How one small nonprofit used Givebutter to establish the first permanent endowment for a medical school in India

A busy physician looking for a way to give back to his alma mater, Dr. Sanjay Bindra initially opted for Givebutter as a user-friendly fundraising platform where he could manage donations and communicate with his supporters in one place. 

What he didn’t expect was to have such enormous success in such a short amount of time. 

As a one-man show, Givebutter has made it very easy for me to secure and fulfill pledges right from my dashboard. In just a few weeks, I’ve been able to secure $1.5M in funding. - Dr. Sanjay Bindra 

Watch to learn how, in less than two years, Co-Founder & President Dr. Bindra and the GOSUMEC team…  

• Secured $1.5M in donations—and counting 💸
• Grew their number of supporters by 2,100% 📈
• Provided the first medical school in India with a permanent endowment! 🎓
  

Meet GOSUMEC Foundation USA 

Founded in 2023 by Drs. Sanjay and Archana Bindra, GOSUMEC Foundation USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering need- and merit-based medical students at the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gorhandas Sunderdas Medical College (GSMC), which was established in 1925 during India's nationalist freedom struggle.

As proud alumni “GOSUMECs” of the first medical school in India staffed totally by Indian physicians, Sanjay and Archana have a bold vision to create a lasting impact to support generations of talented students. Through scholarships, they aim to alleviate the burden of financial constraints many students face, enabling them to dedicate their focus to academic pursuits without the added stress of economic pressures.

“Givebutter had it all.” 

As they began to build their alumni database and network with other GOSUMECs, Sanjay and Archana started looking for a platform that could manage their growing alumni list, provide donation tracking with automated receipts, and be their hub for donor engagement—all in one place. 

Additionally, the couple had decided that they would cover all of the overhead expenses of starting the nonprofit, so cost was also a big consideration. And since Sanjay would be taking care of most of the nitty-gritty work himself, the platform also had to be user-friendly—something that wouldn't require a whole team to manage. 

As a single-member team carrying out most of the tasks, besides running a busy clinical practice, the ability to carry all of that out single-handedly speaks volumes of the platform."

How GOSUMEC raised the bar with Givebutter

Givebutter made it possible for Sanjay to juggle his full-time job as a physician while running fundraising campaigns, communicating with donors, and hosting events.

Smooth donor engagement 🧈

Sanjay loved having the ability to create engaging messages using Givebutter’s email marketing software and texting tools, organizing his audiences into donor segments:

Givebutter helped us create a streamlined workflow that not only handled the admin aspects but also gave us the flexibility to communicate creatively with our community. I really love the ease with which I'm able to also communicate using segmented lists and tailor their journey with our foundation. The results speak for themselves.

Sanjay and Archana especially wanted their donors to have a smooth, hassle-free experience when making contributions. With Givebutter’s donation forms, alumni and other supporters could contribute in a user-friendly format that accepted all forms of payment and allowed for offline checks, donor-advised funds, and more. 

Pledges for long-term sustainability 🤝

Not wanting their impact to fluctuate with any future changes in leadership, the GOSUMEC team decided to move to an endowment model in early 2024. 

We had donors pledging significant amounts of money over five to eight years, and the ability to keep track of that in an easy manner was very important. This is where Givebutter proved invaluable. 

Managing multi-year pledges could have easily become overwhelming, but Givebutter’s pledge management tools helped Sanjay stay organized and on top of every commitment—no spreadsheets, no stress.

This endowment model was a pioneering concept for Indian medical schools, and the GOSUMEC alumni community enthusiastically embraced this idea. Donors were drawn to the perpetual scholarship program that enabled them to create a lasting legacy by naming a scholarship after themselves or a loved one.

Even better, their funding structure ensures that 100% of pledged funds go directly to student scholarships. With fundraising pages, the organization has also been able to rally additional support from groups within the alumni community to raise funds for iPads, memorial funds, and more. 

Binding the community together with events 💛   

What started as a small list of alumni has grown steadily over the organization’s first two years.

In addition to nonprofit marketing tools, Givebutter’s free event management software has enabled Sanjay to bring together GOSUMEC alumni in regions all across the country, building relationships and creating deeper connections within the community. 

The contributions have naturally followed: GOSUMEC’s donor base grew from 25 to more than 550 in just over a year. 

More than a fundraising platform

GOSUMEC’s results have been remarkable. In just the second year of operation, the growing community has raised enough funds to support about 10% of the student body at their alma mater. 

Building on this success, they are now launching initiatives beyond financial support, including valuable skills, training, and mentorship opportunities to help graduates thrive in their careers.

Becoming the first medical school in India with a permanent endowment to support all need- and merit-based students into perpetuity is a groundbreaking achievement. Doing this single-handedly with no staff… Givebutter has been a godsend for us. The ease and functionality of the platform are clearly the key reasons for us to love this platform. But for me, above all, it's been the human element.

We can’t wait to see where the next two years take Sanjay and the awe-inspiring GOSUMEC community. 

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