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    • Two women painting a roof with solar-reflective white paint-heat communication
    Climate Emergency

    Visualising the heat crisis: A guide for nonprofits

    To respond effectively to extreme heat, we need to stop depicting it as an abstract or invisible threat. Here are tools for practitioners and communicators to visually convey its true scale and interconnected impacts.
    by Sonali Verma | 9 min read

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    Latest

    A close-up side view of a dog's snout poking through narrow wooden fence slats, as if it's trying to smell or observing something outside_nonprofit humour
    Humour
    Fundamental rights: Social sector edition
    Just a few demands that will make all of our lives easier.
    by Anjali Mishra, Raveena Kunwar | 2 min read
    The image is a close-up shot of a person holding a smartphone in their hands. On the screen, a WhatsApp chat is open in the background. In the foreground, there is a white text window with the title 'options'. Below it are the following prompts: 'about snakes around me', 'myths about snakes', 'avoiding snakebite', 'snakebite first aid', and 'none of the above'. At the end, there is an option that says 'tap an item to select it'._WhatsApp chatbots
    Technology
    Making chatbots work for nonprofits
    What happens when nonprofits use WhatsApp chatbots? Two leaders reflect on its impact, challenges, and what it takes to make this tech work on the ground.
    by Jasmine Bal, Derrek Xavier | 7 min read
    Man photographing aquatic plants near a pond with lily pads, surrounded by thick green plants and forested hills in the background_environmental conservation
    Philanthropy & CSR
    Why CSR funding for environmental conservation needs a rethink
    CSR funding continues to favour quick wins and visible outcomes, leaving little room for the research and sustained effort that environmental conservation truly requires.
    by Anjana Vencatesan | 9 min read
    A woman in a yellow and orange saree speaks into a microphone during a community meeting attended by a group of women seated in front of her. Two other women, dressed in white and green, are seated beside her on plastic chairs. The gathering is taking place in an outdoor public space with a stone backdrop and a banner in Marathi_domestic violence
    Advocacy & Government
    How India’s domestic violence act can deliver justice
    Despite its survivor-centric design, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) often fails in practice. Here’s how it can become more accessible.
    by Nikhat Shaikh, Reshma Bhagwan Jagtap | 7 min read
    The image features a group of men standing in a circle on an unpaved road and talking. One of the men is holding sheets of paper in his hand._data quality
    Monitoring & Evaluation
    Ensuring data quality in large-scale field surveys
    From respondent confusion to reporting errors, data collection often faces complex challenges. Here's how regular checks and training can help.
    by Abhinav Dubey, Rohan Shah | 4 min read

    Ground Up

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    Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.


    Education
    photo
    Bihar’s Musahar educators devise new ways to teach their own
    by Basant Kumar Manjhi, Jeetu Kumar
    Location Icon Patna district, Bihar
    Climate Emergency
    photo
    Salt of the earth: Farmers in Sundarbans adapt to climate change
    by Rahul Singh
    Location Icon North 24 Parganas, West Bengal
    Social Justice
    photo
    Balancing multiple identities as a Nat community mobiliser
    by Teena Raj
    Location Icon Tonk district, Rajasthan ; Jaipur district, Rajasthan
    Social Justice
    photo
    Left for debt: Microfinance fractures families in Kushinagar’s villages
    by Durga
    Location Icon Kushinagar district, Uttar Pradesh

    Videos

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    IDR Ground up | Bihar’s Musahar educators devise new ways to teach their own
    IDR Explains | A quick guide to digital crowdfunding for nonprofits
    #IDRExplains | Local government in India

    A day in the life of

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    Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.


    Women in a village standing in a group and talking_mental health stigma
    Health
    From self to society: Navigating silence and stigma around mental health
    A day in the life of a community health worker in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, who tackles mental health stigma through trust and support—in her own life and for the people she serves.
    by Geeta Shakya | 6 min read
    a teacher coach observing a class in session--government school teachers
    Education
    Observing classrooms, building capacities
    A day in the life of an educator, who uses a technology-enabled approach to coach government school teachers in Palghar, Maharashtra.
    by Ketan Tambe | 8 min read
    Women microentreprenuers sitting in an office working
    Social Business
    Sales and sisterhood: What drives a small-scale business in Pune
    A day in the lives of two women microentrepreneurs, who combine their marketing and product design skills to craft a winning formula for their social enterprise.
    by Asha Shinde, Sana Shaikh | 2 min read

    Failure Files

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    Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.

    Silhouetted birds perched on bare tree_leadership failure
    Leadership & Talent
    Building team culture isn’t optional
    A nonprofit co-founder reflects on how scaling rapidly unintentionally alienated employees, which led to cracks in organisational culture.
    by Vijayalakshmi Mohan | 7 min read
    Aerial shot of women protestors sitting_well-being
    Social Justice
    Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint 
    Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.
    by India Development Review | 10 min read
    Barbed wire_nonprofits
    Leadership & Talent
    Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?
    A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.
    by Tanaya Jagtiani, Rachita Vora | 7 min read

    IDR Interviews

    SEE ALL

    Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.

    The image is an illustration of Devika Singh._Early childhood care
    "You can’t talk about childcare without talking about labour. About migration. About how women work long hours for low wages. About where they live, what they eat, how invisible they are to systems meant to serve them."
    Devika Singh
    9 min read
    an image of Dayamani Barla against a turquoise background-adivasi
    "Activists should go to places where laws are made and also where laws are implemented. If you don’t get into politics, you won’t be able to save the country."
    Dayamani Barla
    3 min read
    Madhu mansuri hasmukh
    "I spoke of the rights of Adivasis in my songs. When the state of Jharkhand was created, we had great aspirations, and  these aspirations are also woven into my songs."
    Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh
    8 min read

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    Sectors

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    Insights and analysis of specific sectors in the development arena—what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Livelihoods
  • Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
    • Man photographing aquatic plants near a pond with lily pads, surrounded by thick green plants and forested hills in the background_environmental conservation
    Philanthropy & CSR
    Why CSR funding for environmental conservation needs a rethink
    CSR funding continues to favour quick wins and visible outcomes, leaving little room for the research and sustained effort that environmental conservation truly requires.
    by Anjana Vencatesan | 9 min read
    A group of Adivasi women walk in a line along a lush forest path, carrying saplings and soil in metal basins on their heads. Men in the background are digging and working on the hillside. Mist-covered hills and dense greenery form the backdrop_DAJGUA
    Advocacy & Government
    How a central scheme allows private agencies to influence FRA
    One of the key aims of the Forest Rights Act has been to decentralise forest governance by conferring powers on the gram sabha. DAJGUA, a new umbrella scheme for forest-dwelling communities in India, may upend this.
    by Sukriti Vats | 8 min read
    The image features a pile of chopped wooden logs piled in the open. Behind the pile, logs have been stacked in neat rows on top of each other. In the background, there is a large residential structure with bare trees on either side._Oukhoo pencil village
    Livelihoods
    Photo essay: Kashmir’s pencil village faces a raw material crisis
    Oukhoo, a village in Kashmir, produces most of India’s pencil slats. But the felling of poplar trees is now threatening wood supply, jobs, and the region’s economy.
    by Tauseef Ahmad, Sajid Raina | 3 min read

    Themes

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    Approaches and ideas that cut across sectors and counter the dominant narratives around us.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Advocacy & Government
  • Climate Emergency
  • Collaboration
  • COVID-19
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Ecosystem Development
  • Gender
  • Inequality
  • Philanthropy & CSR
  • Scale
  • Social Business
  • Social Justice
  • Urban
  • Youth
    • Two women painting a roof with solar-reflective white paint-heat communication
    Climate Emergency
    Visualising the heat crisis: A guide for nonprofits
    To respond effectively to extreme heat, we need to stop depicting it as an abstract or invisible threat. Here are tools for practitioners and communicators to visually convey its true scale and interconnected impacts.
    by Sonali Verma | 9 min read
    Man photographing aquatic plants near a pond with lily pads, surrounded by thick green plants and forested hills in the background_environmental conservation
    Philanthropy & CSR
    Why CSR funding for environmental conservation needs a rethink
    CSR funding continues to favour quick wins and visible outcomes, leaving little room for the research and sustained effort that environmental conservation truly requires.
    by Anjana Vencatesan | 9 min read
    A woman in a yellow and orange saree speaks into a microphone during a community meeting attended by a group of women seated in front of her. Two other women, dressed in white and green, are seated beside her on plastic chairs. The gathering is taking place in an outdoor public space with a stone backdrop and a banner in Marathi_domestic violence
    Advocacy & Government
    How India’s domestic violence act can deliver justice
    Despite its survivor-centric design, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) often fails in practice. Here’s how it can become more accessible.
    by Nikhat Shaikh, Reshma Bhagwan Jagtap | 7 min read

    Expertise

    SEE ALL
    Skills and functions that are core to growing programmes and organisations.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Board & Governance
  • Fundraising & Communications
  • Leadership & Talent
  • Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Programme
  • Technology
    • The image is a close-up shot of a person holding a smartphone in their hands. On the screen, a WhatsApp chat is open in the background. In the foreground, there is a white text window with the title 'options'. Below it are the following prompts: 'about snakes around me', 'myths about snakes', 'avoiding snakebite', 'snakebite first aid', and 'none of the above'. At the end, there is an option that says 'tap an item to select it'._WhatsApp chatbots
    Technology
    Making chatbots work for nonprofits
    What happens when nonprofits use WhatsApp chatbots? Two leaders reflect on its impact, challenges, and what it takes to make this tech work on the ground.
    by Jasmine Bal, Derrek Xavier | 7 min read
    The image features a group of men standing in a circle on an unpaved road and talking. One of the men is holding sheets of paper in his hand._data quality
    Monitoring & Evaluation
    Ensuring data quality in large-scale field surveys
    From respondent confusion to reporting errors, data collection often faces complex challenges. Here's how regular checks and training can help.
    by Abhinav Dubey, Rohan Shah | 4 min read
    a purple and pink kite flying against a blue sky-Fundraising for nonprofits
    Fundraising & Communications
    Reimagining fundraising for nonprofits
    Nonprofits must invest in fundraising capacity to build resilience. An impact study of 11 nonprofits shows how investments in fundraising can be a smart, high-return strategy.
    by Poonam Choksi | 5 min read
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