ET: Give a little as you earn: April 28, 2008 | Philanthropy

Give a little as you earn ....SANJAY GUPTA

RUMA Roka has pioneered the Noida Deaf School. It has 150 students — young men and women, mostly in their teens. Ruma and her team work with these folks to get them vocation capable. Some of them are learning how to use a computer to perform basic data entry functions. Another group is into the exciting world of computer-aided graphics and design. Her students are challenged in many ways; the biggest being their ability to read and write.

In India, the deaf do not receive well designed and well delivered primary education rendering them significantly handicapped to cope with adult life. Ruma’s school is a three-room apartment. It is crowded with barely enough room to stand. She is grateful to a few donors for the computers her students use and the refreshments she can offer them during school hours. The fiery passion with which she drives herself and her students is awesome. And yes, Ruma can do with help — staff to teach the students, materials that make learning easier, predictability of fund flow so that she can focus on the main task at hand.

   There are many ways to help. This article focuses on the opportunity for the average citizen to donate on a regular basis. Here are some facts that deserve your attention:

• Donate just Rs 400 per month to help educate a challenged child

• Rs 100 a month will help an NGO provide meals to one child for a full year

• A donation of Rs 425 a month can enable a street child to receive day care

• For Rs 3,500 a disabled person can be economically rehabilitated.

In many countries across the world, and increasingly so in India, “give as you earn” or payroll giving is a popular mechanism to enable everyday working people to donate, from their earnings, to a cause or organisation of their choice. One gained personal appreciation for this programme while living in the United States. It is absolutely wonderful to have the ability to choose a cause from a menu, identify a charitable organisation that you know has been validated for authenticity, indicate a monthly donation and let the system takeover! From regular updates on what’s happening at your charity of choice to reconciled payroll statements and tax certificates, it’s totally hassle-free giving!

In India, payroll giving was introduced about a decade ago and has since been growing in popularity. A number of global corporations who now have significant presence in this country have simply extended this global practice into their India operations. Many companies see this as an integral part of their CSR and are keen to match employee contributions with similar contributions of their own.

Says Priya Viswanath, CEO of Charities Aid Foundation India (CAF) a non-profit organisation that partners with companies to bring Give As You Earn to their employees — “This is a very exciting method for us to harness the giving ability of the corporate employee, coupled with the employers desire to support good citizenship and helps create a steady, predictable flow of funds to deserving charities. Only those charities that pass stringent programme and fiscal due diligence criteria get onto the approved list; a source of great comfort to donors. What is specially rewarding is our ability to take giving as a life habit to the doorsteps of people in a totally efficient, transparent, flexible manner.”

The mechanics of payroll giving are simple. The employer enters into an arrangement with a service provider like CAF. The service provider in turn offers a list of accredited charities for employees to choose from (the service provider most often can add, after due validation, charities that the employer identifies). The employee indicates the charity for donation, monthly contribution and the system is up and running!

Last year CAF in the UK raised approximately £65 million through the payroll giving programme. India-based employees of a global company today support over 30 charities across six cities through cash gifts. Their engagement with these organisations has led to a significant increase in volunteering by employees. These people value the effort made by their employer in enabling their personal social benefit objectives — the introduction of the giving scheme and the donation matching. This adds to the value they place on working with the company.

If you are a C level leader or an opinion maker at your place of work — ask the question today. Is your organisation sponsoring payroll giving? Ruma Roka and the Noida Deaf School and many others who lead the cause of the challenged will be greatly benefited by your determination. Look at the metrics that tell the story. Simply put, you can change lives for the better with just a little giving as you earn.

• You can change lives for the better with just a little giving as you earn

• Payroll giving is a popular mechanism to enable working people to donate to a cause or organisation of their choice

• Many companies see payroll giving as an integral part of their CSR and are keen to match employee contributions with similar contributions of their own

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