GuideStar India is India’s largest and most reliable NGO information repository. Our portal www.GuidestarIndia.org is India's most exhaustive, fully searchable database of reliable and comparable information on over 10,000 NGOs. More than 1,400 of these organisations have undergone varying levels of due diligence forming India's largest pool of certified NGOs. With another 60,000+ NGOs on our offline database and NGO due diligence solutions, we have brought down the cost and time of connecting with NGOs. GuideStar India is transforming how Indian NGOs report and share information, and, is changing the way the people perceive, interact and engage with NGOs.
Our powerful search allows users to find and connect with NGOs within minutes.
By joining GuideStar India, an NGO demonstrates its commitment to being a transparent & accountable organization. Registration on GuideStar India is free for NGOs. In 8 years, GuideStar India has created a vibrant community of NGOs who you can reach easily to provide resources and opportunities.
www.guidestarindia.org was launched on Sep 23, 2010.
GuideStar India is an initiative of Civil Society Information Services India. CSIS India is a trust registered in India. View our GuideStar profile at http://www.guidestarindia.org/Search.aspx?q=555
In a country like India which has a vast but highly scattered NGO sector, a lack of reliable information is a serious bottleneck for philanthropy to grow. While the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) reported a figure of 3.3 million not for profit institutions in India based on registration documents, it is largely believed that about 2 million could be operational, making it arguably the country with the largest number of NGOs in the world. Around 200,000 organisations are reported to have filed income tax returns in the form of ITR-7, which applies to tax-exempt organisations.
As an aggregator of NGO information, GuideStar India provides the information infrastructure for the philanthropy ecosystem. GuideStar India pursues a ground-up model to collect information from NGOs. It also receives data from Government bodies like CAPART, Charity Commissioner's Office, Maharashtra, the National Trust of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and YASHADA. This data is often historic and incomplete. GuideStar India persistently follows up with NGOs to clean up and update the data, while also educating NGOs to embrace transparency by consenting to put their information in the public domain. Verified information is made available in the public domain and is also fed back to the source, including government sources.
The state of Maharashtra alone has over 800,000 registered trusts and the Charity Commissioner's Office has undertaken an ambitious initiative to digitise records and launch online registration, filings and submissions to the Charity Commission. GuideStar India is closely working with the Charity Commissioner's office to inform system design, engage NGOs in user testing, disseminate changes in rules and increase adoption. We are also playing an active role in the process of bringing about charity reforms in the state of Maharashtra.