Who we help
Anyone whose work is service to others.
That is the whole test. Not the size of the organisation, not whether it is registered, not how polished the current website is. If people are better off because of what you do, and being found online would help you do more of it, you belong here.
I read every request myself. Legal structure matters less than purpose, and small is not a disadvantage.
Organisations
Nonprofits of any size, doing real work on the ground.
Most of the organisations I hear from are small, local, and run by a handful of people who would rather be serving than managing a website. That is exactly who this is for.
Trusts, societies and foundations
Registered under any Act, or not yet registered. Feeding programmes, education, health, livelihoods, relief, the environment, anything that serves.
Schools and learning
Free and low-cost schools, tuition centres, skill programmes, libraries, and anyone teaching children or adults who cannot pay.
Clinics, camps and care
Charitable clinics and hospitals, health camps, palliative care, mental health support, rehabilitation, and eye, dental and mobile units.
Shelters, homes and kitchens
Old-age homes, children's homes, shelters for women and the homeless, community kitchens, and disaster relief groups.
Temples, ashrams and religious charities
Where the work serves the public without condition: annadanam, free medical care, education, shelter. The service is what qualifies, not the faith.
Animal welfare and the environment
Rescue, shelters, feeding, sterilisation drives, lake and tree groups, and anyone caring for what cannot ask for help.
Individuals who serve
You do not need an organisation behind you. You need to be doing the work.
Some of the most important service in India is done by one person with no trust, no board and no letterhead. A doctor who runs free camps on Sundays. A retired teacher coaching children whose parents cannot pay. A counsellor who takes calls at night. Someone who feeds and treats street animals out of their own pocket.
If that is you, this is open to you in your own name. The same rules apply: I read your request, reply within two days, and if it is a yes we build something small and useful, owned by you.
Serving quietly should not mean being impossible to find.
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What I look for
That the service is real and ongoing, that it is given without payment or for a nominal cost, and that being found would let you help more people or be helped by more people.
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What you usually need
Often just one clear page: who you are, what you do, for whom, where, when, and how to reach you. Sometimes a simple form for registrations or volunteers. Rarely more.
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What I am careful about
Anything that is really a private practice, a coaching business, or a personal brand with a charity angle. If money changes hands as a fee, it is not seva, and I will say so kindly.
Send a request in your own name
Yes and no
Who I take up, and who I decline, plainly.
Saying no clearly is part of doing this properly. If your work is on the right, I will tell you so with the reason, and where I can, point you to someone better placed.
Yes, if
- The work serves people, animals or a place, and would continue whether or not anyone was watching
- The service is free, or costs only what it needs to cost to keep going
- Nobody who should be served is turned away because of who they are
- One person can be my point of contact and make decisions
- You are willing to own what is built, in your own name, and keep it going
- You are all right with an honest answer, including "not yet"
No, if
- It is a business, however good, or a business with a charity page attached
- It is a political party, campaign or candidate, whatever the cause
- The work excludes or targets people the organisation should be serving
- You are asking for guaranteed rankings, traffic, donations or volunteers
- You want to hire me. ProSeva is not a route to paid work, and I keep the two apart
- You are a professional wanting to volunteer with ProSeva. Not at present, and the best thing you can do is start in your own name
If you are not sure which side you fall on, ask. The form takes ten minutes and a "no" from me costs you nothing.
What you arrange
Three things I need from your side, and nothing else.
ProSeva's work is free, but it is not effortless for you. These three are the difference between a site that gets finished and one that stalls. None of them costs much.
One point of contact
A person who can answer my questions and make decisions without a committee. Someone who will read what I write about you and say "yes, that is right" or "no, change this".
A domain in your name
The one thing that must be yours from day one. It costs a few hundred rupees a year. If a well-meaning volunteer registered it in their name years ago, we move it first, while everyone is still friends.
The facts, and some photos
Your legal name and the name people actually use, what you do in one sentence, where, when, who is responsible, registration details if any, and real photos of the work, with consent. I write; you check.
Third-party costs beyond the domain, such as hosting for a large application, are rare, always small, always explained before they happen, and always paid by you in your own name so that you own them.
The full process, step by stepWe are not registered. Does that matter?
No. Many of the best small groups are not registered, and registration is a legal step, not a measure of whether the work is real. What I look at is the service itself. If you later register, we add the details to your pages. That is all.
We are quite large. Is this only for tiny groups?
Not only, but I do give preference to those least able to pay. If your organisation has a communications team and a budget, you probably do not need me, and I would rather spend the hours on someone who does. If you are large but genuinely stuck, write and tell me why.
We charge a small fee for our services. Are we still eligible?
Usually yes, if the fee is nominal, covers costs, and nobody is turned away for not paying. A school that charges what parents can afford is service. A school that charges market fees with a few scholarships is a business, however good. If you are in between, tell me honestly and I will tell you what I think.
We are a religious institution. Do you help us?
If the work serves the public without condition, yes. A temple kitchen that feeds anyone who comes, a church clinic open to all, a gurudwara's langar, a mosque's school: these are service. What I do not do is help promote a faith itself, or work that serves only its own members.
I am a professional and want to give my skills. Can I join ProSeva?
Not at present. ProSeva is deliberately one person, and I am not taking on contributors. If you want to give your skills to those who serve, the best thing you can do is start, in your own name, with one organisation near you. That is exactly how this began. Why one person.
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