Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative

This toolkit, developed by Bridgespan’s Pay-What-It-Takes India Initiative, helps funders self-assess how aligned their current funding practices are with the five PWIT principles and offers actionable recommendations to address gaps and strengthen practices. The toolkit is hosted in partnership with the Indian School of Development Management.

This intermediary database, a partnership between Bridgespan and Atma, is a searchable listing of 120+ intermediary organisations and professionals providing services across 13 organisational development capabilities described in the ‘How to Build and Organisational Development Plan’ toolkit.

These guidelines equip NGOs with the tools to accurately calculate, communicate and fundraise for their complete costs, including definitions, key concepts, and a step-by-step guide to the calculation of true costs of the NGO.

A Bridgespan article in Stanford Social Innovation Review describes how strengthening relationships between funders and nonprofits, and investing in capacity, will create more resilient organisations and create more impact.

The Bridgespan Group contributed an article in a compendium published by Reliance Foundation, Observer Research Foundation, and United Nations that outlines the "Pay-What-It-Takes" approach to funding nonprofit organisations. This was featured among practices at the forefront of delivering development initiatives at the grassroots.

Amit Chandra and Poonam Choksi of the A.T.E. Chandra Foundation write in Fortune India that donors should earmark multiyear, flexible funding for organisational capacity – sharing five practical recommendations and evidence from a recent white paper.

Unrestricted grants for nonprofits are hard to come by. Writing in India Development Review, Vanessa D’Souza and R Sriram from the Society for Nutrition, Education & Health Action make the case for funders to place bigger bets on the social sector.

While nonprofits often prioritise organisational development for long-term sustainability, funders may have different perspectives. By understanding funder motivations, we can better align these priorities, as discussed by Bridgespan authors in India Development Review (available in Hindi).

A Bridgespan article in Forbes India stresses the importance of building relationships with funders and uses two prominent nonprofits, Saajha and Foundation for Ecological Security, as role models.

A detailed examination of the strategies employed by two organisations – Adhyayan Foundation and Reap Benefit – to strengthen their fundraising capabilities, and the significant, multi-level impact achieved within a year (available in Hindi).

A guide to effective communication: best practices, pitfalls, and key considerations (available in Hindi). 

Shows through the example of Universe Simplified Foundation how capacity building becomes durable when it’s woven into values and daily routines.

Resource constraints often hinder strong team culture development in nonprofits. The talent management practices used by Arpan, a nonprofit that works on the prevention of child sexual abuse, demonstrate how to overcome this challenge (available in Hindi).

Why are monitoring and evaluation frameworks important for grassroots nonprofits? This case study presents Tapasya's journey and the critical role these frameworks can play in driving impact and growth.

Identifying the right moment to scale and building the necessary capacity to do so are major challenges for grassroots nonprofits. The experience of QUEST, a nonprofit that supports elementary education and teacher professional development, offers valuable insights.

In a video interview with India Development Review, Mariwala Health Initiative Director Raj Mariwala talks about MHI’s approach to philanthropy, how it has evolved over time, and how donors can be more efficient in their giving to help those at the margins.
 

Amit Chandra, co-founder of A.T.E. Chandra Foundation, reflects in an India Development Review video interview on his philanthropic values, the challenges donors face, the need for a community-centric approach to giving and the lessons that failures teach.