Giving money to an organisation you have never visited takes some trust, and in India there are enough official records that you do not have to take that trust on faith. This guide lists the checks we would make ourselves before donating to any NGO, and uses Bal Sansar Sanstha's own numbers as the worked example, so you can compare what is written here with the certificates on our site.
1. Ask for the registration of the organisation itself
A charity in India is usually a society, a trust or a Section 8 company, and each has its own registration. Bal Sansar Sanstha is registered under the Rajasthan Societies Registration Act, Registration No. 346/91-92, and has worked since 1992. Look for the registration number and the year, and check that the name on every other certificate is spelled the same way.
2. Check Section 12A and Section 80G, and their dates
Registration under Section 12A is what treats an organisation's own income as exempt from tax when it is used for charitable purposes. Registration under Section 80G is what lets a donor claim a deduction, and only under the old tax regime: the new regime under Section 115BAC, which is the default, allows no 80G deduction on a donation to an NGO. Our 12A registration number is AAATB9592L25JP01, valid Assessment Year 2027-28 to 2036-37, and our 80G registration number is AAATB9592L25JP02, valid Assessment Year 2027-28 to 2031-32. The step-by-step version for donors is in our 80G and Form 10BE guide.
Two things are worth checking on any certificate: that it has not expired, and that the PAN printed on it matches the PAN on the receipt you are given. Ours is AAATB9592L.
3. FCRA only matters for money from abroad
FCRA registration is the permission the Government of India requires before an organisation can receive foreign contributions. An organisation that takes donations only from within India does not need it, so its absence is not a warning sign. Ours is 125560132. If you are giving from outside India, see giving from abroad.
4. Companies look for Form CSR-1
Since 2021, an organisation that wants to carry out projects funded from a company's CSR budget has had to file Form CSR-1 with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and receive a registration number. A company's CSR committee will ask for it, and so should anyone advising a company. Ours is CSR00058152. More on how we work with companies is on our CSR page.
5. Look the organisation up on NGO Darpan
NGO Darpan is the government portal, run by NITI Aayog, where voluntary organisations register and receive a unique ID. Our NGO Darpan unique ID is RJ/2017/0115287. Any organisation that is registered there can be looked up by that ID, so you can compare the name, address and office-bearers with what its own website says.
6. Read the audited accounts, not just the certificates
Certificates show that an organisation is registered. Audited accounts show what it did with the money. A trustworthy organisation publishes them in full and does not make you ask. Ours are on our documents page, together with the certificates above, and how we are audited explains who checks them.
Signs to be careful about
Be careful if you are asked to pay cash or into a personal account, if the organisation cannot or will not show you its certificates and accounts, if the promise is a tax saving with no mention of which regime it applies to, or if you cannot find a postal address and an email you can write to. Any of these on its own is a reason to ask more questions before you give.
None of these checks needs a lawyer or an account anywhere. They take about fifteen minutes, and an organisation that welcomes them is usually one worth giving to.
Every certificate we hold is public, and so are the audited accounts. Check us against them before you give.
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Stories like this are made possible by supporters like you. An 80G-eligible donation funds education and health programmes across rural Rajasthan.
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