Hello, and thanks for visiting our “Build SAALT” page!

First, we want to introduce ourselves. Jayesh Rathod is the Chair of SAALT’s Board of Directors; Deepa Iyer is SAALT’s Executive Director; and Madhur Bansal is SAALT’s Development Assistant. We are excited to let each of you know about ways that you can help to build SAALT into a lasting organization that serves as both a resource and an advocate for the South Asian community.

As you know, SAALT relies on community support to continue its work on increasing civic and political participation among South Asians in America. We are asking you to consider making a personal commitment in 2006 to contribute to SAALT. Below are creative ways in which you can help us build a stronger voice for the South Asian community. Please feel free to contact any of us for further information. We look forward to working with you to build SAALT!

What will your contribution help SAALT to accomplish?

• Maintain a staffed organization in the Washington, DC area
  
• To establish and sustain a policy/legal advocacy unit that analyzes and advocates on issues affecting South Asians and other immigrant communities
  
• Enable us to continue conducting the SAALT Exchange, a series of half-day community forums
  
• Make it possible for us to address pressing issues affecting South Asians in the US
  
• Provide stipends to interns
  
• To make SAALT a sustainable and long-lasting organization

Here are some creative ways that you could contribute to
SAALT’s mission in 2006!

Become a Member of SAALT
The easiest way to donate to SAALT is to become a dues-paying member each year. As a SAALT Member, you can become a part of SAALT’s efforts and support the organization. You will also receive our annual newsletter and other benefits. Please visit our How to Become a SAALT Member page and become part of the SAALT community today!

Host a Chai Chat
Chai Chats are informal gatherings that you can put together with a small group of friends, family, and co-workers to raise awareness about SAALT and its work. If possible, a SAALT Staff or Board Member will attend to discuss in greater detail current and past SAALT projects. Chai Chats are an effective and organic way to directly inform community members about SAALT. SAALT will provide materials to be distributed and a presentation to those attending the Chai Chat. To learn more about how to go about hosting a Chai Chat, please visit our Host a Chai Chat page.

Feature SAALT at your next social event
Your next social event is an opportunity to feature SAALT as an organization that you believe in and support. For example, you can designate SAALT as the organizational beneficiary of your wedding, birthday or anniversary celebration. You can also use your next social event as a forum for informing others about SAALT.

Sukhminder and Sundip did just that at their wedding in January 2006. Click here to see a profile of how Sukhminder and Sundip incorporated SAALT into their wedding day.

You can also directly designate SAALT as a recipient of a portion of your guests’ gift purchases from your gift registry. Visit the I Do Foundation for more details and include SAALT as your organization of choice.

Become a Monthly Donor
One of the most meaningful ways to help SAALT is to make a monthly donation. You can devise your own personal Continuous Donor program that will allow you to donate a self-designated amount to SAALT monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. This is a way for you to contribute regularly to SAALT to help build its sustainability.

SAALT will arrange the donation plan through our secure online donation system, which will automatically deduct the set amount from your credit or debit card. One of our monthly donors, Sunil Oommen described why he to chose to give SAALT when we interviewed him. Learn more about how and why he chose to give to SAALT by clicking here. Interested in learning more about how you can implement a Frequent Donor program? Email Madhur at madhur@saalt.org.

Corporate Giving & Corporate Foundations
Many corporations have Employee Gift Matching programs where the company matches an individual employee’s contributions to an organization. You can designate SAALT as a recipient of your corporation’s Gift Matching program. Many corporations also operate Foundations, which contribute regularly to various social organizations and causes. You can propose that your company’s corporate foundation designate SAALT as a beneficiary of its donations. For more information on how to incorporate SAALT into your company, please email Madhur.

Shop on IGive.com
IGive.com is an online shopping site that allows the user to designate a particular organization to receive a portion of the proceeds from their purchases. IGive.com allows you to shop on sites like Barnes & Noble, EBay, ITunes, Best Buy, Staples, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Gap, Adidas Dell, and over 600 other stores. SAALT is registered on IGive.com on the list of recipients. So, next time you are shopping online, think of us and sign up on IGive.com. You can get your shopping done and help to support SAALT at the same time! Please visit http://www.igive.com for full details.

Donate your Skills and Services
SAALT is always looking for people with graphic design skills to help create t-shirt designs, banners, short films and powerpoint presentations, and calendars. We are also looking for companies that will provide printing discounts or pro-bono services. Do you know an individual or a company that could provide any of these services or skills? Send your recommendations to Madhur at madhur@saalt.org.

In-Kind Donations
The SAALT office is located in the Washington, DC area. If you have any office furniture, computer software or equipment that is no longer useful to you, please think about donating it to SAALT. Your in-kind donation will affect our work and workplace in a tangible way, and it will serve as a tax deduction. Interested in learning more? Email Madhur at madhur@saalt.org.

Start or Join a Giving Circle
A Giving Circle consists of a group of people who pool their financial resources together and fund organizations of their choice. Giving Circles are a way to make a significant financial impact on social causes and to unite your peers to actively and generously donate to causes which you all support. If you are part of a Giving Circle or just starting one, you could designate SAALT as a group to which your Giving Circle donates. For more information on how to start Giving Circles visit The Giving Circles Knowledge Center. Also, feel free to contact SAALT as well if you’d like to arrange for a presentation on how to start a giving circle. Just email Madhur at madhur@saalt.org to learn more.

Start a Family Foundation
Starting a Family Foundation is a way to make a long-term impact on social organizations or communities. Private foundations may grant money to organizations or individuals. Foundations can establish certain programs areas or social issues that its resources will be given to, as well as their own criteria and application process. Your Foundation could support South Asian organizations such as SAALT. The Shah Family Foundation has generously supported SAALT and helped the organization to further its mission of increasing civic engagement by South Asians. Click here to read an interview with Soha Shah, the Manager of the Shah Family Foundation. She tells us more about the Shah Family, why the family started a Foundation, and the causes that they support.

To learn more about starting a Foundation, visit The Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers or The Council on Foundations.

Introduce SAALT to your Social Network
SAALT plans to build its membership base by garnering support among individuals and families in local communities. We appreciate the influence of personal recommendations, so we are hoping that current members and supporters will tell their family and friends about SAALT and its work. If you know of people who might be interested in learning about SAALT, please provide their emails or contact information so we can inform them about SAALT. Please send us their contact information by filling out these fields.