SAW

Keith C. Dsouza

BA, PGDPM & IR(XLRI), Fellow (IIMA)

Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Prof. Heredero
When I had begun my doctoral thesis work from IIMA in 1984, I was interviewing Prof. Heredero
who was a Professor at St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, who had set up an NGO called “Behavioural

Science Centre". The Centre had attracted several students of IIMA on their passing out of the PGDM (MBA) program, to join
the BSC even though they were among the top-ranking students who could have easily got lucrative jobs in the corporate
sector. On inquiring what Prof. Heredero thought about these young entrants to the BSC and the NGO sector, he remarked
that they were excellent managers, but had still to demonstrate that they were leaders. On inquiring what he thought the
difference between what he saw as leaders and managers were, he said that managers were usually task-competent, efficient,
and could be relied on to get things done. But they often lacked vision, a larger social perspective, long term goals, and a
commitment to positive values. These thoughts have had a profound impact on my own thinking.

People in the development sector are often driven by a strong commitment to altruistic goals and ideals that require
innovative solutions and boldness. While the leaders in the development sector are usually bold and innovative, most
followers tend not to be so. Innovation needs to be developed and nurtured through appropriate education and training, as
well as developing organizational cultures that encourage and motivate innovative thinking. The process has to start with the
leaders in the development sector who have to set the tone and trend of innovation.

Proper specialized education and training with adequate inputs from dedicated non-profit teachers, trainers, and
consultants who have experience and credibility in development work.

A genuine, caring, and highly acclaimed Human resources teacher.

Kripa Gopalan

I am a healthcare professional, a physiotherapist who found my inner calling to work with larger numbers,
denominators, or population as one may call it. I did not see the satisfaction of working as a clinician,
touching the lives of a few individuals. This search led me to become and complete my Master's in Public
Health. I graduated from BITS Pilani, one of India's premier learning institutions.
I transitioned from being a clinician to a Public health professional and nurtured the capacity the degree has
empowered me with the ability to touch the lives of the masses - for betterment.
Today, it has been 14 years and 4 months of working, learning, and contributing to betterment. And it has
been a learning experience. Every organization, leader, manager, and the team I have been privileged to work
with and beneficiary to have been able to work for; have taught me my many intense and immense lessons of
work, life, respect, and humanity that I am and continue to be indebted to! Today I work as an independent
consultant, with and for social development across the sectors of development, aiming and helping
individuals, organizations and businesses contribute to collectively achieving the developmental goals.
Every manager, team member, leader, visionary, beneficiary, community member, stakeholder, administrator, child, elderly, wise, and
experienced - all who have influenced me and my work are all unequivocally important and sources of inspiration for me. I have and will
always continue to be inspired by all and everything around me.

Too many. But the one that stands out in my memory is the fight and struggle I led to ensure an entire school and its students were not
simply displaced overnight, due to internal administrative struggles. That the new place being allotted was ready to host the 1000
students across grades L and H KG to grade VIII. The starkest highlight of this movement was the support from the poor and daily wage
worker parents who stood, trusted me completely, and helped set the school up - make it ready for 1000 students in a short 15day span.
The support from the EOs office, then, is also certainly worth a mention. the nitty-gritty will not fit in 100 words here!

Make/innovate solutions that will make a change - long term and not just satiate your requirement to become an innovator!

Passion is key to the sector. It needs to be inculcated and elicited young. Concepts need to be introduced and embedded into young
learning minds so that they can think of this sector as a professional option, later in their lives

A person with a keen sense of research and willing to reach out to help.

Kumuda

PGDM; worked as an HR professional before taking a career break. After which I have been volunteering
in various organizations that work in the educational sector

No one in particular but have met many people highly dedicated to the cause of their choice

I cherish every interaction I have had, I have been inspired and motivated by every interaction I have had.

The goals should be practical, quantifiable, and scalable. There has to be a clear path of action for the achievement of goals
and should be monitored closely for course correction

Clear Accountability of the sector and transparency in its operations will improve the stature of the non-profit sector and
will, in turn, attract good talent

A person with much knowledge, ever willing to help, and seeker of quality and effectiveness

Larry C. Johnson

Thirty years of fund development experience including international consulting, US higher
education, and now Founder of The Eight Principles, a unique tools and training platform for
teaching the universal principles of fundraising and philanthropy. Twenty years with the CFRE
credential. Member of several boards including The Philanthropy Council of The Carter Center, the
philanthropy of the 39th President of the United States
The former Executive Vice President of Ketchum, Robert Simonds. Bob was the consummate professional who gave me both
my passion for helping others and the technical acumen to do so.

When a significant donor told me he was concerned that when he gave a very significant gift he was fearful I wouldn't visit
him anymore. This solidified my belief that fundraising is about people, not money.

True philanthropy is about the relationship between investors and the causes in which they invest. Never forget this. It's
about the donors.

The focus should be on grooming individuals with broad leadership ability and an understanding of the universality of
human nature. This as opposed to those with merely high levels of technical skill.

A person with a clear articulation for ways to raise resources for development work

Mahmood Noman

Currently Head of People and Culture in an INGO working in peacebuilding and conflict
resolution. Postgraduate qualification in Human Resource Management and over 30 years
of work experience with international organizations.

Mahatma Gandhi

Seeing the impact of your work in communities always brings home why we go to work every day as development
professionals.

The aid model has changed very little. Sustainability has to move up the agenda.

We need people who are more commercially astute to get better outputs for the development inputs. As much as
we don't think it, the development sector is a business.

A renowned human resource professional with a good perspective of people’s work and behavior.

Manish Mitra

I have completed my Post Graduation in Rural Development (Development Studies) from XISS and
also have a Certification in Behaviour Science. I am associated with the sector for 19 years and
currently working with Pathfinder International as Project Director for a project named Youth
Voices for Agency and Access (YUVAA).

I draw my inspiration from the community that I work with particularly from young people with whom I have spent the
majority of the time working.

Years ago, While visiting a community health clinic run by a local organization in one of the remotest places in Rajasthan, I
saw a sign board that read ‘Community First; Donors can wait’. Till date, I haven’t come across such a bold statement, and
has remained with me as a guiding star in all these years.

Social Innovations are not merely developing and deploying new solutions but also making it work for the majority of the
population living in poorly resourced locations and the primary driving force for social innovators should be Empathy.

The social sector often operates on a project mode where recruitments are mostly for delivering on assigned roles/tasks
which results in structured neglect for retaining talent and creating a second line of leadership. I strongly believe that each
manager should be mandated to create a second line and develop a talent management plan being embedded in performance
appraisals

A person with dedication and eagerness to learn and give back to society

Maya Patil

A passionate and trusted development professional with nearly 7 years of experience specializing in rural development,
livelihood, and educational sector. I have completed my Master in Social Work from Tata institutes of social sciences with
a Specialization in Rural Development and Governance studies. I have appeared for Master in Philosophy on Women of
Lower Caste. I had worked with Government and Non-Government sector in various states such as Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana, and Bihar. I worked with “Society For Elimination Of Rural Poverty”. I closely worked on the
Monitoring and Evaluation of the program named Integrated Watershed management Project which is funded by the
Central Government. Currently working in Kotak Education Foundation

Kiran Bedi, Mother Teresa, Malala Yousafzai
One of the key lessons I’ve learned personally is that it’s important to be a great coach, teacher, and mentor. I’ve always focused on making the people
around me successful, and doing my best to help them along their path in their career and life. They, in turn, have made me successful. Even when it
doesn’t appear that it would help at all, I always help them out and give feedback and advice. More often than not this helps me and my organization
perform at our best. A good example of this was the first person I was a mentor to Mr. R.V Prasad, at Society for Eliminating Rural Poverty. It was his
first job out of college, and he was assigned to be my associate in monitoring asset utilization provided by Govt. For Rural Livelihood – meaning his role
was to find leads and generate interest in rural people to take up supporting livelihood for future betterment in my allotted territory. I did my best to
teach him everything I knew and make him as successful as possible at his first job. It turned out he was the top performing in covering a large part of
assigned territory at SERP that year. Coincidentally, I was SERP top-performing in M & E at SERP in that year. Success is a team sport and by being a
great teacher and mentor, your team is far more likely to succeed.

From a development perspective, innovation is a new solution with the long-lasting ability to accelerate impact. Innovation can be fueled by science and
technology, can entail improved ways of working, and involves new social development models or policies. Innovation can make a difference in
addressing urgent developmental challenges such as providing better education, access to drinking water, providing livelihood supports, eradicating
neglected diseases, reducing hunger, providing advanced-level health care facilities. It is essential for development as it is a driver of economic growth
and social development but should reach out to all underprivileged and deprived once with easy access.
In my opinion, there should be a greater focus on nurturing and sharpening the leaders for flourishing the social sector in the world index eventually.
There is data available on the registration of Non Profit organizations and CSR in India over the year is more than schools and colleges. This indicates
that the social sector is working at a vast range of interventions on the KEY Human Development indicator. But our nation’s HDI shows an opposite
picture of it. But these NGOs and CSR initiatives are not having enough funding for strengthening or honing the experienced leader of the organization. I
feel, for having poor HDI which is led by the social sector could be the lack of investment in human capital within the social sector.

A person with a lot of enthusiasm in connecting the underprivileged people with care and support

Mohit Narsappa Poojari

I am an HR professional in the Learning and development areas with 6 years of work experience,
along with that, I am a freelance photographer. I am an MBA graduate. Currently working in
SeamEx-Aditya Birla group as Senior HR associate

I started my career with an NGO, where I came across many social workers. The person from whom I drew inspiration for
the development sector is Mrs. Bayjool Desai.
Being a part of an NGO I was involved in many projects which were initiated in slums, where I was able to indirectly support
the actual cause
Education and skill enhancements are the key source in the development sector
The focus should more on developing and enhancing social workers through the medium of education. I think wide
awareness is necessary for this prospect. The young generation should be aware that careers can also be built in the social
sector.

A person who is a live wire in all that he says and does.

Mosharaf Hossain

With dual master degrees of Development Economics and Rural Management, I am a dynamic
development professional with 10-year proven experience in the social sector, a specialist in
program design and implementation, social research, monitoring and evaluation, proposal
drafting, knowledge management, program support to partners, partnership management,
networking with line departments, resource mobilization and brand building of the organization.
Currently associated with an international research agency and contributing as an impact
assessment specialist.

Dola Mahapatra

There are a few. But saving a child's life from his death bed is the most cherished moment that still gives me a huge sense of
accomplishment. The child had a curable disease but for the want of money, he was almost on the verge of death. I, with my project
team members brought him back to normalcy through financial support, moral strength, and solidarity. The palpable joy and happiness
of parents and child after the recovery still resonate in my mind.

Catalyzing innovation is essential for the sector's sustainability. Fostering innovation in program design, tech-based implementation,
and monitoring, fundraising should be focused upon.

1. Organizations should always keep ready the second-line leadership. 2. Young professionals should be encouraged to engage and
innovate. 3. Professional should get adequate opportunities to keep themselves abreast of all the latest trends and demands in the
sector 4. Monetary benefits should be decent and standardized in the sector.

A person with a keen interest to develop systems and processes for the development of people

Munisamy

Academically I did Ph.D. in social work and specialized in Rural and Urban livelihood graduated from
Madurai Kamaraj University. I have 25 years of working experience in the development sector especially
working with children and their wellbeing. I am currently working in Habitat for Humanity as a Dy Regional
Director.

I was motivated by Prof. Rengasamy and Dr. John Devavaram to move into the development sector. They are strong social
work practitioners and learned contemporary development approaches and principles from them.

At the age of 32, I became a country Director of the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada, had a chance to visit a few colleges
to talk about thematic issues related to children and youth. Once I visited the Madurai Institute of social sciences, was
interacting with students. End of the meeting, one student approached me and said that “you are my reference group, and
want to become like you” which was an amazing moment for me as we influenced at least a person.

In the development sector, a lot of best practices have already been explored and tested. But many people are not interested
to explore innovative ideas and more keen on fund availability. My opinion of
innovation is not doing different things but things done differently, we need to practice it in every idea.

The Indian government has to recognize social work as a professional service, providing a lot of
opportunities for continuous learning and practice. The quality of the institution and teaching methods should be improved
and needs to recognize by all stakeholders.

A person with strong beliefs and humility in his dealings

Namrata Ashok

I am a Post Graduate in Marketing with 13 years of experience in customer interfacing, business
development, and strategic partnership builds roles. Demonstrated history of working in higher education
and Not-for-profit domains. Presently I am looking after the Livelihood program, Unnati in Kotak Education
Foundation as Dy. Project Head.
While there are quite a few people whom I look upon, the person who inspired me the most was my
grandfather. My visits along with him to small NGOs provided me the opportunity to interact with

the beneficiaries, establishing an axiom to widen my perspective towards value-driven work. Lessons of compassion and
empathy were the derivatives of those short yet significant visits.

One of the moments I still cherish is to see how my contribution went a long way towards the transformation of 18-year old
Prakash's life. My contribution became a catalyst toward enriching his skills to make himself reliant on the required work
proficiency. This incident incited my introspection to identify measures to complement people's need, pivoting a step
towards the upliftment of society.

I always believe problems and challenges are the geneses of innovation. Identification of actual problem statement and
ideate to resolve it forms the basis of innovation. Create, Connect, Collaborate & Continue are the persistent steps towards
value proposition and that is where my thoughts and inputs play an integral role. There are so many new things that are
created in every medium, if we are aiming for a successful outcome we need to take the route of 4C's as mentioned above.

Honing leaders to flourish social sector should always exist however identification of people's problem should be a pre-step
before supplementing the required opportunity to people. Strong and visionary leaders certainly carve the success factors,
however, identification of the target results forms the basis of the leaders' actions.

A person who dares hopes and delivers with a smile in all that she takes up

Nandita Ganguly

25 years of teaching English both as a language as well as a subject. With a MA in Eng literature, I
have now started to set up English language labs for schools n colleges

From my parents who had taught me grammar n told me that education is a birthright and we must
give back to d society what society has given us.

In schools usually, LD students are made fun of or r looked down upon. This is d norm n we can’t change it. The first time I
had an LD student with me I felt frustrated n irritated with d student n myself as I wasn’t able to teach the child. It was then
that my other students told me to change my behavior n be extra loving to get the desired results. It worked and I still cling to
that memory every time I get LD students In my class. I learned a precious lesson that has changed my way of thinking as well
as my behavior. Skill

Skill-based education is necessary, repeated chances must be given. Innovators must be supported by established companies
to innovate, change, and make things happen.

To horn leaders, one should mentor the mentee. Mentoring n incubating is the need of the hour. If it’s given importance then
things can happen a lightning speed.

A person with a big smile and a strong desire to teach and learn

Narendra Chand

I am a post graduate in commerce and working in development sector for past 37 years.Presently
working as Manager administration and looking after pan India operations

Not any particular person there are so many in the sector who have inspired me

It was way back in 1983 when I was asked to be part of the emergency response team for the cyclone relief program in Andhra
Pradesh. I felt so blessed for helping people who were badly required our support and help during a very difficult time.

Based on my experience in the sector, I can say one should be always innovative otherwise one will not develop personally
and professionally. I am a core finance person but always ready for innovation such as I switched to core admin work though
it was difficult for me initially I had always thrust for doing things with innovation.

I don't agree with this, there are good talented leaders in this sector. This sector is recognized by other sectors nowadays
because of professionals in the sector

A person ever willing to step up to any task with a smile

Naomi Joshua

Qualifications: B.Sc (Physics, Electronics, Mathematics), PG Diploma in Systems Development,
MBA in HR Management Years of experience: 29, Current position: Director – Operations

The community we serve

I am grateful that as a development professional I was able to visit communities in different parts of our country and see the
various types of challenges they face. Each place is unique, each community is different and unless one sees it, it is difficult to
believe how some sections of society struggle to make a living. I do not have one anecdote that stands out - wish I could
mention them all!

Keep your eyes & ears open to see the things that are not written anywhere. Follow your gut. Think with your head, feel with
your heart.

Emotional intelligence, communication skills, interpersonal relationships

A person with a melodious voice and truly a people’s person with a flair for details

Nisha Dixit

I have done my Master's from Nirmala Niketan, University of Mumbai. Currently pursuing Post
Graduate Program for Development Management from SPJIMR, Mumbai.

Sudha Murthy

I started Adult Education classes for Ward boys and Aayas of KEM General Hospital in Mumbai. It was a functional literacy
program started in collaboration with the University of Mumbai. The classes for 3 months, 1hour 3 days in a week for 10
different batches at different times. As all of them worked on 3 shifts. The inauguration was done by Dean Dr. G.B.Parulekar
at the hospital's Jivraj Mehta Auditorium. Nearly 182 attended the Inauguration function. And 300 staff completed training.
The valedictory function was organized to distribute certificates. Along with Dean their Union Leader Sharad Rao was the
Chief Guest. To my surprise journalist from the Times of India came n covered the news with photos. I learned that if your
intentions are good everyone n anyone will join you.

We lack innovations in the development sector. The main reason is the lack of funds. Concepts like design thinking should
be widely used for problem-solving. The sector should motivate n encourage different ideas. As it is the Indian education
system does not allow individuality in learning to forget about innovations.

The sector is ignored when it comes to the talent pool due to a lack of funds. It is a rule that any Foundation or not-for-profit
should not spend more than 20% on admin expenses. People are expected to work with basic minimum salaries. Therefore it
is not getting attracted to others. We also should run our organizations in an utmost professional manner. Mis utilization of
funds is also a problem in the sector.

A person with passion and dedication in everything she does.

Nitin Bagla

I have 15 years of experience in the sector having worked in South Asia, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Currently, I am working as Country Funding Coordinator for Oxfam in Myanmar.

My first line manager, Mr. Somesh Kumar.

There will be many. What gives satisfaction is that you start something and move one, but project and things continue and
later on, you get to know how a specific work or project has contributed to people’s life. While working in ChildFund, we
worked on a project on anti-trafficking of Children and tried hard to raise resources for the work. While I was moving out of
ChildFund, we did secure some multi-year funds. Later on, I got to know that the project successfully rescued several
children who were destined for cotton farms. These children were rescued and rehabilitated. Such instances give immense
satisfaction.

I think the development sector needs to move from ‘pilot’ to reaching a ‘scale’. Whenever such an approach has been taken –
say microfinance – it has shown tremendous results. A lot of time, we do a thing on a ‘project’ basis. Things disintegrate once
a ‘project’ is over even though we write a lot about sustainability while we develop the project.

I feel there is still very little awareness about the sector in the general public and especially in students who are at a
career-defining stage. What I have observed that many people get into the sector by chance rather than by choice. “Catch
them young’ is something that needs to be focused upon. At the school and college level, youth needs to be told about what
sector offers – the opportunity to work, experiment, grow, and do something that is fulfilling. They need to be told about how
‘different’ the sector is.

A man who believes in experiment and quality outcome in all that he does

Patrick Harris

I studied Law at Oxford and Theology at Bristol, before ordination in the Church of England. After a three year curacy in
Oxford, I went for 17 years to the Chaco, Northern Argentina to work amongst the indigenous peoples, involved in social,
medical, educational, and development, as well as spiritual work. On returning to the UK, I headed up World Mission
work for the Church, was a Vice-President of Tearfund, and in 1988 was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Nottingham
and Southwell. I retired in 1999.

The Lord Jesus Christ. (In the New Testament, 'splagchnizesthai', is a Greek word, translated 'compassion' and used only
to describe Jesus' reaction when he came across the need of any sort. The roots of the word related to the viscera, Where
only the deepest emotions are felt. Today we would speak of 'a gut reaction'.

It is used to describe Jesus's response when confronted with lepers, blind people, the sick, the bereaved, the hungry, as well as those who were lost and
felt like sheep without a shepherd... But the distinctive mark about Jesus' compassion, is that it was not just an emotional feeling, but immediately led to
action by him - he healed the sick, fed the hungry, and taught those who felt lost, about himself the Good Shepherd.) Christ's compassion led to action,
involvement, and bring about change.

In 1963 the Argentine indigenous peoples had no documents, no rights to education, medical help, or even the land they had inhabited for centuries. We
helped them become citizens. In 1964 I raised the matter of land rights and helped a delegation of Wichi to meet with the Governor. Nothing happened.
In the '70s, in desperation, we raised funds from overseas to enable the purchase of some land. The Wichi led by Francisco Perez formed a Legal Entity.
Last year, Francisco took their case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In January, the Court issued a judgment ordering the Argentine
Government to convey the land to the Wichi. It had taken 54 years of work and prayer!

Let compassion be at the heart of your character and life. When you do come across situations of destitution, poverty, corruption, and need, whether
physical, mental, or spiritual, determine what appropriate action is needed - and then act. And remember, you are in it for the long haul!

The most important encouragement one can have for becoming involved in development work is seeing good examples of others already undertaking
such work. Ideally, it should be seen on the ground But with the use of modern technology, it is possible at a small cost to broadcast examples of those
who in compassionate ministries of development are discovering such wonderful fulfillment.

A person who is genuine, compassionate who believes in God and people, and wishes good for everyone.

Prabha Mahesh

Graduated, honors in Psychology P.G Masters in Social Work from Nirmala Niketan, Management in Training and
Development from ISTD Delhi, Masters in TCI Theme centered Intervention. (psychoanalysis) from TISS. 28 yrs of work
experience...Began my carrier in the Disability sector Spastics children, Rehab of delinquent Children, Mentally deficient
children, Blind welfare, moved to Disease Control TB and HIV gradually reached out to COVID patients too. Presently
Project Director at ALERT INDIA for Disease control Projects, TB, HIV, and Community Health...

I was too impressed by the works of Mother Teresa since child read many of her books and articles, wanting to serve the
development Sector, My first mentor was Mr. S.N.Joshi Psychology Professor, involved in various development
initiatives who had a great deal of confidence in me and inspired me a lot to pursue this field...

Many satisfying incidents my most unforgettable is the girl whom I had helped in rescuing from the brothel, initially reluctant to go back home,
supported in tracing her family from deep interiors of Tamil Nadu and connected with her family. We had not shared her life in Mumbai and maintained
confidentiality as her parents believed that she worked as a domestic help & would never accept her back. Back home, she stayed in constant touch with
me thru letters in regional language worked at a construction site and married happily with a child found her own family. The way she found a place in
society was admirable. Huge efforts of counseling paid off in a big way. Many girls like her have found a home.

Openness to New learning, Embrace and adopt the right technology, preparedness for digital delivery mechanisms rather than transformation.
Understanding the paradigm shift of focusing more on the process, as it has always been the outcome or the end result expectations. Convergence thru
strong linkages and networks collaborated efforts for greater exchanges of best practices shared.

Most of the NGOs hire Resources as per the Budgetary constraints, compromising on the quality or competency. Competency mapping, not consciously
done owing to which abundant resources are underutilized. Investments in leadership, Capacity building should be an agenda of the organization not at
the cost of available funds. Succession planning based on the available potential, creation of the Second line is still questionable in many leading NGOs,

A versatile person with immense skills and qualities to bring about the desired change in all that she
does

Prabhat Sinha

Over 20 Years of experience working with the Government, Not for Profit, and Corporate
organizations. At present, I lead the Communications, Policy, and Patient Engagement work with
Novartis Oncology in India and the Asia Pacific.

I am indebted to multiple individuals who have helped me in the last two decades to sharpen my
skills and understanding. When it comes to drawing inspiration it's always the cause and people
impacted that keeps me going and keep my passion on.

There are numerous incidents in the last two decades that I cherish each day. If I have to write about one that would be the
sustainable impact that I could make by developing a partnership with an academic institution to empower patient
organizations in India. First of its kind a leadership development initiative that was co-created to make patients moving from
passive to active participants in the treatment journey and lead the policy-shaping efforts. 80+ Patient organizations since
2015 have benefited and have been impacting thousands of lives. I have always believed one thing that organizations need is
leadership and organizational development. It's all about 3Ps - "Purpose" and "Passion" most of them have but what they
need hand-holding is the "Process".

The external environment is facing rapid transformation and to keep pace with the changing environment would be the key.
Being open to embrace the newer approach to solve development issues, not to duplicate efforts, and learn from the sectors
beyond Not for Profit sectors. Logo and Ego to be compromised.

The social sector needs professionals and not "development professionals". Managing development projects is managing
projects, resources, talents, partnerships, and projects are complex. It needs the best mind and a lot of skill development and
talent development to unlock the potential of professionals. Specialization can not be substituted so investment in people
should be non-negotiable.

A thoughtful and grateful professional who believes in people and quality work.

Prabhavalkar

DMLT, DAPR, Professional training in leprosy and allied fields at Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation,
Wardha (MS) and Schieffelin Leprosy Training & Research Center, Karigiri (TN). 41 years in leprosy work
starting from field leprosy worker as Para Medical Worker in Bombay Leprosy Project to Head Programme
(Leprosy) in ALERT-INDIA, Mumbai till May 2020. Currently working as a volunteer for ALERT-INDIA since
June 2020.

Late Dr. R. Ganapati, Eminent Leprologist & Director, Bombay Leprosy Project and Dr. V. Panikkar, ex-Chief
Leprosy Division, World Health Organisation.
My joining of leprosy field was mere an accident. Equally, it was neither a planned journey, to begin with; not knowing the ‘L’ of ‘Leprosy’
then. For me, it was employment which offered me fifty rupees more salary than my previous employer. However, intensely moved by the
devotion and work of contemporary leprosy workers and encounter with the inhumane sufferings of the ‘Kushthanteya’ (Person Affected
by Leprosy) gradually enabled me to set the aim of my life with a definite vision for the leprosy work; nothing less than Rights-Based
Approach can solve prevailing leprosy problems. On this motive working with the community and the ‘Kushthanteya’ living therein
resulted in a unique feat; formation of a community level forum turned into ‘Saksham Kushthanteya Swabhimani Sanstha’, the NGO ‘of
the-for the-by the Kushthanteya’. A gratifying feeling to be an instrument behind this strategic beginning in the leprosy field through the
empowerment of ‘Kushthanteya’.

The development sector offers varied sets of creative opportunities and the flexibility to shape one’s career with an ultimate gratifying
experience. It proffers wide-open avenues to attain ‘one’s completeness’ through ‘sense of giving’ for building lives of vulnerable &
deprived, ‘not as a charity but as their right’. However, one must opt for it with full conviction & preparedness to accept all challenges on
the journey of ‘no return’.

It’s unfortunately true. In my view ‘profit’ is also anything other than purely ‘monetary gains’. In fact, there is a dearth of true leaders who
can create a band of leaders by honing them timely and transfer the power to lead. The sector must be cleaned up off self-absorbed
leaders who are under influence of greed of power, hypocrisy, and narcissism that can help the social sector flourish.

A man who sacrificed a lot for the cause he believes and works for - Leprosy

Prakash Sagili

I am a Catholic Priest from the Diocese of Cuddapah Andhra Pradesh. My priestly life and ministry
have been among students, youth and Animators, conducted formation programs in personality
Development, interpersonal skills, Leadership qualities, Communal Harmony, Social Analysis,
exposure camps, Study Sessions, creative thinking, study sessions, etc. I was also director of
Diocesan Social Service Centre, youth director, and YCS director at local, diocesan, regional,
national, and international levels. I am an MA M.Ed, Ph.D. ( SV University Tirupati, Department of
.Sociology "Poverty Alleviation programs, the Role of NGOs in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh).
Currently, I am the Parish Priest of St.John Bosco Catholic Church Chittoor Andhra Pradesh.
Rev.Fr.Alexius Vettucaud, Mr.Gadda Asirvadam who organized unorganized agricultural laborers in Cuddapah District. F
R.P.S.Amalraj SJ who did commendable work for the cyclone victims of Diviseema Nagayalanka of Est Godavari district AP,
Fr. Jerry Rosario SJ of Madurai province for his work in Mallikapuram near Chennai for the poor Dalits.

When I was social service society director of the diocese devastating floods in the Chittoor district draw me to the most
affected areas of Srikalahasti and Punganur, people were not having food or shelter for days together, we reached out to
them and could see the joy in their faces When I was National Director of YCS we took a delegation of students and
Animators to Odisha, Pradeep, puri areas. We built a school in a remote village near Puri that gave motivation towards social
action to our Students and Animators. In Jabalpur Diocese of Madhya Pradesh, our members of YSM build check dams,
Tried to instill in our priests and nuns how without foreign contributions we can motivate our target group towards Social
action and empowerment.

The target group must be agents of social change, social work is not a charity model and empowerment.

There is so much talent in the non-profit sector. They should be recognized and made part of the development sector in the
country

A person who believes in youth and teamwork to achieve results

Prasannakumar Narayanan

I am a Postgraduate in Development Planning and Management, (PG Dip Development Planning and
management from University of Poona, India, and Masters in Economics from the University of Calicut,
Kerala. India. I am a development professional having around 30 years of experience. Worked extensively
among tribal communities, fishermen, working children, street children, persons with disabilities, and other
marginalized communities in several states of India. Have experience at senior management level in managing
large (country) level programs including team, partnership, and fund management. Skilled in developing
country-level strategies and transform strategic plans into workable solutions and benchmark performance
against goals. Expertise and skill in programming in the sectors of education, health, disability,
livelihood, people’s organizations, and emergency. Currently working as Director Programme Operations India for an international
development organization and managing very large country operations. From My Teacher, Dr. Joseph Luke Plak Koottam.

The incident which I remember always, and which brought me very close to the community happened when I met primary school
children in the village of Cuttack district of Odisha on a field visit in 2003. I was interacting with children and during the course, I asked a
boy to hand over his slate to me, so that I can draw some pictures for this young boy. He handed over the slate to me, then I requested the
boy to give me the slate pencil, and the boy struggled to take out a tiny piece of pencil from the stitch gaps of his shirt, which he had kept
as a treasure. This incident changed my outlook on working with poor children.

Innovations are necessary for the development sector, mainly to have a quick and long lasting impact. Unless we have very innovative
solutions for problem-solving we may struggle long for creating a positive impact in the lives of the poor communities. These innovations
can be an approach, technology solutions for monitoring, development of new products, etc.

Yes in a way, but there have been various attempts to create a very talented workforce in this sector by various universities. But the main
issue is the non-profit sector is not considered the top career priority for any. Some come with real interest, many end up as chance.
Some new courses by some universities started changing this Trent and the CSR law also has given a push. But the question is how do we
make this sector attractive.

A dedicated development professional who made an impact at every level and place he worked

Prathmesh Raorane

My professional social career started with an MSW class. After getting MSW, I joined the research department of IIPS
(International Institute for Population Sciences) for a job. And that's where the researcher in me got a chance. Due to IIPS
experience, I got the responsibility of Assistant Manager-Research at Kotak Education Foundation. And what I learned in
this process, No research is ever quite complete, It is the glory of a good bit of work that it opens the way for something still
better and this repeatedly leads to its own eclipse.

My professional life took a 360-degree turn, Under the valuable guidance of my senior colleagues Dr. Bayjool Desai and
Shivaji Dam, they gave me the key to the sky. The thirst for knowledge led me to an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship. I chose NMIMS to learn
management skills along with research. Even in college, We were all taking student management lessons in the company of teachers like Meena Galliera.
She was like a torchbearer, who was always guiding us towards the right path. Dr. Bayjool Desai and Dr. Meena Galliara have a lion's share in my
professional social work. In the last year of my MBA, Alok and I started a social business called Renovate India. Renovate India has also played an
important role in shaping me. I must say, Alok and I started something which we called ‘heart work'. because we believed in the same philosophy which
is ‘we rise by lifting others.

While studying for an MBA, I also started working in an NGO, that is the reason I came in contact with many NGOs. ‘Triratna Prerna Mandal’ has been
working on public toilet management for the last 15 years. Their model was very innovative but somehow their work did not reach other like-minded
organizations, governments, and funding agencies. The reason was a lack of documentation, systems, and process. With this in mind, Renovate India
was launched to empower grassroots NGOs.

Can social entrepreneurship be the answer to social issues? Can social issues be addressed with an innovative approach? So of course we can find the
answer by keeping a social and commercial point of view in this matter. I have no doubt that this should be the great vision of Amul, the dairy
revolutionist, and Lijjat Papad, who started with the woman empowerment movement. Which helped to grow the household business which is run by
women from across India.
Looking at the history of social work, the principles of "do good and put in the river" and "one hand should not touch the other while donating" are
prominent. And so in the early days, as the society grew, it was not person-centered but led to capable movements. Which created great examples for the
reformation of social structure. Over time, it became divided according to different schools of thought and working methods. Nowadays, social work has
taken the form of professional social work. I would like to honestly mention that social work should not always be person-centered or
organization-centered, it should always be a democratically viable alternative to social issues.

A person who is not scared to dream big and believes in his abilities and capabilities to bring about

Pratibha Nayak

M A (Eng) M A (Hist) B Ed 25 years in education (about 10+ in social sector education ) SPM @
School Leadership Development Program .. (DIB) .. Ahmedabad

In education .. U B Singh (trustee of a school where I was )... In the social sector, many people..
Prakash Baba Amte, Mamoon Khan. Also Shivaji Dam (trustee of an org I worked with).

The alum school turnaround project in the slums of Powai. Getting the children out of the 'ghettos kind of life that they were
in, there .. pushing them to do well n better themselves..n when finally they remember you, years after you have left .. it is a
feeling of immense pride & pleasure of being a part of the change in their lives

We need people who work for long term goals as well as ones who work for the short term. I think social innovators need to
diest identify their own 'type' before starting something. Would it be satisfying to bring change in the long term or would it be
to bring noticeable change in the here n now? After contemplating on this, choose as per what is your inner calling

There should be a balance of people from social sector exp & other exp in any social org. Their interdependency if maintained
helps them to learn n grow,... 'the feel factor and the logic factor' when in balance helps leaders grow. Also, freedom to
experiment, learn n grow

A person who dares to be a different and impactful educationist

Pratik Dharamshi

I have served the education sector in various positions for more than 15 years. During this period.
My qualification is M.Com, M.A, B.Ed, and Ph.D. and currently, I am an Educationist and a Success
Coach.

Tony Crasto
Recently I had a message from my student from the 2010 batch. He had a video of me giving some pep talks to them. He has
saved it and says this works as a tonic whenever he feels down.
Development of a person should be the priority rest everything will follow.
I believe that undergraduate students should have a subject on the working and importance of the Non-Profit Sector. Then it
will be easy to attract and train them.

A person with great vision and drive to achieve what he believes in life

Praveen Kumar

I believe I am an astute observer and learner as I am able to convert challenges into opportunities and solve
most problems effectively. I have over 22 years of work experience and have been working in the development
sector since mid-2001. In terms of qualifications, I hold an M.Sc. in Physics from Mumbai University and an
MBA in HR from Indira Gandhi National Open University. In addition to these I have learned a lot from
countless workshops and training I have attended all these years, and from my friends, colleagues, and
mentors. During these years, I have had the opportunity to work in collaboration with many local
organizations across India. Currently working as Foundation Manager for a family Foundation based in
Mumbai. It is an exciting role that requires me to handle strategy, programs, partnerships, HR &

Organizational effectiveness.

There are many people who inspired me at different points in time. While I started with the sector as a job applicant, it was
an experience with three children who inspired me to continue working in the sector.

In fact, there are many, but to share the first one: I witnessed the removal of the bandage of a couple of children after their
cataract surgery. I will never be able to forget the happiness and excitement of the children as they started to see (initially
blurred vision though!)

I believe the most important input required for the development sector (for anyone in the sector) is the intent to bring about
change (where required)! Most solutions are simple and easy to find resources for!

I believe this (ignoring the non-profit sector)is because there is no widely accepted indicator to show the role and
importance of the non-profit sector in nation-building. There are many examples for people from the sector demonstrating
amazing leadership, innovation, etc which has significantly benefited the nation, which needs a platform to be projected. I
think the sector itself needs to evolve further to project such examples. However, if we look at the Padma awardees in recent
years, I believe the sector has started getting its due!

A person with bright and innovative ideas to realize his dreams for himself and others welfare.

Prema Gnanakan

Qualification: BA Experience: 38 years in NGO sector Current Position: Retired Worked in an
American non-governmental organization viz: Christian Children's Fund (CCF - presently known as
ChildFund India) which caters to around 100,000 underprivileged and deprived children and
families in India. Worked at different levels as an Office Assistant, Senior Computer Administrator,
Donor Services Coordinator in the Fundraising Department/Local Sponsorship and Sponsor
Relations Technical Coordinator. The work involved managing local partners, children, databases,
maintaining communication between children and sponsors and International office, capacity
the building of staff through training, orientations, etc. Also involved in raising donors and local funds.

Mr. C. S. Gojer, National Director (now retired)

I was able to bring back the sponsorship alive for a few sponsors who had canceled as they were not happy with their
children's progress due to miscommunication. The sponsors not only revived their relationship with children but also took
up more children to assist.

One needs to be dedicated and committed to the cause they are called. Honesty and hard work is the best policy.

Understand the grass root level workers and encourage them.

A person with commitment and dedication for the work she undertakes

Priyamvada S. Todankar

MSC Anthropology, MPS in population studies, and Ph.D. in population studies. 17 yrs of
experience in the development sector in health and education. Areas of experience are
Research, M&E, Program and knowledge management

My parents and Mr. Sanjay Rao Chaganti

When the impact of a large scale funded project was measured successfully through 3 rounds of large tracking
surveys.

There is a need to develop a communication platform between researchers and programmers if they are within the
same project and that project is any intervention. Due to a lack of understanding of each other's role, there are
obstacles in achieving high-level impact. There is a need to have a common project language for all

1. Often once people become slightly senior they are not found on the ground and sitting at a desk doesn't give
ground reality. Hence all organizations should have at least 3 months of compulsory induction or on a rotational
basis period for all the staff on ground zero.
2. Intervention research organization or teaching institutes are needed
3. Sustainability should be part of the project from the proposal writing stage itself.

A person with tremendous potential in doing research but has her heart fixed to the cause of
development.

Radha Sundaresan

Qualifications: BSc (Mathematics), MA (English Lit.), BEd, BA (Music - Hindustani Vocal)
Experience: Started career in the banking industry. Later worked as a teacher, editor for a
publishing company, and subsequently as a content developer at KEF. Experience in the
development sector: 4 and a half years as a Coordinator, then Assistant Manager and Manager in
developing content for the Spoken English Program of KEF.

Inspiration: Dr. Prakash Baba Amte, Anshu Gupta (Goonj), Afroz Khan (Beach Clean-up), Jadav Payeng, and countless other
selfless individuals in India.

During a Life Skills session, when asked to speak about future goals, many of my Excel (scholarship) students told me that
they wanted to work towards empowering the less-privileged sections of society. I was struck by their altruistic zeal and their
desire to give back to society, especially at such a young age. These students inspired me to work harder to enable them with
some skills that would help them accomplish their noble dreams.

We need innovative solutions targeted at communities in specific settings. For e.g., based on the needs of the low-resource
communities in Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, innovators should find solutions for their water, sanitation, electricity, livelihood,
and other needs, keeping in mind all the constraints of that specific environment.

1. Providing exposure to global best practices 2. Tapping into the vast pool of qualified professionals who want to work in the
social sector but lack experience 3. Greater financing by corporates

A person with tremendous enthusiasm and dedication in all that she does

Rajesh Kapse

MSC Public Health, London; 18 years experience in the Development Sector, currently working as a CEO of
The Poona Blind Men’s Association

Dr. Anand Phatak and Shrinivas Sawant

I had started a project Vidarbha Network for providing eye care to the needful. We were successful in starting an eye care
center at Hemalkasa, Gadchiroli district. I was extremely happy when I saw patients getting their eyesight in the remotest
areas of Maharashtra.

It’s important to do thorough research before conceptualizing any project. The pilot test is a must before the implementation.

The development sector needs to train Human Resources from all sectors e.g. medical, paramedical, engineering, etc. It’s of
utmost importance to include social development education as a part of their curriculum. Appropriate training is a must for
greater impact.

A person who has his focus on quality eye care management

Reena Khattar

MBA finance, 13.5 years, IT, Manager
My father Mr. Vijay Khattar

Keep learning and strive harder
Don't ever give up, keep trying till you achieve it.
Compulsory service for some tenure of service in the non-profit organization should be made mandatory by the government,
this will balance out the difference

A corporate professional going round the world but truly grounded and ever willing to render service

Rekha Narayan

I am a Management graduate with corporate experience of over 13 years in Bombay Dyeing and the
Kotak group. Post my corporate stint, I moved into academics and then on to the social sector with
Kotak Education Foundation where I have been involved since the very beginning as a management
committee member. I also run a small NGO for helping underprivileged families with education and
health.

Mrs. Sudha Murthy

While I have come across a lot of success stories during my tenure with Kotak Education Foundation the story of Anil a boy
staying along the railway tracks between Govandi and Chembur railway station will always stay with me. Anil was a very
bright student, completed his schooling from one of our partner schools, and with scholarship support completed his
Engineering from one of the top colleges in Mumbai. He got a job through campus placement worked for a couple of years
and moved to Hong Kong on a salary of close to 15 lakhs. He has since moved back and has secured admission into Jamnalal
Bajaj for a Management program. A truly remarkable journey to success.

With a mandatory contribution to CSR from corporates, funding to this sector has vastly improved. There is tremendous
scope for improvement in this sector for technology, automation, corporate governance, while the sector may continue to
operate as not for profit, moving towards corporate culture may help.

The social sector while retaining it's not for profit motive can make huge changes towards a reasonable corporate culture
which may help attract talent. Mandatory social sector experience may help.

An unassuming person who believes in quality time, people, and tasks to complete.

Renuka Sarkar

BA Psychology, MA Social Work. 7 years of working experience with infants and toddlers. Currently
on a maternity break.

Mr. Sridhar (my father)
I could help repatriate 180 + missing children with their families in 2011

Be an innovator! not an imitator.

Investment in professional up-gradation of leaders.

A person who challenges and accept the challenges in life as a professional

Richal Crystal Tuscano

I have done MMS in HR in 2013. I have 7 years of experience in the HR domain.

My Father Mr.James Correa and my Ex boss Mr.Thomas Adaikalam

When underprivileged students excel well in their SSC and HSC exams under the guidance & efforts of Kotak Education
Foundation mentors.

Use digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to share your innovations, ideas, and thoughts. Use your network,
personal contacts to reach people with the same motive. Use technology to innovate something different.

There are many leaders who want to contribute to society in different ways. Keeping our personal gains aside they should
meet, exchange their ideas, and collaborate with each other instead of working alone for the betterment of society. Alone,
it's difficult to make a difference but together we can.

A determined and pleasing personality who spreads joy in the workplace

Rupangi Sharma

Founder & CEO, EFG Learning

Seymour Papert, Sugata Mitra

During one of my KEF training sessions with staff, an exercise on storytelling transformed into a moment for powerful
collective healing and meaningful personal connections. Storytelling is a dynamic medium to communicate, learn & teach,
inspire & connect. It was so moving, and to this date, I remember each individual’s story. Brené Brown’s TED talk explores
how vulnerability requires the highest level of emotional intelligence and courage. When we are willing, to be honest in a
professional setting, it strengthens the team spirit. If we can create spaces for vulnerability at work, we ultimately encourage
fearlessness and risk-taking which encourages creativity & innovation.

To encourage innovation, you need patience and the willingness to fail. True innovation is preceded by failure. The focus
should be on designing and implementing iterative processes with continuous feedback loops to measure progress and pivot
when required. KPIs should focus on measuring innovation. Innovators need to embrace learning by doing and learning by
inventing.

Leaders need to be able to innovate and implement and collaborate with their teams, as well as, spearhead sector-wide
collaboration. For this, training needs to be experiential and focus on real-world problem solving with robust coaching,
mentorship, and feedback. Most importantly, if we want to develop leaders in the social sector there have to be enough
opportunities, rewards, and growth paths to such positions.

A person with a lot of innovation and drive to achieve great heights in all that she does

Sabitra Kundu

18 years of professional experience including over 15 years in the eye health arena. I began my
career in 2002 with Hindustan Latex Limited, a health care manufacturing company in India, as a
Project Manager. In 2005, I moved to Sightsavers and worked in different capacities, and
contributed to the development of national and global organizational policies. I left Sightsavers in
early 2015 as Area Director for Eastern India and moved to Mission for Vision, where I work as
Head - Programme Development. I have experience in the developmental sector, specifically in the
areas of eye health and disability-inclusive development.

My first line manager - Rajeev Mundle, taught me that no work is small and all work should be for the good of the
community.

Many to quote and hence difficult to mention one. But the one thing that I cherish most in the eye health arena is the smile
on the face of community members in the remotest parts of our country who have benefitted from an eye health initiative.

The needs of the community are manifold and cannot always be bracketed into existing silos. One needs to understand the
need of the community and build an initiative around them.

Allowing young leaders and managers to share ideas freely while at the same time embracing the concept of sustainable
impact and merging technology within work/initiatives.

A person with clear thinking and loves to put his views fearlessly.

Sachal Aneja

Educationally, I am a Commerce graduate from Delhi University with three Post Graduations. First in
Development Communications from Jamia Millia Islamia University, second an MBA in Marketing, and third in
Human Rights Law from National Law School (NLS) Bangalore. I have a total of 16 years of work experience and
currently head of corporate partnerships for Asia-Pacific at Plan International.

The person who inspired me to leave our family business and work in the development sector is my
father Mr. Naveen Kumar Aneja. He grew me up with values of honesty, integrity, and service before self. As a
child, I volunteered to support elderly people, raised funds for the care of the girl child, and together with the spiritual
environment at home, I chose a career in development. Although being the only son and having an implied responsibility to run
the family business, my father freed me of his expectations and let me take this journey to do greater societal good.

This was when I was working in the rural Philippines in 2009 and training young girls and boys on using multimedia technology to
express themselves and share their voices. At the end of the training, a little boy came up to me said when I grow up, I want to be you. I
was very overwhelmed and asked him if he would also want to do communications work in the development sector. He said no, I want to
be the person you are. I never felt so special in my entire life and still remember that day vividly. I felt proud and this gave me
reassurance that I was on the right path in life.

I think with huge challenges that we have before ourselves and the ones we are reaching towards, it's an innovation that is going to make
all the difference. We all have some skill, but it will be the will that will make us do it. So, think creatively, collaboratively to co-create
sustainable solutions. I believe success doesn’t happen by chance, it is a decision you make. And when you’re optimistic, there is always
opportunity.

People are like books. Some deceive you with their cover, some surprise you with their content. I think giving young people an
opportunity to volunteer while growing up is very important. This helps them nurture their perspective with societal dimensions and they
build leadership skills to tackle issues that are important to them. I truly feel that volunteering makes you change the world within and
around you.

A person with a style, pleasing character, and effective communication for the cause he works for.

Sagarika Bose

A CSR and social development professional with nearly 20 years’ experience. She has worked with
leading development sector organizations, government, academia, and the corporate sector. She has
contributed to a range of thematic areas spanning CSR & Sustainability, Vocational Skills,
Information & Communication Technologies for Development, and Special Needs Education. She is
currently leading CSR for Godrej Consumer Products Ltd in Mumbai. Her role includes design and
implementation of CSR programs to drive positive social, economic, and environmental impact,
ensure CSR governance to adhere to internal and external compliance, and lead
communications for CSR and sustainability for the Godrej Industries Group. Sagarika has a double Masters from the London
School of Economics and is a trained Special Needs Educator.

Mahatma Gandhi, Baba Amte, Savitribai Phule, Kadambini Ganguly, Martin Luther King (Jr), Nelson Mandela, and many
many others.

In my very first job, while working as a special needs educator in rural Haryana, I worked with a family from the Sapera Nath
(snake charmer) community. Their child was about 3 years old and had special needs but they had not received any medical
attention until the organization I worked for intervening. I realized the critical role of civil society in a country like ours and
the importance of social work professionals.

Socio-economic problems are “wicked” and more often than not require a multi-pronged solution. As development sector
professionals, while we need to keep trying new approaches and ideas, we must always keep the individual and/or
community we are working with at the core.

Donors should consider providing funds for leadership development in nonprofits to ensure that institutions are able to
grow and effectively respond to social sector issues.

A person with immense knowledge and desire to help generously the needy

Samuel Sudhakar Raju

Have done my Masters in Sociology from Central University, Hyderabad. Secured a Gold Medal for topping the batch in
1992. It has been 24 years in this sector and at present am India Coordinator for a US-based non-profit, Bloom India.

Mother Teresa

Post Tsunami was working with an organization in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The project was EDUQIP[ Educational
Quality Improvement Program]. This was in 2004 and my designation was Project Manager. We had to implement the
project in all 445 Government Schools of A&N Islands. Both children and parents were recovering from the devastation
and parents were not willing to send their children to schools, as most of the schools were near to seashore and many schools were washed away in
Tsunami. The government did its best to reconstruct and restore the school buildings, but children were reluctant to come to school, due to fear of
another wave or Tsunami. There was a girl Geeta from Diglipur, another Island and was in 10th class. She was very bright and wanted to complete her
10th class and achieve something in life. But her parents were not willing to send her to school. Geeta met us when we went to her village to meet her
parents. As I was going to my vehicle to leave the village, Geeta comes running to me and pleads with me to request her parents to send her to school. My
heart just melted for her and her conviction. That day I went away but went there again the next day. I met her parents and spent almost 3 hours with
them, understanding them, and also counseling them to allow Geeta, to go to school. After persuasion, they agreed! Guess what, Geeta went to school
and that year she was the topper in her school with a percentage of 93. I was able to make a difference......maybe just one child.....but I cherish the
incident even now and maybe..... life-long.

The development sector is seen as a dumping ground for charity. There has to be a shift in this thinking. The development sector definitely needs charity
but also innovations that bring about lasting changes. Lasting changes that will help the communities to rise above their situation and not depend on
further support. While helping the communities one has to think of it as an investment.....one has to calculate the ROI too. What is it that am investing
and what is the return in terms of permanent solutions?

In a non-profit, there is the absolute authority with the CEO or the founder, or the chairperson. It is a person-oriented approach.....wherever it may be.
The talent and potential become secondary and the personal bias and personal preferences of the top person become the rule. Many of these top bosses
see the best talent as a threat to them. As a result the good talent never gets hired and even if hired, are fired soon. This also because the Boards are so
inactive and do not take any interest in the affairs of the organization or the talent that is coming into the organization.

A person who loves to sing and spread joy to the poor and needy

Sandamali

B.Sc Nutrition, M.Sc Organization Management, 15 years, Program Specialist
My first supervisor, Karu Bandara

Establishment of an empowered community group with mothers under 5 years old. And develop them as a social group who
sell their skills and knowledge on child care and development to other families in the same community
Identify the strengths of the community and facilitate to develop base on it
Recognize and appreciate the talents of leaders

A person willing to shower appreciation on others and take pride in other’s achievements

Sandip Dutta

MBA in Rural Management, having more than 18 years of experience in the development sector.
Currently working as Country Manager in RAF India.

Swami Vivekananda
Providing educational support to children as well as their caregivers and parents through community-based learning
centers.

The globally recognized 'graduation' model is the demand of the hour now to address the current challenges of poverty.

Appropriate Capacity Building of team members and a demonstration of impactful models.

A person who believes in the impactful work and demonstrates meaningfully.

Sangita Bhatia

Sangita is a postgraduate in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She
has more than two decades of experience in the development sector working primarily on education
and child protection. She has worked with both national and international organizations and is
currently working as a consultant with UNICEF India.

My inspiration has always been Mahatma Gandhi. A

A visit to a residential facility for rescued victims of human trafficking is etched on my mind forever. I met 'X' a woman now
in her thirties who had been tricked into eloping by her 'boyfriend'. The boyfriend sold her to a pimp who again sold her to a
brothel. She was repeatedly raped, beaten, and abused. Starting from a small village she ended up hundreds of miles away in
a brothel in a big city from where she was rescued several years later. When I met her she appeared calm, but her eyes were
vacant and reflected the deep mistrust she felt for all persons, a result of being betrayed over and over again. Asking her
about her 'life' made me feel small and opportunistic. It's a meeting that has remained with me forever.

Change is the only constant. And this is true for all sectors. The development sector needs new ideas, innovations, and
perspectives for it to remain relevant. Expertise from all sectors is needed to resolve the key challenges facing humanity
across the globe.

Leadership in the development sector has undergone significant changes with priority been given to management and
resource mobilization fields. This is likely to continue and increase given the proliferation of CSR interventions. However,
the core development sector leadership needs to reclaim its space with its unique focus on humanitarian principles and
values. There is a greater need for a meeting ground and synergy between what both sides can bring to the table for the
greater social good.

A person who believes and walks her talk in her work.

Santosh Dhamale

Born and brought up in a small village in Pune rural and actively associated with the student movement in my college days.
My experience of working with the dam-affected people for their rehabilitation inspired me to go for a professional degree
(MSW) in social work. After my masters in Social work in 2001, Joined YUVA (Youth for Unity and Volunteer Action as a
night attendant for their open shelter for street children “Ghar Ho To Aisa”. Considering my involvement & interest in this
area, In six month period, I was promoted as a coordinator for YUVA CHILDLINE ((24 hours toll-free helpline for
children). In six years with YUVA, my hands-on experience on the ground with street children and children in a
marginalized community, my active involvement in NGO networks, and the exposure in advocacy helped me a lot to
develop an expertise in the area of child rights. In this period I have also performed as a secretariat of CCVS (Coordination
committee for vulnerable children and convener for CACL (Campaign against child labor) for Mumbai and Konkan.

Advocacy in child rights and training with Govt bodies i.e Police, teachers & health workers on sensitization about the legal framework for child rights
are the core objective of these networks. In 2008, after doing my diploma in social entrepreneurship from NMIMS, I have joined SNEHA as a team lead
in facilitates up-gradation project with MCGM hospitals My aspiration for working with youth in my youthhood brought me to KEF in 2009. Started my
journey with Unnati (Employability program for underprivileged youth) as a cluster head and promoted to Manager Operations in 2015, Served the
project Unnati for 9 years. In this period, touched the lives of more than 9000 aspirants across Mumbai. Currently working with team Parvarish as a
senior Manager and independently leading 28 members team.

My father is a great inspiration for me and I credit him for my career choice. His work with tribal (post his retirement) has made a major role in this
choice, My father's word of advice has been “ How you are with is not important as the cause you are with” Mr. Kailash Satyarthi’s thoughts on Child
labor also had a deep impact on my career.

In my tenure with the child rights unit, a Special health policy for street children was drafted and adopted by civic authorities in MCGM hospitals.

All NGOs should cease to exist. The countries constitution demands that as a welfare state the government takes responsibility for its citizens' welfare.
NGOs must build a model and hand over it to the government to run it.

For more visibility of this sector and a larger impact, NGOs and civil society groups should focus more on networking and advocacy for their target
groups and should play the role of watchdog for government policies.

A person who has deep grassroots and community-focused interventions

Santosh Kumar Sharma

MBA, PGDRD/ 24 Years experience in the development sector

Mahatma Gandhi

There are many.. one of them was developing and managing the M&E system for PACS programs which was the largest civil
society program of DFID

Innovation is critical for finding fitting solutions to help communities

Not for profit sector also have a substantial knowledge pool. However, due to consistent resource crunches, using their
potential become challenging.

A person who enjoys the work of evaluation with a purpose and joy in all that he does

Sarika Jain

I work as an Associate professor. I have experience of around 15 years of teaching MBA students
subjects related to HR and General Management.

I have completed MSW. My professor inspired me a lot for contributing to the best in the social
sector.

After when I join academics, developmental work mostly is carried out through teaching subjects like CSR. However, when
for the first time I started working closely with an NGO called IDF for student projects, it gives me a lot of inspiration to go
beyond the boundaries of just teaching a subject. I started recalling my college days wherein we were on fieldwork for more
than 60 percent of the time.

My suggestion is to strengthen the governance, hiring people who are passionate to work in the sector, and lastly keep
themselves updated with the latest technologies needed to connect with the right target group and accomplish desired
objectives.

Just like the profit sector if the business school also provides a little bit of orientation for the non-profit sector it will help
aspiring professionals to see the non-profit sector as a career opportunity. In addition, people from the non-profit sector also
need to reach out to academic institutes to share the positive side of the non-profit sector. Further internship opportunity
must be widely publicized. The role of govt is again crucial in streamlining the above-mentioned suggestions.

A person who teaches the management students with a heart of development sector focussed

Sashikala Menon

Over 16 years of experience in the development sector covering various areas such as admin, HR,
and grant programs.
Various selfless people who have come across my life and also personalities about whom I have read

When the program beneficiary is elated because of the program benefit, there is no greater reward than it.
There is plenty to be done in the sector through innovation and application of IT for those who want to see a bright future for
all, especially the needy in all aspects of life.
Like-minded leaders are coming together already to reinforce the available potential, which is good. The pace and scale
should be enhanced.

A person who takes the pain to complete the tasks diligently and efficiently.

Senek D’Souza

16 Years of work experience ü St Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangaluru as Dean - HR ü Justice
& Care as Zonal Head – Operations & HR Specialist (South Asia) ü ChildFund International as Head
of HR for its biggest Global operation in India ü ISS India as AGM – Business HR ü Position2 and
This Moment as Head – HR ü International Data Group (IDG Media) as Head of HR ü Greenpeace as
Head of HR & Administration. Additional charge as International Lead for L&D Special projects ü
Siemens as Business Partner, Bangalore, and Chennai. Academics: ü Ph.D. in Human Resources,
Karnatak University, Dharwad. ü Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, Annexes Europe ü Masters in

Social Work with specialization in HR ü Masters in Counseling and Psychotherapy, MIMH ü Bachelor of LAW, LL.B., S.D.M
Law College, Mangalore. ü Facilitator’s Certification in HRD, Aim Insights, Mangalore

Richard D'Souza my dad who was a selfless social worker till his last breath in 1999.

I was touched when one of the survivors whom we rescued thanked me for my respect for her as an individual. She was in
tears to say that this gesture of support and care experienced by her had given her the confidence to hope for more in a
society that sees them differently

A creative social work approach with innovative methodology is the need of the hour. Not-for-profit should not be looked at
as second class. It needs more than the ordinary to win over them and help them to succeed in like.

It is essential to sensitize and educate the need for servant leadership. It should be beyond philanthropy. Leaders need
support and recognition to motivate long term association with brands that are doing good work. Cross-sector leadership
and mid-career shifts should be encouraged.

A multi-talented person who has pleasant ways exhibited in all that he says and does.

Sivasubramanian

A Chartered Accountant with 33 years of experience in the NGO & corporate sector. my field of
specialization is Finance & administration management. During my carrier, I worked as a country
finance head most of the time. at present doing practice in Madurai.

Not one Many during my carrier. in fact all of my colleagues and supervisors. to name a few I give below the list: Mr.
Loganathan, Executive Director Assefa., Girish Menon, CEO, Action Aid UK, Dr. George Fernandes, Matthew Pickard, Brian
English, and A Thomas.

During my Carrier, I worked with a physically challenged person in one of The NGO I supported. He was heading accounts
Dept, but due to the tragic event, which led him to the physical disability, he could not give his full ability to the work. So I
supported him along with his parent NGO in bringing back his confidence in the work he was doing. After that, he performed
very well.

Innovators play a key role in bringing opt solution to the problem the sector faces. They bring in newer ideas to the
development sector in an opt manner.

At the global level Talent pool in the sector is being recognized gradually, but in India, it has to pick up. in fact, you could find
a lot of talent pool in all functions like Programme, planning, management, and fundraising. So it is high time that the talent
pool of the Indian NGO sector should be recognized and given the opportunity to perform in an innovative way.

A down to earth person with amazing knowledge and skills.

Srikar Baljekar

After working in Manufacturing and Finance sectors for 25 years, I moved to the Development Sector
at age 50. I am a Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary by qualification. I was a novice to the
Development sector and learned the ropes on the job. I was in roles of Project Head for 3 years, Head
of HR & IT for 5 years, and during the same period was also a Management Committee member for 6
years.

Mr. Shivaji Dam, Managing Trustee, Kotak Education Foundation

I got the opportunity of setting up a training center for under-graduates in the rural area of Karjat and then training them for
ITES. The youth was extremely keen to learn skills for a modern, non-rural career. I had a chance to teach them
spoken-English, Computer skills (including typing), ITES skills, and practicals. It was a rewarding experience to see the
students with a sparkle in the eye, keen to absorb whatever came their way and apply the skills in practice sessions every day.
Many of them got jobs at a Rural BPO and in Mumbai at salaries of Rs 7-10k per month

There is a huge opportunity for innovators, particularly using Technology and Artificial Intelligence to reach out to the
marginal segments of the community and help them rise, by learning skills and acquiring knowledge in intuitive and
innovative ways. Trainers and Innovators should join hands to create audio-visual tools to create self-education
opportunities

Just as the Education Sector and Industry have not collaborated well, even the Development Sector should collaborate
actively with Industry to fructify the full potential of India’s democratic dividend. For this, a cross-pollination of leaders from
these three sectors is necessary.

A person with a great mind, genuine heart to effect meaningful change in all that he does

J Srinivasa Rao

Chairperson, Telangana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. A social sector development professional with
33 years of experience with a focus on child development in tribal, rural, and urban areas, across different states of India.
Academic Master of Arts (Social work) Delhi School of Social Work, Delhi University, 1984-86 Post Graduate Diploma in
Personnel Management (PGDPM) from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University, 1986-87 Bachelor of Social work
(BSW) P.G College of Social work, Osmania University, 1981-84 Awarded “Gold Medal” by Osmania University for
securing highest grade in BSW. Experience § Thirty-three (33) years of experience in the social development sector and
particularly in child development for more than 20 years. § Worked across different states of India in the interior tribal,
rural, and urban areas - Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil NADU, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana,
Goa, Pondicherry, and Delhi NCR. § Worked with national, international, and government institutions and organizations in the social development
sector – Gandhi Peace Center, CARE-India, Child Fund India, World Bank, UNICEF, and in partnership with Women & Child Development departments,
Medical & Health departments, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj and others.

Dr, Venkat Rao Pulla
My long experience working on the protection and development of children included facilitation, design, and implementation of programs with the
active participation of children through child-centered planning leading to child-led projects, promotion of children and youth groups, networks and
organizations of children & youth, village child resource centers, child personality development clubs, child parliaments, science and math’s creative
learning forums, Olympiads, career counseling and guidance cells, promotion of child-friendly villages. Health, nutrition, and pre-school education
aspects were also the key components that were focused on through the health department and ICDS. The critical inputs facilitated in the schools have
been specific to child-friendly physical infrastructure building, provision of creative and need-based teaching and learning material, effective classroom
processes, life skills, and community participation.

Presently, in the fast-changing social phenomena, sensitization of communities should be in the language today's generation understands, hence, the
innovators should be context-specific and initiate models governed by principles of self-help and sustainability. Further, the development efforts should
be through multi-stakeholder engagement and the beneficiaries should be the key players in the process - we need to do away with charity and free-bees
policies at any cost.

I don't think the sector is deprived of potential talent. The people with social inclination would anyway find their path to reach this sector. The best of the
contributions in this sector has been by the people with passion and deep conviction and not by the mainstream talent from elite institutions and
so-called professionals, of course, at the most they can make good managers, but the social sector needs leaders primarily.

A Joyful and fun-loving person while not losing sight of his cause and work.