On behalf of NetIP’s North America Board and Chapter Officers, here’s wishing our readers and the NetIP Community a happy and colorful Holi. Cultural Awareness, along with Professional Development, Community Service and Political Awareness, is a core pillar of the Organization and our chapters are committed to providing a unique platform to promote South Asian Culture across US and Canada. It is in this spirit that many of our chapters are hosting fun and unique Holi events in the coming weeks that also have a strong community support undertone (many of the events are to support Grameen Foundation’s effort in Haiti) If, like me, you spent the day inside an office wishing that you part of the festivities, you’ll love what’s on offer. Check out just some of the exciting activities planned in various cities -

“HOLI COW” by NetIP LA-OC — A Beach Party Organized for the Haiti Relief Efforts

A fun Holi event to benefit Haiti

A spectacular afternoon at the Will Rogers State Beach, under the warm March sun, as NetIP LA-OC & AIF celebrate the “Ultimate Holi Beach Party of the Year” to benefit the AIF Haiti Relief Fund. You’ve all been wanting to help out with the Haiti relief efforts and this is your chance to do so in style and with tons of fun. Come as we celebrate our culture and heritage through vibrant colors, water, sand and games. Bring your family and friends to this joyous occasion and experience our hospitality through these festivities!!

Click here for NetIP LA-OC’s Holi Facebook event

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“HOLI HUNGAMA” by NetIP New York — An Evening of Fun, Fashion & Flair

Holi Hungama - An evening of fun, fashion and flair

A fashion show courtesy of BIBI Magazine, music by DJ Sammy J, performances by NYC Bhangra a lot more! Don’t miss this exciting evening by NetIP NY!

A percentage of the proceeds will go to support the Grameen Foundation.

Click here for NetIP NY’s Holi Facebook event

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The Sixth Annual Holi Hungama by NetSAP DC

NetSAP DC's Holi Hungama

Join NetSAP DC to celebrate Holi in the Park! Everyone is welcome to attend and this event is free to members and non-members.  Bring your own gulal (holi color) and picnic baskets and play holi with some new NetSAP DC friends! Gulal can be purchased at most South Asian stores in the metro area.

Given the recent devastation in Haiti, NetSAP DC will be collecting monetary donations for the Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Fund.  We will also be collecting nonperishables and toiletries for the Arlington Food Bank.

Click here for NetSAP DC’s Holi Facebook event

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“Holi Hai” by NetIP Dallas — Bid Goodbye to Winter and Embrace the Spring with Holi Festivities

Come join NetIP Dallas as we wave goodbye to WINTER and embrace the SPRING!! There’s no better way to kickoff this spring season with friends and family than smothering them with gulal (holi color). Just think of how much fun a snowball fight is.. and now imagine doing the same thing with colored powder! A limited amount of colors will be provided by NetIP Dallas, but it is recommended that you purchase your own at a local South Asian store (darker colors are more fun) =)

NetIP New York

Winner of three Boscars at the 2009 Annual Conference

Best Large Chapter: NetIP-NY

Through July 31st, the executive board of NetIP-NY worked diligently and relentlessly to organize over 47 events, 39 of which were core pillar events. Their efforts paid off with approximately 260 members and 6600 people on their email distribution list, resulting in an increase in their operating budget by 7%.  NetIP-NY 2009 events have raised substantial amounts for various charities and were featured 12 times in national and local media outlets (Sahara One, TV Asia, India Express, South Asian Times, DesiClub, News India Times, and RZB TV).

“NetIP-NY is grateful for being recognized as the Best Large Chapter 2009.  This certainly would not have been possible without the executive board’s passion and leadership, NetIP-National’s support, and most of all, our constituency’s enthusiasm and energy. 

Our goal this year has been to focus on unique and quality events, strategic marketing and corporate sponsorship partnerships, and a positive board culture.  Through these efforts, NetIP-NY has become a recognized and coveted brand within the tri-state area and the larger NetIP community.” -Rita Bagai, President

“Over the last several years, NetIP has transformed into more than a social organization. The New York chapter has lead this effort by organizing a consistent stream of unique, value-added events that focus on culture, community service, politics and professional development.” -Nevin Shetty, National Liaison

Best Officer: Bhavini Doshi

Bhavini Doshi, VP Political Awareness, has brought an unprecedented degree of innovation to NetIP-NY’s Political Awareness pillar.  Her event ideas have increased NetIP-NY brand recognition and value within the community and have garnered positive acclaim from other NGOs operating in the tri-state area.
  
As part of the NetIP-NY Kickoff Week, Bhavini launched NetIP-NY’s successful chai chat series with a political awareness panel: Foreign Policy under the Obama Administration: with two renowned professors from Columbia and NYU. Set within the elegant Saks 5th Ave, registrants listened to the impact that potential foreign policy initiatives may have on domestic financial markets and national security.
   
Bhavini also hosted another panel: General Elections in India, A New Era featuring renowned professors and experts in the tri-state area and representatives from the key political parties in India.  Held at Fordham University, the event appealed to a relatively older group and in turn, expanded NetIP-NY constituency.  Furthermore, this event was featured in full on TVAsia, increasing the organization’s marketing reach and brand recognition.
  
However, Bhavini’s crowning achievement was the creation and execution of the 1st annual NGO Roundtable Fair.  This novel and groundbreaking event brought together thirteen leading NGO’s focusing on development in India under one roof.  The event consisted of breakfast, lunch and three different panels focusing on different areas of development in India.
 
“The hard work of our PA team, including Deepika Batra and Niki Shah, has been to provide a forum for experts on foreign policy, economy, social development, health, etc., an opportunity for our members to engage in dialogue with them, and ultimately the empowerment of our community through the spread of knowledge and awareness. Thank you to NetIP-NY, Rita Bagai, and the members of our chapter for all their hard work and support.” -Bhavini Doshi, VP-Political Awareness

Best Political Awareness Event: NGO Roundtable/Fair
 
As a theme for 2009, NetIP-NY organized high quality events that were relevant and added value to the NetIP-NY brand. No event exemplifies that more than the NGO Roundtable/Fair. The current economic environment has made many individuals re-evaluate their careers.  As a result, many individuals are pursuing new opportunities on different career paths.  This shift is ultimately rooted in an individual’s desire to add social value through private or public enterprise work.  At the forefront are non-governmental organizations, whose purpose generally involves designing and implementing development-related projects.
 
There are very few places requiring as much development-related projects as India. In an effort to serve this constituency need, NetIP-NY hosted a NGO Roundtable /Fair with thirteen NGOs that focus in India. The Political Awareness team started planning the event months in advance by reaching out to various NGOs that focuses on the various aspects of development in South Asia – the versatile areas of focus included education, child rights, and development.
 
The all-day conference/event involved breakfast, lunch, two keynote addresses, three panel discussions and a community fair featuring all of the NGOs.

“Everyone I spoke to was very impressed and kudos to NetIP to pull this off. Both our volunteers, who are not Indians, really learned a lot about India and the Indian non profit scene - which they are going to find very useful to work with us in future.” -NGO Fair Attendee

NetIP North America is pleased to annouce July & August’s

 Leader of the Month winners!

Nevin Shetty, National Liaison, NetIP-NY

Nevin Shetty can best be described as a “Jack of All Trades” when it comes to NetIP-NY.  He began his tenure on the NetIP-NY Board as VP-Membership 2008 and has served as National Liaison in the past year. Nevin’s goal has been to not only establish the NetIP-NY brand as one of quality and value in the tri-state community, but to ensure that NetIP-NY serves as a model chapter throughout the nation. He has worked to create a collaborative culture for all Northeast NetIP chapters and has been a key contributor to a positive Board culture. Nevin’s passion and dedication to NetIP-NY’s success is truly commendable and the team is proud to have him as a leader.

Sonit Seth, Vice President, NetSAP Boston

Sonit Seth’s journey on the NetSAP Boston board began in 2008 as the Professional Development Chair.  He then went on to become a key volunteer in the Logistics team for the 17th Annual NetIP Conference hosted in 2008. Sonit continued his role as the Professional Development Chair in 2009, but his role grew above and beyond the responsibilities of his core position since May of this year when Sonit elected as VP. In each of these positions, Sonit has exhibited qualities of a strong leader, is personable and approachable, and has vision and great execution.  Sonit has become an invaluable resource to the Boston board and continues to demonstrate his versatility, leadership, and dedication to the NetIP organization.

Congratulations to the July & August Event of the Month Winners!

NetIP-NY’s 2nd Annual Community Service Day, held on July 25th,  provided members with the unique opportunity to give back to the NY community through four different charities - Keen new York, Riverside Park Fund, CRY, and Ronald McDonald House. Following the various volunteer activities, the day concluded with a Volunteer Appreciation Cocktail Hour, which featured a bone marrow drive with SAMAR.  The event was highly successful, attracting over 60 participants. NetIP-NY’s Community Service team’s vision is to maximize social return through consistency and impact.  No matter the size of the event, they have put their hearts into ensuring that each event attendee realizes their inner potential to make a difference in today’s society – garnering over 400 hours of volunteer service by over 120 volunteers thus far this year.  

NetSAP Boston held their 4th Annual MBA Panel event for Prospective Business School Students at Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge on July 11th, 2009.  The goals of the event were to help attendees on creating the most competitive application possible in this tough economic climate, provide them with tips that they could apply immediately for B-school no matter where they were in the process, bolster their chances of getting into the top schools, have a discussion about the cost-benefit analysis of getting an MBA, have a forum to discuss issues related to being a MBA candidate from a minority group, and build essential contacts with admission officers and alumni from some of the top business schools across the country. The event brought together admissions Officers, alumni and a GMAT testing agency all in one place, making it a very comprehensive and extremely helpful professional development program for the prospective business school students.

On August 10th, NetIP San Diego hosted a “Design Your Future” Life Coaching Event.  This event showcased lessons from a life coach to rethink what is possible in all areas of life, including relationships, business, personal dreams, career or overall life questions. The coaching also aimed at providing access to that which is unpredictable, unknown and discontinuous with one’s past experiences.  This event was truly unique and particularly relevant in today’s environment. The event proved to be very appealing to particpants who were engaged in the highly interactive atmosphere and who hope to see similar events hosted by NetIP San Diego in the future.