Street fundraising or face-to-face fundraising for NGOs in India is still a fairly new concept. The sheer number of working adults make India a fertile ground for your non-profit organisation to attract prospective supporters for your cause. But before you start recruiting trained street fundraising professionals, there are a few rules you should remember as an NGO in India carrying out ethical fundrasing on the streets.
Labour Laws
While there aren’t many laws that lay out guidlines for charities to follow while conducting their street fundraising, India’s labour laws must be adhered to. This means that any employed fundraisers should be Indian nationals and above 18 years of age. Even though fundraising is not a time-bound affair, fundraising professionals need to work under normal working hours and have a planned schedule. As a registered company that works closely with non-profit organisations, DDII ensures that such guidelines are religiously followed while hiring and deploying fundraising talent for your NGO.
Fundraising Location
Street fundraising is usually conducted in public spaces such as a busy street, market or the beach, where a high number of footfalls are guaranteed on any given day. On the flip side, non-public spaces such as a residential colony, mall, corporate office, or tech park also offer different demographics to tap into. Fundraising in regular public spaces may need simple permission from a city’s municipal authorities if you have a large team. Fundraising activities in non-public spaces always require prior written permission from concerned individuals to mitigate any possible legal issues.
Proper Conduct
Raising funds on the street is a difficult job, where the prospect of rejection looms constantly. It is important for street fundraising professionals to maintain their composure and manners while dealing with the general public. Being polite, confident and having a positive outlook are essential traits. Fundraising specialists need to remember that they’re also guardians of your NGO’s image in the real world. Ethical fundraising requires fundraisers that are responsible and always inform prospects about donor rights, by making the signing up process completely transparent.
DDII’s street fundraising professionals undergo intensive induction training, ongoing evaluation and professional development to equip them to handle all sorts of queries and issues that may crop up while fundraising for your NGO on the streets.
