CHETNA 

Organizational Vision

The Center for Health Education, Training, and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA) is an Indian capacity building NGO that works with women and children’s health.

In addressing its own organizational capacity, CHETNA began to focus its attention on creative ways of reducing costs and generating income. Operational overheads were significant, due in part to the high rental costs for office space and resource centers. CHETNA wanted to find ways in which to save funds that were being spent on rent.

Citizen Base Strategy

In early 1992, CHETNA received a break. Founder and Director, Indu Capoor, learned that a local heiress, Lilavatiben Lalbhai, had left instructions in her will to donate her bungalow to an organization working for the betterment of women and children. Capoor met with the Lalbhai trustees and began a six-month long dialogue in which she tried to persuade the trustees to donate the property to CHETNA. The organization willingly underwent a thorough review of its activities and financial background. Capoor and her team convinced the trustees that, with its solid financial status and 10 years of experience in working with women and children, CHETNA was the best possible choice for a donation. The Lalbhai trustees agreed and CHETNA took possession of a bungalow worth an estimated US$135,000.

CHETNA received another key gift of property in June 1996 in the old city of Ahmedabad. An elderly brother and sister, the Mehtas, were interested in donating their family’s ancestral home. Again, once Capoor learned of the Mehta’s desire to donate their property, she met with them to discuss a possible donation to CHETNA. Judging from how well CHETNA had acted as a custodian of the Lalbhai bungalow, the Mehtas donated the property to CHETNA. As part of the agreement, CHETNA agreed to invest approximately US $22,000 in renovating the property.

Witnessing the revitalization of the Mehta home, other property owners in the area were also motivated to give their property to CHETNA. Seeing CHETNA’s careful stewardship of the Mehta home, one set of neighbors, who were originally interested in selling their property, decided to donate it to CHETNA instead.

Results

Within a period of 6 years, CHETNA has received donations of three properties totaling more than US $350,000.

As a result of these gifts, CHETNA saves substantially on rental costs. The Lalbhai bungalow alone has enabled the organization to realize a savings of nearly US $45,000 in the rental cost of office space. The gift of the properties provided a substantial financial advantage to CHETNA, as well as providing permanent, central places for its Resource Centers.

CHETNA’s experience with in-kind donations of property provided the organization with a new perspective towards its own organizational sustainability. CHETNA has leveraged the savings by investing in securities and real estate for the future sustainability of the organization.