Voluntary Action Network India

Functioning as the foremost entity representing Voluntary Organisations, VANI acts as an enhancer for the voice of the Indian Civil Society. Against the backdrop of evolving democratic dynamics, it endeavours to unite the sector to collectively champion civil rights, encompassing the entitlement to create associations, convene, and articulate viewpoints. VANI's core objective is to ensure that the sector's concerns are heard and acknowledged, emerging as a tough advocate when civil society's rights face trouble.

VANI acts as an assembler, fostering unity within the sector. Addressing a notable vulnerability of the Indian Civil Society, which tends to unify only briefly during crises, VANI aims to overcome this by establishing enduring collective influence. It seeks to achieve this through regional and national consolidation efforts, promoting leadership and collaboration among various entities, including CSOs, activists, thematic groups, thought leaders, experts, social movements, corporate foundations, and institutions. This approach empowers individuals to arrange, mobilize, and participate in joint endeavours. At the national level, VANI has instituted specialized forums, such as the CEO or Leader Forum, CFO Forum, and Women Leadership Forum, bringing diverse stakeholders together on a shared platform.

It firmly believes in fostering a vibrant society where individuals have abundant opportunities to come together, engage, deliberate, and collaborate for the common good. VANI's core activities include organising various events such as Consultations, Conclaves, Workshops, and Training sessions, both formal and informal, serving as a platform for dialogue among key stakeholders. These events cover a wide array of themes, leveraging VANI's established expertise in areas like governance, compliance, accountability, transparency, and fundraising. Additionally, as part of its new strategy, VANI forges partnerships at global, national, or local levels with CSOs, Government entities, corporate donors, and institutions to jointly facilitate and convene thematic and general consultations. Moreover, VANI is committed to conducting research on diverse issues, analyzing findings, convening discussions, and disseminating knowledge to bolster civil society's strength and effectiveness.

In the role of an aggregator, VANI functions as the representative entity for the extensive and diverse voluntary sector. Acknowledging the multifaceted information demands of voluntary organisations, its objective is to furnish time-efficient solutions to meet their daily operational requirements and enhance their efficiency and efficacy. These information needs may encompass fundamental and uncomplicated queries, such as identifying reputable voluntary organisations operating within specific thematic areas or geographical regions, sourcing trustworthy accreditation agencies, monitoring and evaluation specialists, academic and research institutions, media consultants, experts in various thematic fields, or reputable agencies offering the services of professionals such as Chartered Accountants, legal advisors, or financial experts. VANI also endeavours to provide information pertaining to studies focused on specific themes, addressing the varied information requirements of the sector.

VANI focuses on enhancing the external enabling environment for Voluntary Development Organisations (VDOs). This involves several key initiatives. Firstly, VANI actively advocates for harmonizing the regulatory framework to create unity among the various laws impacting the sector and improve compliance. As a Sub-Group Member, it engages in discussions with institutions like Niti Aayog to align laws for the "Ease of doing development work." Secondly, VANI promotes inter-sectoral linkages, fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including Government bodies, corporate entities, and VDOs. Lastly, VANI contributes to global development efforts by embracing South-South Cooperation principles and integrating Civil Society into India's Development Cooperation, drawing from its extensive research, such as "India's Global Footprints." These efforts collectively strengthen the environment in which VDOs operate, facilitating their mission of positive social impact.