New Yardsticks Foundation

June 2015

New Yardsticks
Foundation

Some of the women and children
whom we helped empower in 2014


Page 1 of 12 Annual Report — Year 2014

June 2015

Contents

Foreword 3
New Yardsticks Foundation 4
Board report 7
Impact in figures 11
Financial statement year 2014 12
Outlook for 2015 13

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June 2015

Foreword

Year 2014 has been one of raising funds, finding and screening
suitable projects, exploring collaborations with suitable organisations
and developing our organisation all at the same time. What New
Yardsticks Foundation (NYF) has undertaken is set out in this annual
report. The NYF Board is very grateful to all who shared their time,
expertise, networks and funds with NYF in year 2014.


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June 2015

New Yardsticks
Foundation

New Yardsticks Foundation (NYF) was established on March 07,
2013. NYF is a registered philanthropic incorporated organisation
(RSIN: 852576791). NYF has been recognised as a philanthropic entity
for tax purposes (by virtue of its ANBI status as granted) by the Dutch
national tax authority (Belastingdienst) with effect from March 07,
2013.

Mission

NYF’s mission is to help destitute women and children in India
empower themselves through learning in a work environment.

Goals

NYF is pursuing the following goals: 1) To ensure that all projects
with NYF-involvement become self-sustaining within a pre-determined
period of time; 2) To have the success of women and children involved
in NYF-projects catalyse empowerment of others within their own
communities; and 3) To empower as many destitute women and
children as possible through collaboration with funding partners, such
as organisational and individual philanthropists, and partners having
complementary sets of expertise and experience.

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NYF Approach

What distinguishes NYF from other philanthropic bodies is its
approach: projects are screened beforehand in terms of

Affordability – what and how much value will be (or has been)
created and for how much investment

Accessibility – whether products or services will actually be
useable by the target group

Availability – how products or services can actually be brought to
the target group

Acceptability – whether products or services will be received well

Appropriateness – reducing risks of unintended or inadvertent
effects due to culturally-based habits or choices

NYF thus only raises funds for projects that have a high social
return on investment

Governance

The governing document of New Yardsticks Foundation (NYF)
can be found at www.newyardsticks.nl/background/foundation
Namita Taneja-Krul is its executive director and is accountable to its
Board. The members of the Board are: Bipin Taneja (chairman), Robert
Schreppers (treasurer) and Ritesh Gupta (secretary, till February 28,
2015). Information about the director and the Board members can be
found at the same web location.

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June 2015

The NYF Board has adopted the Good Governance Code that
falls under the stewardship of the UK Governance Code Steering
Group.

The code guides the NYF Board with regard to:

- NYF being clear about its purposes and direction
- the NYF Board having a right balance of skills and experience, acting

in the best interests of the foundation, its beneficiaries and its
philanthropists, and understanding its responsibilities
- the structure, policies and procedures of NYF being fit for purpose
- NYF always seeking to learn and to improve its performance
- NYF being financially sound and prudent
- NYF being accountable to the public and others with an interest in
the foundation in a way that is transparent and understandable

A copy of the Code of Governance can also be found at the
given web location.

The above-indicated information regarding NYF will be migrated
to a new website at www.newyardsticksfoundation.org during the
course of year 2015.

Remuneration

Pursuant to Article 5 sub 3 of the governing document of NYF, its
board members will not receive any remuneration. Expenses may be
reimbursed; any reimbursements to the board members and any
payments to the director will be identified in the Board report and the
audited financial statement.


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June 2015

Board report

NYF did not achieve its stated targets of empowering a three-
digit number of women (and their dependent children) and of raising
EUR 50,000 of funds in year 2014.

One reason for this was that the proceeds of the American
Embassy School, New Delhi-event organised under the auspices of
NYF - USD 15,000 - were provided to Work+Shelter through a different
channel. Another reason was that a number of collaborations fell
through in the last stages of explorative talks. Especially the latter
reason impacted the numbers NYF had aimed to achieve in year 2014.

The Board of NYF held three meetings in year 2014 in which it
gave constructive challenge, counsel and support to the NYF director
about which philanthropic organisations to approach and which
collaborations to pursue.

Securing future funding for Work+Shelter (W+S) in New Delhi,
India - see www.workshelter.org - was a top priority. See the paragraph
Impact in figures for details.

A lot of effort was put in (prospective) collaborations with third
parties.

NYF helped W+S collaborate with BAS Nederland, a Dutch
organisation working on reducing the use of fossil energy, see
www.basnederland.nl. During the start of BAS Nederland’s marketing
campaign ‘Penguins are here’ in spring 2014, they applied a ‘Path to
Zero’-concept which entailed the women of W+S making 200
penguins which BAS Nederland used as corporate gifts.

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June 2015

The success of the spring 2014 campaign led to an autumn
campaign resulting in the production of 2,000 WakaWaka solar lamp
sleeves by the women of W+S.

In an effort to expand the impact of empowering destitute
women, W+S sourced hand-woven, organically grown cotton from
Khamir, an artisan group in Gujarat state, India, see www.khamir.org.
One thousand solar lamp sleeves made from this cotton were gifted by
BAS Nederland to marginalised people in Niger. This project was an
embodiment of a shared spirit of empowerment and co-creation
across two continents. Hence, an extra word of thanks is directed to
BAS Nederland for their generosity.

In the summer of 2014 NYF was approached by Air France-KLM
to facilitate an internship for one of its employees in a management
development program. The KLM-employee visited W+S for three
weeks in September during which she set up an educational program
for the women at W+S. This internship coincided with the WakaWaka
solar lamp sleeves project and it thus gave the KLM-employee an
added opportunity of experiencing the whole process from designing
and developing a customised product, sampling and putting a
philanthropy-based business approach into practice.

Collaborations with other organisations were explored. NYF
touched base with BUZZ India, an organisation that uses a bus for a
mobile educational program directed at educating women in rural
India, see https://buzzindiajourneys.wordpress.com. Our joint efforts,
however, have not yet led to fruition.

Considerable effort was spent by NYF in getting a collaboration
with International Justice Mission (IJM, see www.ijm.org) up and
running. Our joint efforts, however, have not yet led to fruition. NYF
remains interested in IJM and similar organisations that rescue

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June 2015

thousands, protect millions and prove that justice for the poor is
possible. Such organisations focus on rescuing people from e.g.
bonded labour or sex-trafficking. NYF remains convinced of the
advantages in helping such organisations set up rehabilitation and re-
integration programs in which economic empowerment can be
provided to destitute women by means of education and vocational
training. NYF will thus keep focussing on achieving such
collaborations.

A word of thanks is once again directed to the Royal Netherlands
Embassy in New Delhi whose staff were very generous with their time
and hospitality in helping NYF network in the diplomatic and expat
communities in New Delhi.

NYF’s director did not receive any remuneration for her work in
year 2014. Only expenses incurred by her in relation to NYF were
reimbursed.

Last but not least, the NYF Board is pleased to mention that NYF
director Namita Taneja-Krul succeeded in garnering media coverage
through presentations and interviews. A list of media events will be put
up on the website www.newyardsticksfoundation.org. 


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June 2015

Impact in figures

- EUR 21,000 was raised of which EUR 13,000 - was received for Work
+Shelter

- EUR 7,500 was spent on teaching the women at Work+Shelter how
to use industrial sewing machines. The women made corporate gifts
to order, such as 200 penguins and 2,000 WakaWaka solar lamp
sleeves. They also learnt how to make tote bags

- Four women left Work+Shelter because they found jobs elsewhere
- Three other women left Work+Shelter because either they could not

keep up with the training or they suffered from ill-health
- There were thirteen women at Work+Shelter as of January 01, 2014

and eight women as of December 31, 2014
- A pilot project in collaboration with Zitta Schnitt, an Austrian

designer and entrepreneur, resulted in the production of a limited
number of purses made from recycled plastic-bottle material. This
was in the context of providing a new learning experience for the
women
- An educational program was set up by Air France-KLM to structure
the process of vocational training at the shelter. Much time was spent
at the shelter directed to understanding the needs of the women
regarding sex education, health and nutrition, and on how to
encourage their children with their studies
- Two visits were made to India on behalf of NYF. One of the trips was
directed to professionalizing the project management and financial
management processes at Work+Shelter under the guidance of a
bank colleague of NYF’s director
- The proceeds of the Fashion Show by students of the American
Embassy School in New Delhi were USD 15,000, see board report
- The director of NYF also invested time in generating publicity
through speaking engagements

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June 2015

Financial
statement

The following summarised financial statement relates to the
financial year of January 01, 2014 - December 31, 2014:

Current account per 2014.12.31 EUR 10,835

Total assets EUR 10,835

———

Balance per 2014.01.01 EUR 2,800

Liability re WORK+SHELTER EUR 6,590

Liability re audit EUR 303

Net income for the year EUR 3,106

Equity EUR 836

Total Equity and Liabilities EUR 10,835

———

An independent auditor’s financial statement is available upon
request.


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June 2015

Outlook for 2015

NYF remains convinced of the advantages in helping rescue
organisations set up rehabilitation and re-integration programs in
which economic empowerment can be provided to destitute women
by means of education and vocational training. NYF will thus keep on
striving to achieve such collaborations in year 2015.

NYF will also be focussing on recruiting volunteers.
Screening projects put forward by Indian NGOs seeking funding
from NYF remains challenging. A lot of proposed projects fail to meet
our standards of effectivity, accountability and transparency. This in
turn impacts the amounts of funds Dutch corporations are willing to
donate towards projects that NYF is prepared to champion.
Notwithstanding, the Board remains optimistic in light of the
groundwork laid in years 2013 and 2014 that NYF will be able to
report more achievements in year 2015.

New Yardsticks Foundation — www.newyardsticksfoundation.org
Visiting address: Kluyverweg 2A, 2629 HT Delft, The Netherlands
T +31 6 2478 1039 F +31 15 257 1320 E [email protected]

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