Samhita and Global India Fund have created a robust credibility framework for all social organizations profiled on the portal. The credibility framework requires organizations to share multiple components of essential information with all other members of the portal. We will verify critical information such as legal and tax registrations, bank details and certifications for each listed organization. We also verify that the organization has not been blacklisted by agencies such as CAPART. In addition, all social organizations that raise donations through the portal are required to inform donors about their progress, impact and describe how donations are being used.
Our credibility framework was developed with inputs from donors, social organizations, professionals in various non-profit domains, legal experts, foundations, and other funding and support agencies.
| Credibility Assessment Framework | ||
| Definition | Verification Methods | |
| Vision and Mission | NGO ’s vision and work in the social sector | Information on vision, mission, strategy, services, beneficiaries/target population, area of focus, regions of operation and domain expertise is shared by the NGO on the portal In addition, project reports, annual reports, multimedia evidence, links to websites, and illustrations of work through pictures, videos and documents are also shared |
| Circle of trust and credibility by association | Circle of trust refers to the supporters of an NGO who may be volunteers, donors, foundations, partners or beneficiaries. Credibility by association refers to the NGO’s affiliation with credible agencies who support or work in the social sector |
Before an NGO’s profile is published, five supporters/referees are required to rate the organization on it s activities and projects, efficiency, effectiveness, quality of management team and social impact measurement. Random checks are conducted on the referees to ensure that the references have come from authentic sources. There is a feedback system that allows people to report fraud. NGOs that are found to have committed fraud are blacklisted and barred from using the portal. Awards and honors received by the NGO, its founders and members of the management team are also featured. Certificates by accreditation agencies such as Credibility Alliance and due-diligence reports by foundations, donor agencies and other intermediaries are shared on the portal |
| Legal compliance | Only registered charities with relevant registrations under Income Tax and other laws are eligible for listing on Samhita and for local and/or international donations. Compliance includes provision of valid documents that permit the organization to raise donations from Indian and/or international donors |
Submission of legal documents including:
Note: Veracity of legal documents is checked by Samhita |
| NGOs that have not been blacklisted by any government agency and/or any rating/ evaluating agency | Other than requiring all NGOs to confirm that they have not been blacklisted by any government agency or any rating / evaluating agency, Samhita checks the list of non-profits blacklisted or put under funding restrictions by CAPART to ensure that none of the NGOs on the portal are non-compliant or fraudulent | |
| Compliance with U.S. policies for international philanthropy and anti-terror clause | GIF checks the names of persons leading the NGOs against the U.S. Treasury Department list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” | |
| Governance and management | Information on management team, board members, and staff (part time, full time and volunteers)including broad details of remuneration and board expenses. | |
| Financial management | Audited financial statements, project plans and budgets | |
| Project info: Programmatic efforts and impact | Detailed project descriptions and logic models Monthly and/or quarterly updates and project reports Monitoring and evaluation studies and reports |
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| Reporting and accountability | Regular reports on progress, use of funds including stories of beneficiaries, impact etc. Donors’ feedback ratings on the reports Donor management tools and analytics information will be provided to NGOs to help them understand stakeholder expectations, improve reporting and overall communication Annual reports for previous years |
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