danaVidya: A Free Resource to Support India’s Social Sector

 

Four specialised organisations have joined hands to launch danaVidya, a free vetted resource to help answer compliance and legal questions for NGOs and Corporate CSR Teams in India. danaVidya aims to assist them in deepening their impact and reaching even more beneficiaries, especially during the pandemic. This innovative solution uses a WhatsApp Chat Bot that combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to answer user questions from its large database, covering topics such as Income Tax, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the newly launched Social Stock Exchange (SSE).

What is danaVidya?

danaVidya is a WhatsApp Chat Bot that uses a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to answer user questions from its large database. To get started with danaVidya, users simply have to say Hi to +91 7777035895 on Whatsapp or click the API. This chatbot was created by the Center for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP); Aria CFO Services, a CFO service for Social Enterprises; Glific, a WhatsApp-based open-source communication platform for NGOs and danamojo, India’s First Payment Solutions Platform for NGOs, which has onboarded 1,000+ NGOs.

danaVidya’s Coverage

The WhatsApp-based chatbot provides automated assistance to NGOs & Corporate CSR Teams. It covers questions related to Income Tax (12AB/80G), Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the newly launched Social Stock Exchange (SSE).

For any other questions not already in its vast question bank, the chatbot prompts a human volunteer to respond to the unique query within 24 hours of the user’s question. Every automated response has been vetted by a resident expert, the CEO of CAP India, Noshir Dadrawala, who has been offering compliance-related advisory to nonprofits and social initiatives of corporates for over 35 years.

Wealth of Knowledge

Speaking about the launch, Noshir Dadrawala, CEO, Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy, said, “They say that to share or give your knowledge is one of the best gifts and perhaps the highest form of daana or giving. The daana of vidya, in my opinion, is a wonderful opportunity for sharing one’s wealth of knowledge and experience and, in the process, enhancing the giver’s thirst for learning more and drinking deeper at the fountain of knowledge and wisdom. danaVidya promises to be one such platform for cross-learning, peer-learning, and to become a proverbial ‘watering-hole’ for thirsty seekers of knowledge in the jungle of legal compliance for NGOs/NPOs.”

Easing Compliance by Making Knowledge Accessible

Ritu Jain and Ravi Bagaria, Co-Founders & Partners, Aria CFO Services, said, “Finance and compliance are a crucial part of any NGOs growth and survival strategies. In this ever-changing landscape of laws, rules and regulations governing the sector, danaVidya can be the perfect platform to further the ethos of making the knowledge of compliance – accessible and digestible. It is a decoded bible that will provide practical guidance for compliance-related issues faced by the sector. It gives us immense joy to be a part of this journey. This collaboration of experts and technology resonates a lot with our ideologies at Aria.”

Field Expertise

Dhaval Udani, CEO, danamojo said, “The biggest highlight of danaVidya is that it is driven by organisations who work exclusively with NGOs and therefore are experts in the field. Each of us understands the challenges and journeys of NGOs and the complexities of the law with respect to their operations and have therefore created this easy-to-use and accessible platform together.”

Impact of danaVidya on the Social Sector

danaVidya is a game-changing tool that has the potential to significantly impact the social sector in India. It provides a much-needed platform for NGOs and Corporate CSR teams to get quick answers to their compliance and legal queries, ensuring that they can operate smoothly and efficiently. By providing a free service, danaVidya is breaking down barriers to access critical knowledge and support that has traditionally been limited to those who can afford expensive legal counsel.

Moreover, danaVidya is a prime example of the power of collaboration between specialised organisations that serve the social enterprise sector exclusively. By bringing together the expertise of organisations like CAP, Aria CFO Services, Glific, and danamojo, danaVidya is well-positioned to provide comprehensive, accurate and reliable information to its users.

The Future of danaVidya

danaVidya’s creators envision a future where the chatbot will be able to answer queries related to other areas beyond compliance, such as program design, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement. As danaVidya continues to grow and evolve, it has the potential to become an essential tool for the entire social sector in India.

danaVidya is an innovative and much-needed solution that has the potential to revolutionize the way NGOs and Corporate CSR teams operate in India. By leveraging the power of AI and NLP, danaVidya provides quick and reliable answers to compliance and legal queries, helping organisations to focus on their core activities and deepen their impact.

The initiative is a testament to the power of collaboration between specialised organisations. It is hoped that more such collaborations will emerge to support the social sector’s growth and development. With danaVidya, the social sector in India has taken a significant step towards greater efficiency, effectiveness, and impact.