Join the Atma Network for NGOs today!

Like many entrepeneurs starting their social organisations, Dr. Asavari Shinde, Founder of VASS (Vardayini Apang Seva Sanstha) – an NGO that works with children with dissabilities in Mumbai – was struggling with things like how to get the organization more organised!

This is the reason why she joined Atma Network: “We are a very young NGO and have no expertise in areas like Fundraising, Marketing, Strategy or Monitoring. In this sense, we are able to learn a lot from Atma Network”, she explains.

The Atma Network is a free, online platform for entrepreneurs starting and scaling social companies or NGOs. It offers them relevant and quality material and tools to develop and improve their organisation. “We have made a new brochure for our organisation using the tools we found in Atma Network, and even the presentations that we make to our prospective donors are based on information from the Network”, explains Dr. Asavari Shinde.

Atma’s Executive Director Mary Ellen Matsui says, “Atma Network helps organisations save time and resources by establishing efficient operational mechanisms and organisational systems. The best thing is that it is free of cost and anyone with access to internet can use it.”

The Atma Network helps organizations like VASS to determine which areas  the organisation needs to work on, and how they can be solved. Dr. Shinde explains how they used to worry about “how to go forward and what to do. Now we think about which area the problem belongs to and open that module on Atma Network”.

The platform comprises a total of 90 projects, with several hundreds of documents, templates and guides. “You'll find samples, modules and examples that are so perfect that we know for sure which direction to go to”, states Dr. Shinde.

“More than 70 NGOs, from different sectors and countries, are currently members of Atma Network. The Network also allows its members to connect to each other, ask questions, share successes and discuss best practices,” says Matsui.

Atma Network was created by Atma, a Mumbai-based organisation that helps education NGOs to achieve sustainability and scalability. The platform is based on years of expertise and work with social organisations.

“We are very happy with our experience with Atma Network”, explains Dr. Shinde. “We feel we have achieved a lot in 6 months, and we have started investing our time in bigger projects.”

Atma Network wants to bring more organisations to the platform, to participate and give feedback, thus creating a solid community in which they can share knowledge and experience. Any NGO or Social Enterprise can become a member of Atma Network, just by registering online on the website www.atmanetwork.in.