Donors are looking beyond non-profits and their- Change The World- rhetoric to smaller micro-level impact. For e.g. increasing number of donors are supporting a project that does not make earth shattering change but might help a child in Brazil to join his football classes or a school in Taiwan to repair its roof.
Some of the popular crowd-funding sites in India like Ketto have claimed to raise Rs. 100 Crore + (Around USD 16.5 Million) in funds through 2,00,000+ Donors. Another crowdfunding site Milaap, has raised Rs. 112 Crores in its couple of years of existence. And the majority of funds have been raised for individuals, small-charities through micro-projects. Unfortunately, bigger charities with larger budgets have not fared very well. Most of the major charities do not even look at crowd-funding as a fund-raising tool.
Crowdfunding is a reality, non-profits will sooner or later wake up to. The new donors in India, the growing community of Millenials, are socially responsive are willing to look away from tax exemptions and make an impact where their support makes a tangible difference. And, how non-profits understand and tap this will be critical to attract and retain Millennial donors.
