a group of women sitting around a table with charts and a booklet in it huddled over something--Meghalaya health data

Is Meghalaya learning to read its own health data?

Meghalaya needs health data that reflects its ethnic and geographic diversity. Sophisticated dashboards are only half the solution.

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close up shot of a hand with the fore finger touching a jigsaw puzzle piece that is surrounded by several other pieces--nonprofit boards

Who belongs on your board
The best nonprofit boards combine complementary skills and diverse perspectives, not just familiar faces. Here are six board profiles that can help build a stronger organisation.
a close up of a hand embroidering a piece of white fabric--chikankari

A social business model for Lucknow’s chikankari artisans
Despite their intricate handiwork, women in Lucknow’s chikankari industry often lack market access and a steady income. From skilling to vendor connections, here’s how a nonprofit built a sustainable enterprise for artisans.
books stacked roughly on the footpath; sitting next to the stack is a person looking through a book--preparatory spaces

The community spaces that shape social mobility
Community-based preparatory spaces are filling the gaps left by formal institutions for students from marginalised communities. Here’s how.
by Priya Singh | 7 min read
a large group of women sitting on the ground next to a field--MGNREGA

For women in Rajasthan, the end of MGNREGA means losing more than work
For women, MGNREGA has been a gateway to employment, a voice in village panchayats, administrative accountability, and access to social welfare. Many fear that the VB-G RAM G Act will weaken these hard-won gains.
by Shraddha Jain | 5 min read
The image features four individual comics of a stack of papers with a face and hands. In two of the comic panels, the papers look sad and disappointed. In the third one, the papers look happy with their arms raised. In the fourth and last panel, the papers are drinking from a glass filled with ice cubes, looking happy._nonprofit humour

The frustrations (and aspirations) of an annual report
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by Swati Saxena | 3 min read

Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.


A day in the life of

Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.
The image is set inside a home. A young women is sitting at the edge of a bed with her back turned to the camera. She is holding the hand of a person who is lying down on the bed, out of the frame.--palliative care

What does it mean to care for someone with a serious illness?
A day in the life of a counsellor and nurse in Mumbai as they provide home-based palliative care, helping patients and families face illness, loss, and uncertainty with dignity.
The image features the authors, Shakeela Banu and Nageena Banu. They are standing outdoors smiling warmly at each other while holding hands. Shakeela is wearing a bright red headscarf with a black inner layer, and Nageena is wearing a light-colored and patterned suit and dupatta . The background shows greenery and a blurred building--Beedi industry

‘One day, one day, the women will go out to protest…’
A day in the life of two union leaders fighting for fair working conditions in Karnataka’s beedi industry and for the rights of their community.
two women sitting on the floor in a classroom, with numbers and the kannada alphabet painted on the walls behind them--community organiser

The girl who refused to drop out
A day in the life of a young field coordinator in Raichur, Karnataka, reflecting her journey of almost dropping out of school to supporting herself, her family, and her community.

Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.
Silhouetted birds perched on bare tree_leadership failure

Building team culture isn’t optional
A nonprofit co-founder reflects on how scaling rapidly unintentionally alienated employees, which led to cracks in organisational culture.
Aerial shot of women protestors sitting_well-being

Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint 
Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.
Barbed wire_nonprofits

Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?
A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.

Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.

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Insights and analysis of specific sectors in the development arena—what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.

See all coverage by topic:
  • Agriculture
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  • Is Meghalaya learning to read its own health data?
    Meghalaya needs health data that reflects its ethnic and geographic diversity. Sophisticated dashboards are only half the solution.

    The community spaces that shape social mobility
    Community-based preparatory spaces are filling the gaps left by formal institutions for students from marginalised communities. Here’s how.

    For women in Rajasthan, the end of MGNREGA means losing more than work
    For women, MGNREGA has been a gateway to employment, a voice in village panchayats, administrative accountability, and access to social welfare. Many fear that the VB-G RAM G Act will weaken these hard-won gains.


    A social business model for Lucknow’s chikankari artisans
    Despite their intricate handiwork, women in Lucknow’s chikankari industry often lack market access and a steady income. From skilling to vendor connections, here’s how a nonprofit built a sustainable enterprise for artisans.

    The community spaces that shape social mobility
    Community-based preparatory spaces are filling the gaps left by formal institutions for students from marginalised communities. Here’s how.

    For women in Rajasthan, the end of MGNREGA means losing more than work
    For women, MGNREGA has been a gateway to employment, a voice in village panchayats, administrative accountability, and access to social welfare. Many fear that the VB-G RAM G Act will weaken these hard-won gains.

    Skills and functions that are core to growing programmes and organisations.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Board & Governance
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  • Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Programme
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  • Is Meghalaya learning to read its own health data?
    Meghalaya needs health data that reflects its ethnic and geographic diversity. Sophisticated dashboards are only half the solution.

    Who belongs on your board
    The best nonprofit boards combine complementary skills and diverse perspectives, not just familiar faces. Here are six board profiles that can help build a stronger organisation.

    What does it take to embed AI in government systems?
    Three nonprofits share lessons from building and deploying AI solutions for India’s public institutions.