India Giving Day Gains Breakthrough Momentum in its 2nd Year
On March 1, 2024, the 33 nonprofit organizations participating in India Giving Day tallied over $5.5 million through the generosity of 1770 unique donors and the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and supporters who contributed to this movement.
Funds raised were four times that of last year, with a 71% increase in donors, many of which came through youth fundraisers and peer-to-peer fundraisers who advocated on behalf of the participating organizations. Gifts ranged from $5 to $1,000,000 fulfilling the inclusive intent of the campaign and reiterating the message that anyone can be a contribution and have a positive impact on the critical issues facing India today.
For the second year in a row, Vibha attracted the most donors at 414. The two organizations that raised the most (in dollars) were Arogya World and ATREE. And the organization to engage the most peer-to-peer fundraisers, particularly among youth, was Heart 2 Heart Foundation at 74. Heart 2 Heart was one of 15 organizations participating in India Giving Day for the first time.
Beyond the Numbers
But the outcome goes far beyond the numbers. Qualitatively, this year's campaign was more joyful, creative, youthful, communal, distributed, decentralized, colorful, and collaborative than last year—and that's saying a lot.
We know of community events held in Ankeny, IA; Atherton, CA; Bay Area, CA; Boston, MA; Cambridge, MA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Columbia, MO; Dallas, TX; Fairfax, VA; Fort Myers, FL; Fremont, CA; Hicksville, NY; New Brunswick, NJ; New Hyde Park, NY; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA, Plano, TX, and Santa Clara, CA.
Events to celebrate and observe India Giving Day were hosted by Ek Kadam Aur, Heart 2 Heart Foundation, Sehgal Foundation, Akanksha, Drishtee Foundation, Children's Hope India, VIBHA, Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA, and Educate Girls. American India Foundation (AIF) held their annual town hall on March 1 in honor of India Giving Day. *
Especially noteworthy was the event in Dallas hosted by TiE in which 7 nonprofits came together to make common cause and advance their campaigns with a strong sense of unity and solidarity. And of course there was our national flagship event organized with and at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where Paul Glick, the Executive Director of the Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) announced two new grants, one of which was the largest ever received by Arogya World.
Looking Ahead
Did everything go perfectly? Of course not. There were some glitches and errors and experiments that did not pan out. But nothing was so major so as to detract from the overall success. We learned a lot that should make India Giving Day 2025 bigger, better, and even more joyful.
In the weeks ahead, IPA will be rolling out our annual Youth Essay Competition, now in its fifth year, where we invite high school and middle school students to express their views about philanthropy and how it can benefit India. We will also be hosting a webinar on March 21 on the topic of "AI for Social Good in India" with an amazing lineup of speakers. Be on the lookout for announcements about these opportunities to engage and deepen the culture of philanthropy towards India.
For now, the India Giving Day team simply wishes to express its gratitude to everyone who helped make our signature national campaign successful and fun.
*If we are missing any cities or online convenings, please notify us of them and send photos and achievements and lessons if possible, so that we can include them in the final campaign report.