Donate, dance with a Bollywood star

AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: They donate for a cause. They also wish to rub shoulders with celebrities or enjoy a classy dinner.
And, it is this new breed of Good Samaritans that NGOs in the state are going out of their way to woo. From free invites to celebrity dinners and tickets for films to personalised services, goodies are coming the way of the new-age donor who wish to ''experience the joy of giving.'' And, perhaps, receiving too.
"People are selectively charitable," feels Amar Jyoti, regional manager of Action Aid in Gujarat.Action Aid''s ''Karma Mitra'', a multi-level fund raising campaign, provides donors something in return as a token of appreciation.
There are five categories under the ''Karma Mitra'' campaign and, depending on the category, a donor can avail of benefits like free holiday packages, free life insurance, free music CDs, free invites to music concerts, free mobile phones, credit cards and discounts on many products.
"Times have changed and NGOs can no longer afford to submit proposals and wait for funds to flow in. We have to take the initiative and go to people to seek participation in cash or kind. And, we need to find ways to attract donors," says co-ordinator for Ahmedabad based NGO Animal Health Foundation (AHF) Rahul Sehgal.
AHF''s Compassionate Citizens'' Campaign offers discount coupons for restaurants and shopping malls, invites for supper and theatre, T-shirts and caps. "I am planning to rope in celebrities for a cultural show on February 14 and later in the month. Our members and volunteers will automatically get to become part of these shows," said Sehgal.
Personalised services are also being offered to attract the donor. The United Way of Baroda (UWB), an umbrella organisation of NGOs in Vadodara, now offers two-card service schemes for donors - Gold Card and Two-Way Benefit Card in return for members'' contribution.
The Gold Card for senior citizens offers free health check-up and two visits by a nurse annually.
Those holding these cards can have their bills for services like telephone, electricity and courier and free service of plumber, electrician and television.
"For nominal donation of Rs 350, the donor can avail of many services free of charge. The two-way benefit card would cost Rs 400 which has additional benefits like complimentary couple pass for the annual garba programme, a sought-after event in the Vadodara calender," says Sushma Oza, executive director of UWB, "Payment of bills has become easy as we do not have to rush from our routine work.
Moreover, the staff is punctual and trustworthy," says Jayashree Dani, a Two-Way benefit card member in Vadodara.
District governor Yogendra Patel of Lions Club, Ahmedabad, admits that contributions have come thick and fast.
"A large number of youth turned up for our blood donation camps after we began giving them freebies like trendy wallets. Similarly, our ''Quest'' campaign, meant for characterbuilding among children, picked up steam after we distributed free textbooks to students," says Patel.