtual Housie
A virtual raffle, housie or “tambola” where members donate items as prizes (spare new phones, crockery, travel accessories, bags, watches, etc.), and everyone buys tickets with the proceeds going to charity.

Card Carrying Membership
Virtual poker, rummy, bridge or other card games where everyone “buys in” and nominates a charity, money goes to the winners’ nominated charities.

Karaoke Idol Kaun?
Organise a karaoke fundraiser night with members. People pay for the event and vote for the best performance of the night. The raised sum goes to the winner’s charity.

Soulful Stories
Record a story in your native language and share it with children and the elderly.

One sign saves multiple lives
Sign up for organ donation and encourage your friends to do the same.

JAGgery
Create Joint Action Groups of member institutions around specific themes or initiatives (pick from other ideas listed). Encourage them to own and drive the campaign.

Joyfest
Organise an event that brings all member institutions together into a fair, exhibition or conference that facilitates connections between NGOs and the institutional members of the network.

Fistful of joy
Encourage members to donate a fistful of grain/ sugar which is collected and given to an NGO.

Clean up drive
Organise an event to clean up public spaces like beaches, lakes, bus stands, stations, parks, govt hospitals, etc.

Gandhi For Gram
Identify a village nearby and get students/employees/members to visit and volunteer there for a day, to promote greater understanding of the challenges of rural life in modern times.

Gandhi 150 festival
Organise a festival in your school, college, office, club, group, association or apartment to celebrate Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. The festival can include debates, essay contests, Khadi shows, films and other activities that represent Gandhi’s values. Audience/ participants donate to take part and the proceeds go to Gandhian charities.