The global Indian diaspora is steadily reshaping how philanthropy flows across borders, bringing both scale and structure to giving back. That shift was on full display at India Giving Day 2026, where the India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA) brought together 51 nonprofits and mobilized Indians around the world into a coordinated effort.
What stands out is not just the amount raised, but the growing intent among overseas Indians to engage more deeply and consistently with causes back home.
In an exclusive email exchange with The American Bazaar, Meenakshi Mahajan, deputy director of the India Philanthropy Alliance and director of India Giving Day, and Alex Counts, executive director of both initiatives, talk about how diaspora-driven giving has evolved from sporadic contributions into a more organized movement, and how initiatives like India Giving Day are helping widen participation and deepen impact.
The American Bazaar: What does the growing participation in India Giving Day indicate about the evolution of diaspora-led philanthropy?
The growing participation in India Giving Day certainly shows that diaspora-philanthropy is evolving, people are wanting to engage more, not just in giving money but also in giving their time and skills for causes they care about. We have raised $5.6 million this year from 2,325 donors of which over 1,000 were new donors. Over 60 events were held nationwide with a combined attendance of over 3,500. Most of all, we saw many young people organizing fundraising campaigns and events for their favourite organization. This interest from the younger generation is heartening to see. This is what evolution looks like, when future generations also engage and lead.
READ: India Giving Day 2026 raises $5.6 million, powered by #PowerOfUs (March 20, 2026)
Diaspora led-philanthropy has evolved in a big way in recent years. A survey conducted by Dalberg in 2018 found that Indian American donors were giving $1 billion per year. A follow up study in 2024 found that they had increased their annual giving to $4-5 billion in just 6 years.
How does IPA ensure credibility and trust when curating and vetting participating nonprofits?
Trust is a really important aspect. When India Giving Day was initially envisioned, the idea was to create a trusted platform to bring together the community, nonprofits, and donors – and so it has been designed with this critical aspect in mind from the very start.
We have in place a rigorous vetting process for nonprofits hosted on the India Giving Day website. Organizations are vetted across a number of criteria, and are also asked to disclose any resolved or pending legal actions in the U.S. or India. We also conduct a thorough review of publicly available resources to gauge the reputational standing of applicants.
After going through these checks, organizations are then presented to the India Giving Day Steering Committee, which considers each application on a case-by-case basis before providing approval. This thorough process enables us to curate the organizations participating in India Giving Day with the trust factor kept foremost.
What role did storytelling and community engagement play in driving donor participation this year?
Storytelling and community engagement are central to India Giving Day. We serve as bridge builders between diaspora donors and the nonprofits running grassroots programs in India, and telling that story well is essential. We encourage participating organizations to share videos, impact narratives, and data throughout the campaign to inform, engage, and motivate donors to give.
This year, that approach delivered measurable results. Event numbers and attendance both grew, and we welcomed over 1,000 new donors, a significant milestone. A large part of this growth came from peer-to-peer fundraisers who personally championed their chosen organizations, sharing stories that moved new donors to give to causes they had never supported before.
How did the introduction of INDIA GIVING DAY LIVE! contribute to outreach and engagement?
India Giving Day LIVE! was introduced to extend our reach and deepen engagement by bringing the India Giving Day movement to life in a visible, celebratory way. The success of India Giving Day is a product of many people working together, and IGD Live is our way of shining a light on that community – showcasing success stories, the people behind them, and inspiring those who are not yet part of the movement to join in and experience the joy of giving.
READ: Creating trust and building confidence: The growth of Indian American philanthropy (
You could call India Giving Day LIVE! a celebration of American philanthropy to India. It featured community leaders, IGD ambassadors, volunteers, youth, and stories from across the movement – showing what is possible when many people join hands in a common mission. It brought together voices that inform, inspire, and motivated, reaching audiences who may not have encountered India Giving Day before.
Are there specific sectors or causes that saw stronger traction this year, and why?
We are still analyzing the data in greater depth, but our preliminary findings show that Education remained a strong driver for donors, with Health being another important cause. Interestingly, Environment and Clean Water organizations also drew notable interest – donors seemed genuinely pleased to find these represented on the platform, suggesting this is an area where many in the community are looking to make an impact.
How does IPA see platforms like India Giving Day shaping the future of cross-border giving and collaboration?
We believe India Giving Day is at a nascent stage with incredible potential to scale in the coming years. The diaspora is very interested in engaging philanthropically, both in the U.S. and in India. While it is easier to find organizations where you live, many in the diaspora moved away from India decades ago and are no longer familiar with nonprofits doing good work there. India Giving Day fulfils a critical need by providing a trusted channel through which they can give back.
IPA’s culture is rooted in collaboration and ecosystem support, and it brings that same ethos to India Giving Day. Participating organizations are learning from each other in this supportive environment, and are also beginning to break down silos, albeit gradually, and collaborate. One visible sign of this is the growth in joint events, organized by multiple organizations, individuals, or a combination of both. In 2024 we had 2 such events, which grew to 12 in 2025 and 36 in 2026 – a trajectory that speaks for itself.
READ: India Giving Day 2026 to spotlight diaspora’s #PowerOfUs in philanthropy (
How do initiatives like India Giving Day contribute to the broader aim of IPA?
IPA was founded to enhance collaboration amongst nonprofits working towards humanitarian and development goals in India, to foster a more robust giving culture amongst the diaspora, and to increase the scale and impact of philanthropy benefiting India. Initiatives such as India Giving Day speak to the core of IPA’s mission and vision by directly addressing all three of these goals.
Through this initiative, we are bringing an increasing number of nonprofits, working across a wide range of causes and varying in size from small grassroots organizations to large institutions, onto our platform and giving them greater visibility.
For the diaspora, we are providing a reputable, trusted platform backed by well-known Indian American philanthropists and community leaders. And for the grassroots work happening on the ground in India, we are providing a growing source of funding that we expect to scale significantly in the years ahead.
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What emerges clearly is that diaspora philanthropy is no longer a peripheral force but a central pillar in India’s social impact ecosystem. Initiatives like India Giving Day are doing more than facilitating donations; they are building a sense of shared purpose among Indians across geographies. As engagement becomes more structured and collaborative, the potential for cross-border partnerships only grows stronger. For the India Philanthropy Alliance, the goal now is to keep that momentum going, ensuring that the diaspora remains not just connected to India, but actively invested in shaping its future.