When you know what it really is !

Not a GyAni but I love GYAN. Why? cause Get Your Answers Now, volunteer led customized workshops, is what it means to me  and hope that with time it will replace the existing connotation of the word  “gyan”, at least the development sector !. What makes me hopeful of this change is not only my passion to facilitate capacity building in this sector but the perspective shared  both by the volunteers, who give their time to take such sessions and the Non profit or the “beneficiary” of GYAN who, interestingly enough, validated each of these perspectives, take a look  to believe;

Vijay lathe, a volunteer resource person with professional experience in both profit and non profit sectors, found the session unique in its attempt  to match the expectations with takeaway .

“What I liked and appreciated in iVolunteer method of conducting the GYAN session was the pre preparation. You want the deliverable and expectation matching done so well before the session. This I found to be amazing. Right from the naming of the topic, to the detailing, the content, the questions etc., all have to fall in sync. Really appreciate the deliverable and expectation matching concept, which you follow so much in detail. It sure is beneficial to the Social sector, where the need is so different and so well defined.”

And here comes a participant who summarized her overall experience with GYAN in one line

“Excellent! Fulfilled my expectation” Natasha Rashid, Udyogini

Another said

“ It’s nice to be a part of such a special resource class, that touched all the topics, query & difficulty that we face in FCRA & Cash flow”  Rajan Prasad, Mobile Creches

Deeapm Yogi another GYAN trainer with experience into marketing & commutations of both sectors finds the small group and the sector connect quite significant she feels;

“Training like GYAN can have a huge positive impact on the development sector. The small group concept of these sessions helps participants to address their specific queries as well as get a valuable opportunity for peer learning. NGOs not only get access to skilled volunteers but also open doors with the corporate sector. It facilitates a dialogue between the NGOs and corporate, which in my opinion has been lacking”

once again we see , a participant, Sukanya Sreenivasanm, Consultant to Vidyarambam Trust , say

 “Love the gaining size in a class, Passionate and knowledgeable trainers”

Another one in Delhi highlighted  the significance of a volunteer corporate connect

“I wd surely recommend as sessions are tailored to the needs of the sector and there is an opportunity for cross sharing and learning between the NGOs too. Also we get the opportunity to get advice and learn from professionals who are doing well in corporate , the kind of resource people we may not be able to otherwise afford as NGO. Deepa Bajaj, Child Survival India

The hope strengthens further  when Sarath Divella, Country Head of Lionbridge Technologies who has an equally impressive volunteering journey, considers GYAN as a strategic option for Non Profits & says;

“ I work with many Non profits at different capacities viz., as volunteer, trainer, mentor, advisor…….I am very clear unless we build skills and capacity, this sector cannot progress and scale. This sector cannot hire talent competing with Corporates in the market so the only solution to improve the skills of existing human resources is training. It takes us to the famous management subject, “Make or Buy”, the clear answer for social sector is “Make”. 

And the hopes turn into belief when  Dr. Subathra, Managing Trustee, Lakshmi Pain and Palliative Care summarises all this at one go;

“The GYAN sessions conducted by iVolunteer are very useful for NGOs. Due to financial constraints, NGOs have a minimum number of employees and GYAN sessions help to equip trustees and staff with the knowledge required to manage and run NGOs efficiently. They also give ideas on how to promote their brand. It is heartening that the resource persons are friendly and they not only have a good knowledge of the topics that are taken up for discussion but also volunteer their time to take these sessions. Since the group is small, there is enough time to interact and get our doubts cleared. The discussion on how to write annual reports was very useful and we got ideas on how to make it look attractive using simple tools. The session on IT laws was very good with inputs on FCRA and the latest IT laws for NGOs.”

It’s just the beginning and I see GYAN going beyond building capacity to building long term relationships between Non Profits & volunteers.  Best of Luck GYAN wishing you many more  Gyani’s in the years to come … !!