annual report 2010 - sewa dayannual report 2010. 2 contents... 04 prime ministers message 05...

annual report 2010

2

contents...04 Prime Ministers message

05 Executive Summary

06 Introduction

07 Research

07 Putting a team together

09 This is what took place...

12 Governance

13 Financials

15 Marketing

16 PR / media coverage

20 The social return: measuring impact

21 Testimonials

24 Thank you

5

executive summaryNational Sewa Day is a social action initiative, which took place on Sunday, 21st November 2010. In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, the concept of giving was denoted by the term ‘sewa’. The term invokes a spirit of community & selfless service for a just and fair society.

The social action day recognised the need for local communities to take the responsibility for overcoming the challenges of disadvantage & deprivation by harnessing resources and talents that exist within them.

Over 50 organisations came together to deliver approx. 130 projects, which met at least one of three criteria:

• To help relieve hardship & poverty• To promote environmental conservation• To bring a little joy

As a result over 5,000 individuals took part on National Sewa Day; all committed to making Britain a better place.

Sewa UK is a registered charity in England & Wales and is the main coordinating body for National Sewa Day.

6

introductionOn 14th January 2010, an interesting community-wide project came into being; it was the launch of a new social action initiative called National Sewa Day. In front of an audience of 350 community leaders, and grassroots campaigners, the organisers explained their motives and sought support for their idea.

Over 25 organisations, small & large groups of all types pledged to organise events for their memberships. Over the course of the year, over 100 groups committed to the project, which has ultimately resulted in approx 50 groups organising over 130 projects across the country, which has attracted about 5,000 volunteers.

For our first year, we received endorsements from pop-stars, actors, politicians, and business leaders, including:

• Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP – Prime Minister of the UK• Rt. Hon. Tony Blair – former Prime Minister • Boris Johnson – Mayor of London

In addition, an Early Day Motion was tabled in the House of Commons stating:

“That this House congratulates all participants involved in organising the first National Sewa Day on 21 November 2010 as a cross-community, multi-faith initiative for social action to tackle hardship and conserve the environment; and pays tribute to Britain’s Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain communities for leading by the power of their example in a practical way to benefit their fellow citizens.”

Our marketing strategy relied on the use of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, which supported our website. Our Facebook fan page has a membership of nearly 500 people, demonstrating the interest from an online community.

7

researchPrior to launching the concept, the organisers met with key persons from corporate organisations and other social action initiatives to improve their understanding of how to implement their idea.

Notable for their advice were Barclays Plc, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital, East London Business Alliance. Further research was conducted on the manner in which Make A Difference Day, Habitat for Humanity, and Mitzvah Day are organised.

In 2010, both, Mitzvah Day and National Sewa Day took place on the same day, resulting in over 20,000 people taking part in social action projects on the same day.

putting together a teamOur team comprised volunteers with diverse backgrounds who came together to deliver National Sewa Day, all on an unpaid basis. The team comprised:

Community outreachHarsh Shah – OptometristVandana Joshi – SolicitorNrupesh Jhalla – IT ManagerAnand Vyas - Optometrist

Marketing & PRSanjay Mistry – PR DirectorSukhwinder Parmar – Event ManagerPoonam Agarwal – Event Manager

FundraisingArup Ganguly – Investment BankerVikas Pota – Corporate Affairs Director

IT & AdministrationKartik Dave – IT ManagerNisha Patel – Linguist & Sign Language SpecialistAmar Purohit – ActuaryNamrata Mankad – TeacherArshna Sanghrajka – Pharmacist

9

this is what took place...Organisation Name Project title

Age Concern, Harrow

Art of Living Foundation, Croydon

Feed hungry & homeless people


Entertain sick children


Gift a sight


Caring for the environment

Art of Living Foundation, Ilford

Gift a sight

Art of Living Foundation, Kingston Upon Thames


Art of Living Foundation, Leicester

Entertaining the elderly

Art of Living Foundation, London

Cuddly bear donation

Art of Living Foundation, Wembley

Toy collection

Ashiana, Harrow Entertaining the elderly

Asian Foundation for Help, London


Atmavignan Dada Bhagwan Foundation,

London

Entertaining the elderly & disabled

BAPS, NeasdenHealth screening

programme

Bharat Hindu Samaj, Peterborough


Brahma Kumaris, Balham Body & mind healing

Brahma Kumaris, Birmingham

Body & mind healing

Brahma Kumaris, Ireland Body & mind healing

Brahma Kumaris, Leicester Entertaining the elderly

Brahma Kumaris, London Body & mind healing





Brahma Kumaris, Willesden

Body & mind healing

Brahma Kumaris, Wembley


Brahma Kumaris, Wembley


Brahmbandhu Society UK Entertaining the sick

Brahmin Society North London


Bristol Hindu Youth Forum, Bristol


Chinmaya Mission, London


City Hindus Network, London






City Sikhs Network, London


Deloitte Hindu NetworkFeed hungry & homeless

people

Edinburgh Hindu Mandir, Edinburgh


Ernst & Young Hindu Association


Gaura International, London

Collection for the homeless







Hertsmere Indian Community Association,

BorehmawoodCaring for the environment

Highways Agency, Birmingham

Gift a sight

Hindu Sevika Samiti, Birmingham


Hindu Sevika Samiti, Birmingham


Hindu Sevika Samiti, Edgware


Hindu Sevika Samiti, Finchley


Hindu Sevika Samiti, Kenton

Book collection

Hindu Sevika Samiti, South Harrow

Caring for the elderly

Hindu Sevika Samiti, Wembley


10

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Birmingham


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Finchley


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Kenton


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Kenya


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Leeds

Caring for the disabled

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Northampton


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Nottingham

Volunteering at local temple

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Oldham


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Reading


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Rugby


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, South Harrow


Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Wembley


Hindu Youth Group, Hall Green


HSS Balgokulum, Borehamwood


Indian Culture Club, London


ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford






Jay Kumars Dance Asia, Northolt


Kadwa Patidar Samaj, London

Toy collection

Kalyan Ashram Trust, UK Spreading love

Karamsad Samaj, London n/a

Leo Club, Kingsbury Caring for the environment

Lions Club, Kingsbury n/a

Freemason’s Lodge of Humility with Fortitude

229, HarrowEntertaining the elderly

Luhar Gnati Samaj, London

n/a

Namdhari Sikh Sangat, Birmingham


Namdhari Sikh Sangat, Forest Gate


Namdhari Sikh Sangat, Southall


National Blood Service, Ruislip

Blood collection

National Hindu Students Forum , Bristol


National Hindu Students Forum, Birmingham


National Hindu Students Forum, Bradford


National Hindu Students Forum, Bradford


National Hindu Students Forum, Leicester


National Hindu Students Forum, Manchester

Painting and decorating a homeless shelter




Distributing leaflets for a charity

National Hindu Students Forum, Nottingham


National Hindu Students Forum, Nottingham


National Hindu Students Forum, Portsmouth


Navjivan Vadhil Kendra, London


Navnat Association of UK, Hayes

Gift a sight

Om Youth Group, LutonCaring for the sick &

elderly

Onecause, London n/a

Oshwal Association of UK, North West London



Body & mind healing



Patanjali Yog Peeth, London

Yoga for the elderly

Raj Saubhag, Harrow Entertaining children

Sai School of Harrow Caring for the environment

Sangat Centre, Harrow Clothes collection

Sansaar, London Entertaining sick children

Savi Foundation, London Caring for the environment

11

Sewa Inspire - The Women’s Network, Pinner

& Hatch EndBook collection

Sewa Shakti Project, Coventry

Clothes collection

Sewa Week, IlfordDistributing organ

donation cards

Sewa Week, Ilford Toy collection

Sewa Week, Ilford Blood donation

Sewa Week, Ilford Gift a sight

Sewa Week, IlfordCaring for the sick &

elderly

Shishu Kunj, North London Clothes collection

Shishu Kunj, South London

Clothes collection

Shishu Kunj, West London Clothes collection

Shiva Cultural & Community Centre,

FarnboroughCaring for the environment

Shree Kutch Leva Patel Samaj, London

Welfare packages for Army

Shree Kutch Leva Patel Samaj, London

Caring for the sick & elderly

Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Golders Green



Helping at a refuge


Gift a sight

Sparkhill Hindu Youth Association, Birmingham


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Alperton


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Greenford

Toy collection

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Harrow East


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Harrow

WestHelping a charity

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Harrow

WestHelping the house-bound

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Heston


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Middlesex

(Region 2)Toy collection

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Mill Hill


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Pinner


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Slough


Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Watford

Helping the blind

Sri Sathya Sai Service Organisation, Wembley

Toy collection

The Mandhata Youth & Community Association


The Mandhata Youth & Community Association

Toy collection

The Vanza Society of London, London

Body & mind healing

Venue5 Restaurant & Bar, Eastcote

Toy collection

Whitchurch First School & Nursery, Stanmore


Whitchurch First School & Nursery, Stanmore

Mural painting

Woodland Trust, St Albans Caring for the environment

Yogi Divine Society, London


Young Jains, Edgware Clothes collection

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure all information is correct, we regret any errors and omissions and will correct any such information brought to our attention. Please email corrections to [email protected]

12

governanceWe’re delighted to have gained the support of prominent persons on our Advisory Board, who provide us with guidance on strategic matters; and a viewpoint gained through their individual pursuits and diverse experiences accumulated through their professional lives. They also perform the role of mentoring key members of our Executive Board.

Members included:• Mr. Dixit A. Joshi - President of our Advisory Board

Managing Director & Head of European Equities at Deutsche Bank• Sir Trevor Chinn, CVO

Chairman of the Mayor’s Fund for London• Mr. Arup Ganguly - Chairman of National Sewa Day

Managing Partner at KNG Securities LLP• Mrs. Sangita Kanoria

Director at Aermid Healthcare Ltd • Mr. Bikash Mathur

European CEO at Polaris Software• Mrs. Nandita Chaudhuri

celebrated artist • Mr. Alpesh B Patel

Principal at Praefinium Partners LLP & Dealmaker for UK Government• Mrs. Pinky Lilani, OBE

Founder & Chair of Asian Women of Achievement Awards• Mr. Girish Sanger

Director of Courthouse Kempinski Hotel• Mrs. Nina Amin

Partner at KPMG• Mr. Hitesh Nathwani

CEO of VB & Sons • Ms. Laura Marks

Founder & Chair of Mitzvah Day• Ms. Ramona Mehta

Partner at Mischon de Reya• Mrs. Rohini Lalvani

13

financialsProfit & Loss Account (as at 1st January 2011)INCOME

£ £ £

Corporate sponsorship 16,000

Personal donations & pledges 14,900

Total 30,900

EXPENDITURE

£ £ £

Events 3,517.84

Marketing 1,800

PR 500

Design & print of t-shirts 6,298

Administration 2,200

Total 14,315.84

Surplus 16,584.16

Of note, our working budget required an income of £60,000 to deliver on our campaign as devised originally.

15

marketingOur marketing strategy focused on persuading community groups to sign up and participate in National Sewa Day. We incorporated the following:

Events:• Organisation of a launch event, which was attended by over 350 people• Organisation of five briefing / networking events through the year

Traditional methods:• Design & distribution of 40,000 printed flyers• Design & distribution of an e-flyer• Design & print of t-shirts• Agreeing to media partnerships which included advertisements, editorial, post

event coverage with Asian Voice, Redhotcurry.com, and B4U

Online:• Design of an interactive website• Creation of a blog-site and writing of posts• Design and use of banner advertising on websites of member organisations• Use of social media tools such as a Facebook fan-page & Twitter account• Promotion of approx 40+ videos using Youtube.com• Use of photo sharing site – Picasa.com

nationalsewaday

One day, thousands of us doing good deeds...

Plant trees in local parks

Build a garden in acitizens advice centre

Collect old mobile phones & batteries for

safe disposal & recycling

Clean communal areas &

removing graffiti from walls

Clean a pond

Paint murals in schools,

old people’s homes etc

Conduct concerts forelderly & disabled people

Organise yoga workshops in

orphanages & youth centres

Help with soup kitchens

to feed the homeless

Put together gift parcels for

soldiers injured in Afghanistan

Organise day visitsfor elderly people

and many more...

step forward to...

Collect old toys & books

to donate to sick children

in hospices and hospitals

Printed on recycled cardwww.nationalsewaday.org

Make a positive difference,

sign up to take part in National Sewa Day

Find out what activities you

can take part in by visiting

Proud to sponsor NSDSponsor

VOICE

Media Partners

21st

November 2010

Sponsor

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

NSD_web_graphics_oct10_HIGHRES.pdf 36 05/10/2010 1

4:37

bethechange

21st

November 2010

www.nationalsewaday.org nationalsewaday

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

NSD_web_graphics_oct10_HIGHRES.pdf 35 05/10/2010 14:37

16

pr/media coverageOur PR objectives were:• Announce the first ever National Sewa Day on 21/11 • Engage Indian community in social action and community engagement in ways that

make a lasting difference – aim to recruit over 5,000 participants, nationally• Influence for the better public perception of Hindus within and beyond the wider

communities and of the importance Sewa plays in the community

SuccessesVarious video/written endorsements viewed by over 2,500 people – inc: • David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Bob Blackman, Virendra Sharma, Gareth Thomas,

Sadiq Khan, Stephen Pound, Barry Gardiner, Mike Freer, Navin Kundra, Raghav, H Dhami, Tasha Tah, Himesh Patel; The Family; Mumzy, etc.

• Early Day Motion in the House of Commons• Involvement by local politicians at events• Involvement from other faiths• Over 130 projects nationally and 5,000 volunteers

64 individual pieces of coverage in the printed / online media – circulated to over 5,996,515 readers, and worth over £70,000 in advertising equivalent, inc:

• The Press Association• The Guardian (Comment is Free)• The Times• Red Hot Curry• Asian Voice

Radio interviews across the country, inc: BBC Northampton, BBC West Midlands, BBC Manchester, BBC Scotland, Sunrise Radio, BBC Asian Network

17

Circulation by category:

MEDIA CATEGORY

TOTAL NO. OF CLIPS TOTAL CIRCULATION PERCENTAGE

Consumer 13 215,995 3.60%

Nationals 1 276,428 4.61%

Regionals 37 536,368 8.94%

Web & Wires 13 4,967,724 82.84%

18

Clips by category:

MEDIA CATEGORY TOTAL NO. OF CLIPS PERCENTAGE

Consumer 13 20.31%

Nationals 1 1.56%

Regionals 37 57.81%

Web & Wires 13 20.31%

19

Media coverage: value measured using advertisement value equivalent

FAVOURABILITY NO OF CLIPS AVE VALUE

Positive 56 £53,781

Neutral 7 £16,703

Negative 0 £0

20

the social return: measuring impactAn online survey was conducted post National Sewa Day, requesting information from the organisers of each project.

Of the 130 projects, the organisers of 50 projects responded, providing the following results:

PRE-EVENT:On average, each organization spent 15 hours organising events for National Sewa Day, calculating at the UK minimum wage of £5.93 per hour, the economic value equivalent is £4,447.50 was expended in preparation by the approx 50 groups.

ON THE DAY:On average, the organisers of 54 projects (out of 130 projects) have provided feedback that 2,471 volunteers took part, and each project took on average five hours to complete. Economic value equivalent, based on the UK minimum wage is £73,265.15. Assuming that 5,000 took part in 130 projects, the economic value equivalent would be: £148,250

WHO TOOK PART (BY AGE GROUPS):

HOW MANY PEOPLE BENEFITTED FROM NSDIt was reported that 4,269 benefitted from the 39 projects that could measure the number of beneficiaries (typically, the elderly, physically challenged etc).

We also know that almost 6,000 trees were planted, several conservation areas cleared, thousands of flower bulbs planted – all of which pose a challenge when trying to arrive at a number of beneficiaries who will enjoy the efforts of volunteers taking part in National Sewa Day.

21

testimonialsNicola Deplacido said “I would just like to say a massive thank you to all the volunteers that came out yesterday to clear my huge garden for my son Alex who suffers from leukaemia. You were all truly amazing. The garden was so overgrown and really needing sorting out. There was so much rubbish and now it is a lovely, tidy and safe place for Alex and his big sister Shannon to play. Also thanks to the man who did a fantastic job of painting my bathroom. It needed doing and looks great!

You are all truly amazing people to give up your own time and help make things better for people you have never even met before. There should be more people like you in the world. You have made a real difference to us and Alex loves his car park.

Thanks doesn’t seem to be a big enough word but its the only one I have so thanks again all of you!”

Anne Winstrom, Headteacher of Whitchurch School in London said “we are making a fantastic mural which will be something that the parents and children see when they first arrive in the morning, during playtime, PE time and will be our focal point in the playground... it’s such fun, the children are having a great time... lots of parents are involved as well in weeding and sweeping outside... everyone’s making a contribution to Sewa Day in one way or the other”

Kalpesh Mistry, a City worker said “it was certainly a change from my day job! To see so many young people getting involved in their local community was an immensely inspirational and rewarding experience.”

Anna Malos of the London Wildlife Trust commented “Its really important to have different groups of people coming out helping us, a wider range of people can recognise how important the green environment is, what they can do to help us and also helps get people together and so an important social benefit as well…getting different people to know each other and doing something in a positive and useful way.”

Wembley resident Rosie Dutt, 16, remarked “Teenagers always seem to be in the news for all the wrong reasons – and no one hears about all the good things that we do.”

Baiju Shah, recounting the story of an eleven year old volunteer who helped clean their local park, said “ultimately I hope that our humble act of sewa and the few hours which we spent cleaning the local streets and park has left an indelible impact on the individuals involved. As I walked back to my car at the end of the day I spotted the 11 year old again, finishing a packet of crisps he had just bought from a newsagent. As he went to discard the empty packet on the floor I saw him stop, pause for a moment and then carefully fold the packet and put it in his pocket. Without realising it, he was already being the change he wished to see in the world...”

Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society affirmed “I support Mitzvah and National Sewa Day because its great opportunity for people to come together, joint programmes to do good in the community... great opportunity for young people to get connected to their community and meet other people... its all good!”

John Barrington, Chairman of the Barn Hill Conservation Group, said “I am writing to thank you for arranging for the National Sewa Day volunteers to take part in our project work in Fryent Country Park. As a result of their hard work, there will be several thousand more wild daffodils adding colour to the mounds on either side of Fryent Way, which bisects the park, next Spring. They also planted bluebells among some of the fruit trees on the park side of the mounds. Please pass on our grateful thanks to the people involved.”

Louise Neicho, Site Manager for Heartwood Forest said, “I just wanted to say a really big thank you for helping to make yesterday a success. It was a fantastic start to the tree-planting season and we really couldn’t have done it without your help. We registered over 600 people and planted 5,000 trees!

24

thank you...All member organisations & volunteers, without whose active participation National Sewa Day would not have been possible

The Advisory Board for their wise counsel & guidance

Our media & digital partners, for providing prominence & showcasing what we can achieve, together

Our sponsors and donors for their financial support

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation

The Mitzvah Day team for their guidance and mentoring

The Mayor's Fund for London

Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for motivating us

ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford; Sangat Centre, Harrow Weald; Brahma Kumaris, Willesden; Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Golders Green; for kindly hosting our meetings & workshops

Hindu Forum of Britain & Institute of Jainology for their friendship

All individuals and friends who contributed to the success of National Sewa Day

nationalsewaday.org

annual report 2010 - sewa dayannual report 2010. 2 contents... 04 prime ministers message 05...

Documents