Scale has long been a challenge for Indian nongovernmental organizations — more than 2 million are registered with the government, but few if any are as large as those in the United States.
But that’s now changing, with a growing number of social venture philanthropists innovating the NGO landscape, using the venture capital model to overcome the growth challenges that have clipped the industry at grass-roots level for decades.
The fact that most NGOs have not been able to scale is “a clear nod toward lack of capacity” at a time when it’s needed more than ever, Aparna Sanjay, general manager of Social Venture Partners Bangalore, told Devex.