VISION to align personal goals with public welfare, an entrepreneurial spirit, and faith in one’s own abilities have all assisted this young man from Chandrapur. This 26-year-old engineer, inspired by Baba Amte, has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list and is the recipient of India’s Best Social Entrepreneur Award. Meet Sarang Bobde, Donatekart’s co-founder and COO.
Sarang Bobde, an ex-student of Chanda Public School, and his two friends Anilkumar Reddy and Sandeep Sharma from Hyderabad discovered a life-changing concept during the pandemic. Thus was formed Donatekart.
The most difficult challenge for all those wishing to donate is that their donation does not always match ground requirements. So the three kids figured out a way out.
They created an e-commerce platform in which one does not donate money but rather ‘Shops’ what NGOs list as their requirements. Donatekart purchases and delivers it, informing the giver of the delivery details.
So far, over a million donors have donated Rs 150 crore to 1,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) via ‘Donatekart.’ Donatekart’s three young geniuses now have their names on the Forbes list and have won the hearts of their countrymen for their outstanding work. They received the ‘2021 Global Business National Achievers Award’ from Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Singh Koshiyari. They have also received the Natcom Social Award and the title of India’s Best Social Entrepreneur.
“My father Kalidas studied at Anandwan school. Inspired by Baba Amte’s social work, I joined hands with my friends who have started the need based donation platform to reach needy NGOs who are rendering their services for the society. Donatekart sources these products, delivers them directly to the NGOs, and pro vides reports on how the money is being utilized†Said Sarang.
“Since these products are often procured in bulk, the enterprise receives an average 10-15 percent commission per purchase, which is its main source of revenue, apart from donors who choose to pay 6 percent of their donation value to the platform. We are India’s most trusted and transparent crowdfunding platform, with a vision to create a social impact. Our unique model allows peo ple from across the globe to donate towards raising funds for products required by NGOs and charities in India, which are then delivered to them by Donatekart,” Sarang Bobde explained .