Aditi Khothari | Today’s philanthropists think more in terms of impact
Aditi Khothari | Today’s philanthropists think more in terms of impact
New Delhi: Aditi Kothari, executive vice-president of DSP BlackRock Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd and a fifth-generation philanthropist, talks about India’s emerging philanthropic ecosystem and the importance of thinking strategically in giving for charitable causes.
How long have you been involved in philanthropy and your family’s foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Trust?
It evolved along the way—but I’d say that more seriously may be in the last two years. But I’ve been following it and working in small bits and pieces for the last 8-10 years. I am a catalyst—I have a full-time job, I’m executive vice-president at DSP BlackRock, but I sort of act more as a middleman for the foundation. And I assist and help, and if I see a really great NGO (non-governmental organization) that can help us with our mission in some way, I let them take it from there. In addition to the foundation, I also give personally. When I am impressed with an NGO, and I believe in their philosophy, I want to contribute.
How do you see things differently, compared with your parents’ generation?
Why do you think that is?
I think, in general, Indians have (had) more liquidity and more money to give since 1990s. But that doesn’t mean that the very next year after they made money, people started giving—it takes a while. Then when people have more money, they realize they can spend this much on themselves and if they are not completely self-centred, which I do not think they are, they want to give it out. Also, in the early 2000s, you had the rise of professionally-run NGOs and professional non-profit firms that I don’t think you had before. Dasra, a non-profit firm that helps NGOs become professional and advises philanthropists, also came up around that time. So I think it’s an evolution. An ecosystem’s developing in this area that never used to be. So now I can decide where do I give and create high impact.
What does it mean to think about philanthropy strategically?
I have to think not just in terms of how much do I give, but who do I give to so as to have maximum impact. Should I give the man running the NGO down the street ₹ 100 because he’s a really nice guy, even though the ₹ 100 I give can feed two people? Or should I give those 100 to another more professionally-run organization where, because of economies of scale, long-term thinking and how professionally they are managed, my ₹ 100 may feed five people. Then, what I might do after giving to the more professional and efficient charity is also talk to the first person, and explain to them they should merge with the second one—or else one’s resources get really fragmented and one cannot make any impact. I’m not saying that making a small difference is bad—India needs everything—but it’s making a small difference with the same money versus making a big impact. I think that’s the problem—that when it comes to philanthropy, most people don’t think. They feel good about giving money and don’t worry so much about what the final impact will be.
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First Published:20 Mar 2012, 09:53 PM IST
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