NetIP Atlanta – Charity is Colorblind Launch Event!

NeIP Atlanta’s Charity is Colorblind (CiC) initiative “Protect Our Children: Protect our Future” was launched at the April Networking Social at the Artmore Hotel in Midtown, Atlanta. NetIP Atlanta’s CiC initiative is to help raise money for Baal Dan, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children of need in India. 

 Baal Dan works to raise funds in the U.S. and provides grant projects in India to benefit children deprived of basic rights to food, shelter, healthcare, and education.  NetIP Atlanta’s CiC goal is to raise $5,000 for Baal Dan. 

 The event was a huge success as it received a lot of appreciation among the members and raised over $500 for Baal Dan.  NetIP Atlanta raised over $1,500 to date through its on-line fundraising campaign and the NetIP Atlanta CiC Launch Event.  The focus of the event was to educate the attendees on Baal Dan and motivate them to join the cause as well.

 The event was planned in such a way that attendees could learn as well as concurrently enjoy the networking mixer. Several activities were carried out in order to raise awareness about Baal Dan. There were posters, placards, videos that explained what Baal Dan is and what activities are carried out by them.  More than that, raffle tickets were given out throughout the night, and a ticket was picked out two times during the course of the event.

NetIP Atlanta Board members were all dressed in Baal Dan T-shirts to show their commitment to the cause. Several stations were set up to educate interested individuals through a tri-fold information board, one page flyers, and fun facts spread throughout the bar. Fundraising incentives such as, 1) $10 voucher to a future event for setting up a fund-raising page, 2) a free Baal Dan T-shirt   for someone who raised $100, 3) a free Diwali GALA ticket for someone who raised $500 and a free NetIP Atlanta 2013 membership for someone who raised $1,000, were announced to rally attendees to sign up as a fundraiser and support the cause.

Several items such as wine bottles, restaurant gift cards, T-shirts, etc were raffled away.  There were delicious appetizers donated by one of the past sponsors, Bhojanic Indian restaurant, apart from the specials provided by the venue such as drink specials and varieties of cheeses and fruits.  Several members signed up for fundraising pages and 12 T-shirts were sold, which helped raise awareness for the cause.

To learn more about the NetIP Atlanta CiC campaign and sign up as a fundraiser click here:   http://www.firstgiving.com/NetIP-Atlanta

NetIP-NY Charity is Colorblind (CiC) Launch, Empower Through Education, a HUGE success!

NetIP-NY would like to thank everyone who helped make our CiC Launch, where we announced our “Empower Through Education” campaign a HUGE success!

NetIP-NY is excited to partner with UNICEF Schools for Asia program and is striving to raise a $100,000 for Education. Over 50 guests enjoyed a wonderful 3 course lunch at the Michelin star rated Tulsi Restaurant, and helped raise several hundred dollars towards a great cause!

Renita Bakshi, Co-President of NetIP-NY, introduced “Think Change” and “CiC”, while Digant Dave (Co-President of NetIP-NY) talked about the importance of education and giving back. Hima Dasika, Internal Affairs Chair from NetIP North America, spoke about the origins and success of CiC at a local chapter level, its evolvement to a nationwide initiative, and how the contributions of the NetIP-NY community can impact the CiC initiative on both a local, national, and global level.
 
Ananda Grant from UNICEF, US Foundation was on-hand to present information about UNICEF’s Schools for Asia program, as part of their greater mission to aid the children of the world, and reduce preventable child deaths from 21,000 a day to 0. Sahara ONE was there to cover the event and a special thanks to Surbhi Sahni from Bittersweet NYC for presenting complimentary sweets to all of our attendees.

Please click here for a video summarizing our CiC Launch event.
 

For more info about NetIP-NY CiC, visit the NetIP CiC Blog.

NetSAP DC CiC Launch – Best Kept Secret!

NetSAP DC unveiled its best kept secret this past Thursday March 15, 2012 with the launch of the Charity is Colorblind Campaign.  The buzz started weeks before with teasers that were released through the newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter about their biggest, boldest and best initiative yet.

 NetSAP DC engaged the attendees of the event through an inspiring video that introduced them to the Charity is Colorblind campaign and NetIP’s nationwide cause – education.  

NetSAP DC also revealed their big goal of raising $100K for their 2012 beneficiaries:  Teach For America and the Nanubhai Education Foundation.  Making both a local and  international impact, the money that is raised will go towards sponsoring 2 D.C. Public Schools and teacher development activities in rural India.

  After the big reveal, attendees had a chance to test their knowledge of education policy and inequities by answering questions to earn tickets to participate in a raffle that took place at the end of the event.  Some of the startling figures and facts attendees were made aware of included that in our Nation’s capital, 8th graders read on levels equivalent to the national average for 4th graders.

 In rural India, students without functional knowledge of English are at an extreme disadvantage when competing for jobs.  The education gap, locally and internationally, is a gross injustice and a cause that is worth fighting for to ensure that ALL children have the tools that they need to have a successful life.

 Our launch event was held at Café Asia with about 85 community members in attendance.  We had the pleasure of welcoming Joelle Formato, a DC Teach for America corps member, who spoke about her invigorating work as a teacher along with Raj Shah, the founder of the Nanubhai Education Foundation.

  The release of the campaign caused much excitement among the attendees and the Washington DC community is looking forward to making a difference and giving back!

 To donate to this cause – NetSAP DC’s FirstGiving Page

 To find out more about the beneficiaries, see these videos:

•  Teach for America (DC Region)
•  Nanubhai Education Foundation

NetIP North America Launches Charity is Colorblind 2012

It started with one idea, two hospitals and a group of individuals within NetIP Chicago who sought to make an impact in the Chicago community in 2010.  That very idea unfolded into the largest charitable fundraising campaign in NetIP history, Cancer is Colorblind (CiC), raising over $100,000 in the fight against cancer.  

Due to CiC’s overwhelming success, NetIP North America launched Charity is Colorblind throughout its 23 chapters in 2011.

Charity is Colorblind (CiC) is NetIP North America’s initiative to raise funds for charitable causes worldwide.  The CiC initiative seeks to empower all our chapters for grass roots level fundraising.  This initiative has the power to bring chapters together and create a movement to make a tremendous impact on those in need on both a local and global level.  This year, CiC has an Education focus as education is a vital component that should be available to every human being.

CiC has taken off this year because it is contagious.  It’s contagious because not only is charitable giving an emotional giving, it is also one that keeps on giving back.  That’s exactly why chapters are adopting CiC as part of their focused 2012 initiatives….because chapters want to make an impact in their community.  

This year, many chapters are planning large scale CiC campaigns (many with an education focus), which support a diversity of beneficiaries across the globe including UNICEF, Chicago Public Schools (CPS),  Bal Daan, Teach for America, Nanubhai Education Foundation, and much more.  Due to overwhelming chapter support, our 2012 CiC goal is to raise over $250,000 across all 23 chapters benefiting causes and charities all around the globe.  Many chapters including NetIP NY, NetIP Chicago, NetIP Atlanta, and NetIP SFBA are getting ready for their CiC launch events planned in Q1 and Q2.

Please visit your local chapter’s website to learn more about your chapters specific 2012 CiC campaign initiatives and how you can contribute to the cause!

Best Mutual Fund Advice For NRI’s

A Mutual Fund is a professionally managed type of collective instrument that pools money from many investors to buy stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments, and/or other securities.

Mutual funds invest according to the underlying investment objective as specified at the time of launching a scheme. So, we have equity funds, debt funds, gilt funds and many others that cater to the different needs of the investor. The availability of these options makes them a good option.

While equity funds can be as risky as the stock markets themselves, debt funds offer the kind of security that is aimed for at the time of making investments. Money market funds offer the liquidity that is desired by big investors who wish to park surplus funds for very short-term periods.

Balance Funds offer investors having an appetite for risk greater than the debt funds but less than the equity funds. The only pertinent factor here is that the fund has to be selected keeping the risk profile of the investor in mind because the products listed above have different risks associated with them.

So, while equity funds are a good bet for a long term, they may not find favour with corporate or High Networth Individuals (HNIs) who have short-term needs.

Diversification

Investments are spread across a wide cross-section of industries and sectors and so the risk is reduced. Diversification reduces the risk because all stocks don’t move in the same direction at the same time. One can achieve this diversification through a Mutual Fund with far less money than one can on his own.

Professional Management

Mutual Funds employ the services of skilled professionals who have years of experience to back them up. They use intensive research techniques to analyze each investment option for the potential of returns along with their risk levels to come up with the figures for performance that determine the suitability of any potential investment.

Potential of Returns

Returns in the mutual funds are generally better than any other option in any other avenue over a reasonable period of time. People can pick their investment horizon and stay put in the chosen fund for the duration. Equity funds can outperform most other investments over long periods by placing long-term calls on fundamentally good stocks. The debt funds too will outperform other options such as banks. Though they are affected by the interest rate risk in general, the returns generated are more as they pick securities with different duration that have different yields and so are able to increase the overall returns from the portfolio.

Liquidity

Fixed deposits with companies or in banks are usually not withdrawn premature because there is a penal clause attached to it. The investors can withdraw or redeem money at the Net Asset Value related prices in the open-end schemes. In closed-end schemes, the units can be transacted at the prevailing market price on a stock exchange. Mutual funds also provide the facility of direct repurchase at NAV related prices. The market prices of these schemes are dependent on the NAVs of funds and may trade at more than NAV (known as Premium) or less than NAV (known as Discount) depending on the expected future trend of NAV which in turn is linked to general market conditions. Bullish market may result in schemes trading at Premium while in bearish markets the funds usually trade at Discount. This means that the money can be withdrawn anytime, without much reduction in yield. Some mutual funds however, charge exit loads for withdrawals.

All said and done, Mutual Funders! It is the right way to maximize sizable returns from a medium to long-term stand point. Rather than parking one’s money in Fixed Deposits, invest in Equities through professional Financial Managers to get decent returns, as equities as an asset class reward you more in the long run. Remember Mutual Fund Investments are subject to market risks. Please read the offer document carefully before investing.

Meet keynote speaker Sudhakar Kesavan this weekend with NetIP

Sudhakar Kesavan serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ICF International. In 1997, he was named President of the ICF Consulting Group when it was a subsidiary of ICF Kaiser. Since he took on this leadership role, he has led ICF through a leveraged buyout, an initial public offering, and consistent growth. Mr. Kesavan’s leadership in global environmental issues helped ICF International to become the first professional services firm in the world to go carbon neutral and to achieve recognition by the United Nations as one of the first firms to participate in the Climate Neutral Network.

Mr. Kesavan serves on the Board of the Rainforest Alliance, a New York based nonprofit environmental organization committed to protecting ecosystems by transforming land-use practices, business practices, and consumer behavior. He is also the vice chairman of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the largest technology council in the United States. In addition, he is an active supporter of IIMPACT, a nonprofit focused on primary education for girls from economically- and socially-underprivileged rural areas of India.

Mr. Kesavan received the Executive of the Year award in 2009 from the Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards in the large-sized firm category. He was also named a “Tech Titan” and “industry leader” by Washingtonian magazine in 2011.

Mr. Kesavan received his Master of Science degree from the Technology and Policy Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), his postgraduate diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and his Bachelor of Technology degree (chemical engineering) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.