October to December 2021

Happy 20^th Anniversary
Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy

Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) celebrated its 20th Anniversary on 27 December 2021. On the celebration of the 20th Anniversary, PCP has launched its new website with an enhanced scope and improved functionality with the purpose to reach out to a wider set of stakeholders and serve the sector better. Visit www.pcp.org.pk

We are confident that the Centre will continue to fill the knowledge gap on Philanthropy and will make rigorous efforts to mainstream it in the development framework of Pakistan.

NPO CERTIFICATION
Strengthen your organization and showcase excellence

Despite Covid times, PCP's NPO Certification team is working tirelessly to ensure the timely presentation of NPOs' evaluation reports to the certification panel members who're participating online.

PCP, the body approved by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for the certification of nonprofit entities in Pakistan, has granted certification approval to as many as 62 organizations from October to December 2021.

Beyond tax benefits, PCP Certification Stamp helps to bridge the information and credibility gap between grant-makers and grant recipients, builds NPOs' capacity to meet international standards of Governance, Transparency & Accountability and last but not the least, build a credible pool of nonprofits that are reliable and effective development partners.

PCP Regional Tax Office (RTO) Visits

PCP's Executive Director and Manager NPO Certification had meetings with the Chief Commissioners of Regional Tax Office (RTO) Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur and Islamabad as a part of a series of meetings with some major RTOs. Since PCP is a designated Certification Agency by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), its management ensures to touch base with the RTOs often to highlight tax-related matters regarding NPOs and to further add value to its NPO Certification process.

To make the legislative process more effective, the idea of consulting NPOs while drafting legislation for non-profits was also brought up during the discussion.

Post induction training of newly recruited social welfare officers and supervisors by the social welfare department Punjab

PCP was invited as a guest speaker to the post-induction training program that was conducted for the newly recruited Social Welfare Officers (BS-17) and Supervisors (BS-09) by the Social Welfare Department Punjab.

While speaking to the trainees, Executive Director PCP along with Manager NPO Certification gave a broad introduction of PCP, its certification program and regulatory landscape for NPOs including tax-related matters. The event was attended by more than 30 participants who took a keen interest in knowing about the NPO certification process since it is fundamental for the organizations promoting social welfare in Pakistan.

PCP makes it essential to lend advocacy services and advice in raising awareness regarding philanthropy, which is why it is always at the forefront to collaborate with key stakeholders and players in the philanthropy sector of the country.

Sector Research
Knowledge development to support your work in the charitable sector

Corporate giving in Pakistan increased by 15%

The contribution of Pakistan's business sector to support social causes has been significant as billions of rupees are spent to help needy people in different areas. PCP annually conducts a Corporate Philanthropy Survey (CPS) to reckon its Philanthropic donations and presents awards to top giving companies in recognition of their CSR activities. PCP launched the CPS report 2019-20 in November 2021 to disseminate its findings to various stakeholders. The report can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/3Hyqi6G

14th corporate philanthropy awards

To acknowledge the contributions of the corporate sector to society, PCP presents awards to top giving companies each year.

This year an award ceremony was held at the launch of the report on 16th November 2021 in Serena Hotel, Islamabad. Mr. Shaukat Tarin, Adviser to the PM on Finance & Revenue, graced the occasion. More than 50 representatives of different companies, media personnel and board members of PCP attended the event. Awards were presented to the top 3 giving Public Listed, Public Unlisted and Private Limited companies on the basis of their highest volume of donation and as a percentage of PBT.

Mr. Tarin appreciated the role of PCP in documenting and highlighting philanthropic work of the corporate sector and encouraged all participating company representatives to continue and augment the good work they are doing.

Watch the complete highlights of the event at https://bit.ly/3eTqj87

Organizational Capacity Assessment: Building the resilience of civil society organizations and youth to Covid-19 in GBC

PCP in collaboration with AKRSP and AKF in a European Union-funded project on Building the Resilience of Civil Society Organizations in GBC, has completed its first-year activity of Organizational Capacity Assessment Survey. A quantitative tool comprising of 7 parameters and 58 sub-parameters was developed for fieldwork. Data were collected from 45 Local Support (LSOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to assess their scope of work and capacity to perform in the community. Based on the findings of the survey, a comprehensive report was prepared and shared with the project partners. The report informs interesting findings and identifies shortcomings and challenges of LSOs and CSOs functioning in GBC. Taking the recommendation of a report into account, preparation of training modules is underway for an upcoming activity of capacity building of LSOs and CSO in the region.

PCP in conversation with NUST Community Services Club (NCSC)

Pakistan is a young country having nearly 60 percent of its population below 25 years of age. The youth of Pakistan, therefore, is the ultimate resource to contribute towards the social, economic and political transformation of the country. In this context, Dr. Attiya Inayatullah - Chair PCP Research Committee had an informal brainstorming session with students of NUST who are active members of the University's Community Services Club to understand how they are contributing towards people's wellbeing in their communities. The discussion focused on learning about young students' initiatives in community services and how best to facilitate them in utilizing their potential and skills to take forward the spirit of 'Edhism' in a sustainable manner. PCP, therefore, aims to not only deepen youth engagement in Philanthropy but also undertake a mapping exercise to determine their contributions towards the SDGs and charitable work in Pakistan.

Academic course/ module on philanthropy

PCP in collaboration with SZABIST Islamabad has launched an introductory course on Philanthropy in the fall semester Oct-Dec 2021. Broadly, the course Philanthropy covers topics such as historical perspective, theories, religion and the role of philanthropy in poverty reduction. It is encouraging to note that the participation and response from the students have been positive. To add value to philanthropic knowledge, two discussion sessions with the practitioners of philanthropic work i.e., Mr. Omer Mateen Allahwaha, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Tree Foundation and Mr. Muhammad Ausim, Head of Operations Chal Foundation, Islamabad the practitioners in the field were organized. Both sessions provided insightful information and practical knowledge on how youth can be can become active agents to raise awareness about the essence and impact of philanthropic work in Pakistan.

PCP also facilitated SZABIST University in organizing a trip of students to a Civil Society Organization, Bright Star Mobile Library Islamabad. More than 30 students accompanied by Dr. Abu ul Hassan visited the field location and observed how the Mobile Library project works for facilitating students to read books and enhance their knowledge on various subjects.

PHILANTHROPY SUPPORT SERVICES
Making partnerships and grant-making more efficient
 

Awareness bus ride and walk on access to diabetes care

On World Diabetes Day, Meethi Zindagi - the only national diabetes non-profit community organization, arranged an Awareness Bus Ride and Walk in Islamabad as part of their Nationwide Campaign for "Access to Diabetes Care". Executive Director PCP, Ms. Shazia Amjad, was the Guest of Honor at the occasion. While speaking to the participants she appreciated their participation and highlighted that PCP provides the much-needed "seal of good housekeeping" to organizations like Meethi Zindagi by evaluating and certifying them.

PCP represented at DR's national conference

At Democracy Reporting International Pakistan's national conference, Executive Director PCP highlighted the quantum of philanthropic giving by Pakistanis including local individuals, diaspora and corporates. She emphasized that the NPOs should also explore this untapped stream of funding for their social causes on a sustainable basis.

AKF's Visit of PCP

PCP hosted Matt Reeves - Global Lead, Civil Society, Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) to touch base on the ongoing projects and the prospects of further future collaborations.

PCP at Hashoo Foundation's event

PCP was represented by its Executive Director at Hashoo Foundation's unique event at Hashoo House, Islamabad. The occasion focused on the significance of partnerships for making a difference and achieving social impact. Lessons learned for sustainable development during Covid-19 were shared and discussed on what should be the way forward under the New Normal.