How to start an NGO like Relief India Trust

Introduction:

Setting up an NGO is a great work, but it requires a lot of efforts in laying the foundation of a NGO. The vision of an NGO needs to be broad with a lot of dedication associated with the other related work. If everything is initiated in an organized manner, then the results obtained are excellent with a great impact on the society. The Relief India Trust associates utmost importance in the management of the NGO.

Establishing the Purpose and Vision of the NGO:

First thing first, establishing the purpose and the vision of an NGO is critically essential. It basically elaborates about the goals which your NGO is looking to achieve. The things should be documented in an organized manner which clearly indicates the mission of the NGO. The scope of the vision statement should be broad enough to indicate the reasons of the NGO existence. Further, the statement should also inculcate the short term goals and the long term goals with clear distinction between them. The short term goals require annual short term planning. On the other side, the long term goals require long term planning by devising a strategic plan for the NGO.

Board of Directors of the NGO:

The Relief India Trust started the NGO by recruiting the initial board of directors of the NGO. It is more ideal to start with a small number of dedicated individuals as they are responsible to lay the foundation stone of the NGO. The initial members of the board should have polished financial, technical and analytical skills and they should be fully aware that their motive should be to serve the public. Team efforts at this initial phase is very important in order to produce quality results in an organized manner. After a solid foundation is laid, then the human resource size of the organization can be increased as per the needs of the NGO.

Legal Expertise:

Any NGO like Relief India Trust has to face a lot of legal issues on a daily basis. It is therefore advised to NGOs to seek legal assistance right from the start. A legal expert or a lawyer can help an NGO in the following issues:

·         Registration procedure of the NGO

·         Handling incorporation legal matters

·         Filing reports

·         Taxation

·         Licensing

All of the legal matters listed above might look simple issues, but hiring a legal expert can be time saving and assures that everything is handled in the professional way.

Choosing the Name of the NGO:

Choosing the name for an NGO is very important, especially before you go to the registration of your NGO. Always make sure that the name you have chosen should be unique and it is not already taken by any other NGO. Same goes with the logo of your NGO if you choose to have one for your organization. It should be unique and shouldn’t be identical to any other NGO’s logo. If a match is found, then your registration process goes on a halt until you come up with the required standards.