CSR and Fundraising Consultant

aidbees

Sr Partnerships and Operations Manager 

Pratham InfoTech Foundation

Program Associate

Mumbai Mobile Creches

Stakeholder Management | Report Writing | Grant Writing | Proposal Writing | Social Media Management

Donor and Relationships Coordinator

ARPAN

Communications | Report Writing | Training | Stakeholder Management

Project Officer

ISB Co'24 | Independent Consultant

About me in one line- I help raise funds to create social impact.

"Hello and welcome! I'm Bhagyashree Lodha, and I'm thrilled to share a slice of my professional life with you here."

I hold an MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and an M.Sc. in Extension Education from S.N.D.T Women's University.

With a diverse background in strategy, leadership, CSR, program management, and partnerships, I am passionately dedicated to driving social impact and organizational excellence. As a Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, I’ve spearheaded the development and implementation of strategic programs, managed expansive projects, and set up robust data management systems. My role centers around cultivating stakeholder relationships, overseeing fund allocations, and maintaining strict adherence to our program goals.

My career highlights include raising around ₹2.7 Cr for partner NGOs as a philanthropy partner of the TCS World 10k Run 2023, delivering CSR consultancy to renowned companies such as DHL and Baskin & Robbins, and successfully integrating over 150 clients into Aidbees - The Social Kindness Platform. My core competencies encompass strategic planning, impact evaluation, budget management, financial oversight, and fundraising.

During my tenure at Pratham, I took the lead on numerous projects, guiding them from initial pilot stages to full-scale implementations, and managed a team of 25 to meet ambitious objectives. I played a key role in liaising with local government bodies, generating detailed analysis reports, and ensuring the sustainability and efficiency of the programs. My impact assessment and project monitoring skills have been crucial in achieving targeted outcomes and tangible benefits.

 My educational and professional journey reflects my unwavering commitment to fostering sustainable social impact and nurturing partnerships that lead to a better future.

Thank you for your interest. I am keen to engage in discussions about social impact initiatives and explore potential collaborations.

You can block sometime using the link, would love to see you on the other side- https://topmate.io/bhagyashree_lodha13

In the last few months, I’ve noticed something which is, honestly, a little worrying.

CSR teams are following up constantly for proposals, compliance documents, reports…

And on the NGO side? Total silence.

It has started to feel like those HR follow-ups for a job opportunity where the candidate ghosts the recruiter.

 Only this time, the recruiter is the funder.

Here’s the truth we sometimes forget, and I tell all my NGO partners is that:

== Fundraising is a relationship.

== And every relationship needs consistent communication.

If your proposal drafting will take time, just tell them.

 If a report is delayed, communicate it proactively.

 If you’re waiting for internal approvals, update them.

Trust me, no CSR manager is going to punish you for honest communication.

 They understand delays. They don’t understand silence.

In fact, being upfront and responsive actually builds credibility.

At the end of the day, CSR partnerships don’t fail because of a lack of capability…

 They fail because of a lack of communication.

Let’s fix that.

 One honest update at a time.

Follow Bhagyashree Lodha for more such insights

Bhagyashree Lodha

Why your fundraising plan isn’t working 

 and what almost every NGO founder gets wrong.

In the last 2 weeks, I spoke to over 15 NGOs.

 Different sizes. Different causes.

 One thing was identical:
 
Founders are still single-handedly doing all the fundraising.
 
In the early years (0–5), this works.

 Donors fund your passion, your story, your energy. 

But after a point, this becomes the biggest barrier to growth.
 
Because if the founder is the only fundraiser, they can’t focus on:

🔹 Building the organization’s long-term vision
 🔹 Strengthening the brand
 🔹 Hiring & retaining strong teams
 🔹 Improving program quality & impact

At scale, fundraising isn’t a one-person role.

 == It’s a capacity you build.

You know you’ve reached that point when:

📌 Your donor retention is stable

 📌 You have a clear growth strategy

 📌 Your workload no longer fits into one role

That’s when hiring a fundraising manager isn’t a cost 

 it’s an investment in organizational sustainability.

The goal isn’t to replace the founder.
 
 It’s to free them to lead.

When did you realize you couldn’t keep doing fundraising alone?

27,188 companies. ₹35,000 crore. One big question:

Why are we still chasing the same 200?

Every year, almost 27,000+ companies contribute to CSR.

In FY 23–24 alone, that added up to roughly ₹35,000 crore in funding.
Here’s the part nobody talks about:

== 14,474 companies that’s 53% actually spent more than what was prescribed.

 Let that sink in.

And yet… most NGOs are still chasing the same 150–200 “famous” CSR names.

Not because it’s strategic.

 But because it’s familiar.

Yes, follow-ups matter.

 Yes, nurturing warm leads is important.

 But if your entire fundraising plan is built around 8–10 “maybe” funders-you’re not fundraising, you’re waiting.

Your pipeline needs balance:

 Follow-up ≠ strategy. Lead generation = survival.

If 27,188 companies are giving, and only a fraction of them are in your outreach universe, the problem isn’t “CSR not responding.”

 The problem is your list is too small.

Data ref- MCA website

Can I be honest? 

If your fundraising pitch feels like you're asking for a favour… it shows.

And the worst part?

It makes donors pull back because no one wants to fund something that sounds unsure of itself.

You’re not a liability 

You're not a burden.

You're offering something powerful:

🔹 A mission they believe in

🔹 The on-ground ability to make it happen

🔹 Results they can proudly be part of

So why pitch like you're asking for help?

When you show up like a partner, you get treated like one.

Fundraising isn’t about convincing someone to “give.”

It’s about showing them why this intervention is required for the community 

How they will be benefitted by the intervention 

How your sustainable plan is going to empower the community

Own your value. That’s where trust (and funding) begins.

Yes, we are partners

7 Strategies to Maximize Effective CSR Fundraising

1. Align with Business Goals
 CSR initiatives work best when they connect with a company’s core business. For example, a tech company supporting digital literacy. This creates better alignment, stronger buy-in, and more authentic engagement.

2. Keep Stakeholders Involved
 Engage community members, NGOs, and beneficiaries early and often. Their insights help shape relevant programs and ensure long-term support from those who matter most.

3. Tap into Government Priorities
 Aligning CSR projects with national programs like Swachh Bharat or Skill India can increase reach, impact, and collaboration opportunities with the government.

4. Let Data Guide You
 Track progress, measure outcomes, and use data to refine your programs. Transparency builds trust and helps donors see the real difference their contributions make.

5. Prioritize Sustainability
 Focus on long-term solutions, not short-term funding. Whether it’s environmental initiatives or livelihood programs, sustainability leads to deeper and lasting impact.

6. Try New Fundraising Methods
 Combine traditional approaches with digital tools social media, online campaigns, and crowdfunding to reach a wider and younger audience.

7. Build Strong Partnerships 
 Collaborate with corporates, NGOs, and startups. Strategic partnerships bring together resources, expertise, and innovation to create stronger CSR programs.

Follow Bhagyashree Lodha for more such posts

Not the deck.

Not the data dump.

Not the 20-minute explanation.

The human brain is built for bookends.

In donor meetings, the opening hook and the closing line carry more weight than everything in the middle.

That’s the Primacy- Recency Effect- a psychological pattern every fundraiser should master.

Here’s how top fundraisers use it:

1️⃣ Start with a vivid, emotional moment
• a surprising number
• a human insight
• a donor learning
• a sharp framing question

2️⃣ End with a confident, specific next step
• “If this aligns with your priorities…”
• “Here’s the simplest path forward…”
• “Let’s map intent to outcomes…”

The middle? It’s reinforcement.

Not persuasion.

If you get the first 10 seconds and the last 10 seconds right, you’ve already won half the room.

What’s one opening or closing line that has worked for you?

Burnout is not for us.

Not because we’re superhuman but because we can choose better.

In the social impact sector, passion is our power.

We wake up every day knowing our work matters to communities, to futures, to lives.

But here’s the positive shift we can think of making:

- Caring for ourselves is also part of caring for the world.

- Rest is not a pause from impact it strengthens it.

- Energy, clarity, and wellbeing are our professional assets.

You can love your work deeply and still say:

“I’m tired.”

“I need a breather.”

“I’ll come back stronger.”

That doesn’t make you any less committed.

It makes you sustainable.

The truth is:

When social sector professionals take care of themselves, the entire ecosystem becomes healthier.

Burnout isn’t a badge we need to carry not when we can model balance, humanity, and long-term leadership instead.

If you needed this reminder today

Share it with someone you think needs it.

Pressure Cooker, Steam and Funds!!

If you’ve ever waited for a pressure cooker whistle, you know this feeling.

 You put everything inside…

 You turn on the flame…

 And then… You wait.

Some days the whistle comes quickly.

Some days it takes longer than usual.

 And in those extra moments, we start worrying:

 “Did I add enough water?”

 “Is the flame too low?”

But the truth is the dish inside is cooking perfectly.

 The pressure is building.

 The process is working… even if nothing looks like it’s happening on the outside.

Fundraising is exactly like that.

== You’ve reached out.
 == You’ve followed up.
  == You’ve shared your pitch.
    ==You’ve had the meetings.

And then silence.

 No update.

 No visible progress.

That’s the point where most fundraisers panic.

But pressure is part of the process.

Good things take time to cook: relationships, trust, decisions, budgets.

Just because you can’t see progress doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

So the next time a funder takes longer than you expected, remember the cooker:

 Let the process build pressure.

 Let the work happen inside.

When the whistle finally blows, the result is worth it.

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