The nonprofit sector is undergoing a remarkable change in India, powered by technology, young professionals and committed funders.
“What’s exciting for India is the innovation that’s happening around young entrepreneurs, how they are leveraging technology and how they are building communities that take more ownership,” she says. Rohini Nilekani, founder-chairperson of water and sanitation foundation Arghyam, says she is seeing more young, urban professionals enter the social sector, with a different approach to problem solving. “These are young, highly educated professionals who are looking to create more engagement to collectively solve a problem,” she says, while cautioning that professionalism in the social sector needs to be accompanied by passion and vision.
“Twenty years ago, a more long-term view would be taken. Then, it became a big thing and civil society organisations were spending half their time reporting impact rather than effecting social change. I think the pendulum is now swinging back,” says Nilekani.
