FAQs
- FAQs about Samhita
- Registration
- For NGOs
- Signing Up
- Profile
- References
- Projects
- Account and Settings
- Donations, Feedback and Tax receipts
- Volunteering
- Experts
- For Individuals
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What is Samhita?
Samhita is an online marketplace for social organizations, donors, volunteers, expert, service providers and anyone and everyone interested in the social sector.
What does the word ‘Samhita’ mean?
The word ‘Samhita’ in Sanskrit means ‘collective good’. It is the most appropriate name for our endeavor to bring together organizations and individuals who have the common goal of achieving social good.
What is the inspiration behind Samhita?
Our research has shown us that social organizations (NGOs and social
enterprises) need an enabling support system to build effective organizations
to create a significant impact. People who want to support social
causes are often unaware of the work and needs of social organizations.
Our Mission is to build an ecosystem for
social organizations and individuals /organizations that wish to engage
with the social sector.
Who owns the Samhita portal?
Samhita.org is owned by Nadathur Trust and is managed by Samhita Social
Ventures Pvt Ltd on behalf of Nadathur Trust. More details about these
entities are contained in the section on Legal
& Financial Info.
How will Samhita support itself?
We have kept our team small and our costs low. To recover our costs, we will charge registration fees to social organizations and service providers after a few months. While we do not charge fees to Indian individual donors, we request them to pay us an optional service fee. We also charge nominal fees to foreign foundations and donor advised funds that intend to disburse large sums of money.
Aren’t you doing too much?
Yes. Intentionally. Hundreds of organizations and individuals that we have spoken to, have complained about the lack of a one-stop marketplace for social organizations. We hope to create an efficient marketplace that will allow social organizations to establish a web presence, build a brand, attract supporters, raise resources, improve their operations, increase their impact and be transparent and accountable to their stakeholders, thereby creating a virtuous circle that maximizes social impact.
What are the benefits of registering on Samhita?
As a social organization, you get to create an online profile on a platform for social organizations, showcase your work and your organizational / project related requirements, get access to knowledge and human resources, etc. Additionally, if you are a not-for-profit organization / NGO you would be permitted to canvass for and receive financial support for charitable activities from donors registered on the portal.
As an individual or service provider, you get to create an online profile and engage meaningfully with the social sector – either as a potential volunteer / employee or a provider of reasonably priced services to organizations in the social sector.
How is Samhita different from existing online donation portals?
Unlike other donation portals, we do not charge the donor any fee and transfer the entire donation amount (after deducting the bank transaction charges of the payment gateway service provider) to the NGO on a weekly basis.
More importantly, we are here to provide a holistic suite of services to social organizations and people interested in social causes. We want to provide visibility to social organizations, help them raise a variety of resources, provide tools and services to manage their operations more efficiently, encourage them to measure and report their impact and ultimately, help them scale their social impact.
We also want to ensure that people keen on learning about and supporting social causes have access to accurate, complete information that can help them make informed decisions. We provide multiple options (donations, volunteering, offering expertise, etc.) to people who want to get involved in the social sector. We want to make their giving process convenient, easy and effective.
Our ultimate goal is to maximize social impact by ensuring that credible, impactful social organizations get the resources that they need and people who want to support social causes are able to do so effectively.
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Who can register?
Any Indian social organization (NGO or social enterprise), service provider or individual can register on the portal. Note, however, that only NGOs (non-profit social organizations) may canvass for and receive donations through the portal.
For social organizations and service providers the registration procedure involves submitting certain documents and getting recommendations / ratings from partners / beneficiaries, etc.
My NGO has not been registered yet. Can I register?
Yes, you may register as a social organization if you are an unregistered NGO. You will not, however, be permitted to canvass for and raise funds through the portal if you are not a registered charitable organization holding required tax exemptions under the Income Tax Act.
How can we register?
The Samhita Homepage has a direct link to
the Registration form. Provide the
details required, save and submit the form to complete your registration
and access your account. The registration process – especially for
social organizations – may require an hour or two of effort, so remember
to keep saving all information at the end of every page.
Is the information provided by me at the time of registration secured?
Yes. Your information is secure. Your login ID and password will not be shared with anyone. Your name and email address will be visible to all donors and volunteers.
Will you charge for registration?
We will not be charging for registration on the website for the first few months, and registrations for individuals shall not be charged at any point. However, going forward, service providers and social organizations will be levied a registration fee, and a nominal yearly renewal fee. We will be sharing details of these amounts soon (and we assure you that these will be reasonable!).
Can I use the services for free for a trial period?
Yes. Use of the website is free for the first few months. After this we will introduce a registration fee for social organizations and service providers.
Will there be ‘categories’ or ‘packages’ when it comes to user options?
There will be separate packages in respect of social organization registrants, and the privileges available to subscribers will depend on whether the social organization has subscribed to the ‘basic’ package or the ‘privilege’ package. We are still working out the details of these packages, and will put these up on the website shortly.
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Signing Up
After filling out the registration form, what do I next?
Please check the inbox of the email address that you used for registration.You must have received a confirmation email. Open that email and click on the link to confirm. You will then be automatically logged into the portal.
I did not receive the confirmation email. What do I do?
Please send us an email on ngosupport@samhita.org or contact us on 022 4264 1892
Is it enough to create a profile once or do I need to keep updating my information?
We have made it very simple for you to edit and update your profile according to your convenience. Although creating a profile once is sufficient, we recommend that you update your profile with the latest projects and developments.
Can you create the account on my behalf?
We would prefer if you created your account, so you can keep your
organization's objectives and ideologies clear. We are here to provide
any assistance during the registration process, so please Contact
us if needed.
Will my profile go online immediately?
If you are an individual donor, your profile will go online ("live") after completion of all the mandatory categories of information. Social organizations and service providers require recommendations from partners, volunteers, beneficiaries, etc. The profiles of social organizations and services will go live only after recommendations are received and verified by Samhita.
How do you validate the profile?
We will do a quick consistency and ‘sanity’ check of all the information provided by you during the registration process. In the case of social organizations and service providers, we will scrutinize the scanned documents that you provide at the time of registration and will contact you and your recommenders in case any clarifications are required.
Why are you asking for so much information?
At Samhita we aim to build a Circle of Trust amongst our users. Our objective is to provide credible information which has been and can be verified. Remember that all the information requested for is not compulsory. You can choose to not fill in categories of non-compulsory information. That said, keep in mind that the credibility of your profile would increase with more information provided – so do fill in as many details as possible. Also remember that these details can be filled in over time.
Who can view our profile?
Your profile information will be shared with other users depending on your Privacy Settings (See: last link on the left panel of your profile page).
What information will be displayed to the viewer?
Unless otherwise stated on the form pages, most details will, by default get displayed on your profile. If you wish to control the privacy of your profile, you can do so by stating your preferences on the Settings page(See: last link on the left panel of your profile page).
How can I modify/edit/update information?
Profile information can be updated by choosing the Edit Account option on your account page.
What should be written in the brief description?
For social organizations: the brief description should contain the key facts of your organization. Since this will be viewed by potential associates / partners / supporters, please describe your work, cause and prior experience clearly. Some important questions that should be answered are– who you are, what you do, and what you are looking for on the portal.
How do I paste the link of facebook/linkedin/twitter?
Please go to your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page, if you have one, and just copy the URL that you see in the address. Paste it in the text box wherever applicable.
How can I upload the video of my organization on your portal?
Please paste the embed code available below the video on YouTube in the Embed Code field in the Supporting Documents section.
What if I am not authorized to provide financial information of the organization?
Though financial information is not a compulsory page, we encourage all social organizations to enter that information as donors care about that. We suggest that you approach the concerned person in the organization and pass on the Login ID and password information to him. S/he can then login and enter the required information on the Financial Info page.
Do I need to get more than 5 recommendations?
While 5 recommendations are enough to make your profile public, we recommend that you request as many supporters of your organization as possible to provide recommendations. This will bolster your credibility rating and help you attract greater donations.
Our donors are too busy to rate/recommend us, what should we do?
Recommendations and ratings are an integral part of our ‘credibility framework’ and help to strengthen an organization’s circle of trust and provide an assurance to future supporters. This is also why we do not require extensive documentary requirements at the time of registration. We request you to impress upon your donors the importance of their recommendation, and have them rate you at the earliest.
My reference request that I sent hasn’t been received by the referee yet. What do I do?
This might have happened because the email address entered was wrong or is outdated or due to server problems at the recipient’s end. We suggest you contact the particular referee offline to ensure that you have the correct email address. You must then try to resend a reference invitation to the person. In case the referee does not receive the email again, reach out to us on ngosupport@samhita.org and we will help you solve the problem.
We do not have any ‘projects’ in our social organization; can we write our regular activities as projects?
Yes. Your activities can be included as current projects or upcoming projects.
We need funds for organizational needs such as salaries and equipment. Can we post these as projects?
Yes. Your organizational needs can also be entered as projects.
Can we contact donors through the portal?
This depends on the package subscribed to by the NGO. Subscription to the premium package will allow NGOs to contact donors on the website. Subscription to the basic package will allow NGOs to see contact details of and receive donations only from individuals who contact them first.
Can you help us contact foreign donors?
Yes. We will have foreign donors registered on the portal.
Will Samhita fund us?
Samhita does not provide direct funding, although we will facilitate grant competitions and fund raisers.We are here to enable social organizations to access all the resources they need, including prospective donors.
Does registering on Samhita mean that we will receive donations?
Registering on Samhita will help you access and manage donors. People interested in supporting you can donate to you using our online payment gateway. We do not, however, guarantee that you will receive donations through the portal.
If we were to recieve a donation, how and when will the money get transferred?
We process all donations on a weekly basis and will immediately transfer the money to the bank account specified by you. Please make sure that you provide accurate bank details to us at the time of registration!
Can you send us our donations by cheque?
We will make all transfers electronically. Sending money by cheque could result in the cheque getting lost in the post. This is done to ensure that you receive all your donations without any hassle or delays.
Who will issue receipts to the donors?
We have created a customized electronic receipt for all organizations that will be sent on your behalf to all your donors as soon as they make a donation. You will receive a copy of all donation receipts and will be able to print them for your records.
Do we have to provide reports to donors?
Yes. NGOs have to provide updates in the format provided on their profile. Regular reports will help you keep your donors well informed which might result in greater donations. We have sought to make the reporting process convenient and meaningful for both the NGOs and the donors. If you have suggestions on how this can be improved, feel free to write in to us at info@samhita.org.
Is the entire donation (100%) allocated to the project? Does Samhita receive a commission for donations made through them?
The amount donated by the donor towards an NGO shall be transferred in entirety to the concerned NGO, after deducting the charges of the payment gateway provider. Samhita does not charge a commission on the amount donated.
How do I know the donation system used by Samhita is secure?
The payment gateway provided on the website is provided by CC Avenue, one of India’s leading payment gateway processors. Donations will be made by Donors through this payment gateway to us.
Payments made by us to NGOs will be by electronic RTGS/NEFT transfer from our account, made by an authorized employee only. RTGS / NEFT transfers are extremely secure - all internet banking accounts use firewalls, data encryption, digital certification, as well as use other security measures, such as allowing no memory caches on the browser.
How do I get volunteers from Samhita Portal?
Please fill in your volunteering requirements on the recruitment section to receive applications from volunteers.
How will Samhita get volunteers/employees/interns for NGOs?
Samhita will conduct various online and offline campaigns to draw volunteers towards the NGOs registered with Samhita.
Who can ask questions to members of the expert panel?
Anyone! We currently have this facility open to all registered users, and hope to soon extend it to anyone who uses or visits the site.
How quickly will I get a response from an expert?
While experts will try to respond to your query within a few days, there may be instances where experts are unable to answer your query. Also, do note that responses from our experts should not be taken as a substitute for a legal opinion or for required research and diligence on your part.
I forgot my password – how can I generate a new password?
In case you forget your password, click on the Log
in button and click the Forgot
your password link. Enter the email address you used at the time
of registration. An email with your password will be sent to your
inbox. Use it to sign in and then change your password through the settings tab on your profile left panel.
How can I change the email address?
If you wish to change the email address you had registered with, Log in to your account. Access your Profile and Edit it.
I typed in all my details but did not save them and moved to the next page.Has my data been submitted?
Oops! We’re afraid that your information will not be saved unless you click on the Save button at the bottom of each form page. When you click ‘save’, our system will automatically verify all the information that you have provided on that page, so make sure that you have filled up all the compulsory fields before you click on ‘save’.
My registration form is incomplete. Will my application not be accepted?
There are fields which are marked with an asterisk ‘*’ – these have to be answered / filled in. In case you are unable to complete the registration, you can save as much as you have filled out. When you are ready to complete the registration procedure, Log in, and the incomplete form will be opened directly. Incase this does not happen, visit Edit Profile.
Can I create two accounts?
Members of social organizations are welcome to also register as individuals on the portal. However social organizations can create only one account per legal entity. If you have a hybrid model, i.e. two legal entities, you can register both organizations separately on the portal.
How can I unsubscribe from the account?
You can unsubscribe by accessing the ‘Close Account’ option under the Settings > Personal Info tab in their profile.
Will you share our data with somebody?
Your private account details and bank account details will be protected
by us, and will be accessible only by you. Other information you choose
to display will be made available on your website. Do read our Privacy
Policy for more details.
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Can I give to the NGO directly?
Of course. We have made the contact information of all NGOs available on the portal and you are welcome to donate to them directly. However, using the Samhita portal provides several advantages including an instant receipt that specifies the tax benefits that you can receive, regular feedback reports from NGOs that you support, a donation portfolio that you can download at anytime and use for tax and accounting purposes, the ability to rate the organizations that you support – all of this for free! All the money that you donate goes directly to the NGO. We do not charge any commission except for the nominal fee that is charged by the payment gateway provider.
Who can view my profile?
Your profile information will be shared with other users depending on your privacy settings. If you are a donor/individual, some of your information will be visible only to social organizations that are subscribed to Samhita’s premium package.
Can I remain anonymous on the portal?
Individuals can choose to hide all their personal details and make anonymous donations on the portal. Please refer to the settings page on the left hand column of your account page.
