Magic Bus India Foundation celebrated Daan Utsav, highlighting how sustained individual giving can support young people through education, skilling and livelihoods. For the organisation, individual contributions provide another way for people to connect with its mission of helping young people transition from school to work.
In education and skilling, meaningful change takes time. A young person’s journey can involve life skills, education, career guidance, employability training and, eventually, access to livelihood opportunities. Supporting this process requires consistent engagement and financial continuity.
Regular individual donations can help sustain these efforts. A contribution of Rs. 500 a month amounts to Rs. 6,000 annually. If 10,000 people contribute the same amount, their combined contributions could generate Rs. 6 crore in annual support.
Preity Karandikar, CMO & Individual Giving Head, Magic Bus India Foundation, said, “The future of giving is not just about making a donation. It is about creating a sense of participation. When people understand the journey their contribution supports and can see how their support makes a difference, giving becomes more meaningful. That connection can turn a one-time act of generosity into a sustained commitment to social change.”
“It is not always about how much one person gives,” Karandikar added. “When many people contribute consistently, even smaller amounts can come together to create meaningful impact. A first donation can also be the beginning of a longer relationship with a cause.”
For the wider social sector, encouraging sustained individual giving also depends on building trust. Donors increasingly want to understand which organisations they are supporting, how their contributions are being used and whether their support is making a difference. Transparency and regular communication are therefore important to maintaining donor relationships.
For Magic Bus India Foundation, the opportunity extends beyond attracting new donors. The organisation aims to build a community of people who believe in the potential of young people and want to support their journey towards education, employment and sustainable livelihoods.
Across the NGO sector, this approach could encourage a shift from one-time transactions towards deeper, longer-term engagement with individual supporters. Building lasting relationships can help keep donors connected to the causes they choose to support.
Magic Bus India Foundation is one of India’s leading NGOs in education and skilling. Since 1999, the organisation has impacted over 5 million young people across India through scalable and inclusive development programmes.
The foundation works with underserved communities to help young people complete their education, develop critical life skills and employability skills, and access sustainable livelihood opportunities. Its programmes focus on creating long-term pathways towards individual agency and economic empowerment while enabling communities to move out of cycles of poverty.
The Adolescent Programme supports adolescents aged 12–18 through life skills education, Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN), STEAM learning and future-ready skills. Implemented across 22 states and Union Territories, the programme is strengthened through partnerships with 10 state governments and NITI Aayog. It has reached over 40 lakh adolescents, with girls accounting for 52% of participants.
The Livelihood Programme equips youth aged 18–25 with transferable life and employability skills, reaching over 3.5 lakh youth annually and enabling more than 84% to access sustainable jobs. Young women represent 60% of participants.
The Rural Livelihood Programme focuses on strengthening entrepreneurship among peri-urban and rural communities by developing life skills, leadership and entrepreneurial capabilities. The programme has supported the creation of over 2,500 entrepreneurs, 96% of whom are women.
As individual giving continues to evolve, Magic Bus India Foundation’s focus on sustained contributions highlights the potential of regular donations to support long-term programmes in education, skilling and livelihoods.
For more information, visit www.magicbus.org.
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