From Users to Leaders: Scaling ZOHO Adoption in Sewa
Pranjali Pohankar- Executive Manager, Presidents' Office, Nagpur
Over the last 12 months, one initiative that created meaningful impact in Sewa was the formation of the ZOHO Power Users Group for the Bharat MOS team. As Sewa continued to grow, we needed stronger systems, better coordination, and faster adoption of digital tools. Instead of depending only on external support, we built an in-house model of learning and leadership.
We identified a team of 10 committed volunteers/staff members from Bharat MOS and encouraged them to become “Power Users.” Each member took ownership of learning two ZOHO applications in depth. They invested nearly three hours every week individually to train themselves, practice, and prepare for others.
Once ready, this team conducted structured training sessions for the entire Bharat MOS group of nearly 35 members. Because the learning came from within the team, the sessions were practical, relatable, and immediately useful. As a result, ZOHO adoption across Bharat MOS was fast-tracked within a single quarter. Daily workflows became more organized, communication improved, and teams became more confident using technology.
Beyond internal training, the Power Users also supported Sewa chapters and departments with first logins, onboarding, and troubleshooting. To make the transition sustainable, we developed in-house training resources for 8 basic applications and 4 advanced applications, creating a long-term knowledge base for future users.
This was not just a technology project—it was Sewa in action: enabling others, solving problems together, and strengthening the organization for greater service.
From Readiness to Impact: Smarter Grant Decisions
Smita Chande- Manager (Fund Development and Compliance), Nagpur
I conducted a unique initiative for grant readiness assessment of chapters—an effort that significantly strengthened how Sewa makes grant-related decisions.
At the outset, one of the biggest challenges was the lack of clear visibility across chapters. As grant opportunities expanded, we also encountered multiple compliance gaps and red flags, making it difficult to assess whether chapters were truly ready to implement and manage grant-funded programs effectively.
To address this, I took a proactive approach by designing and implementing a structured Grant Readiness & Chapter Capacity Assessment framework. Through this, I evaluated ~20 chapters across governance, compliance readiness, program maturity, volunteer strength, partnerships, and infrastructure.
The assessment revealed critical gaps—limited SAM registration, uneven leadership structures, and infrastructure challenges affecting federal readiness. These insights directly helped strengthen compliance processes and improve pre-submission quality.
I supported the review of grant proposals across a ~$5.3M pipeline, working closely with the Grants Team (Gauri ji, Amali ji, and Prakriti ji) to ensure alignment with readiness and feasibility. Based on structured Go/No-Go recommendations, we were able to take more informed decisions—resulting in 20 successful grants out of 58
applications, with ~$2.2M secured.
This also enabled better prioritization of chapters for the Fund Development team and more confident leadership decisions on where to expand.
This effort was made possible through strong teamwork—especially the
organizational team (Sagar ji, Shraddha ji, Shruti ji, Radhika ji, Ankita ji), along with guidance from Manali ji, Mahesh ji, and Prem ji.
This experience reinforced that real impact lies in enabling the right programs to begin in the right places—with readiness, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
Where Service Becomes Resistance: Attappady Diaries
Gokul V Gopal- Manager (Grant Management), Delhi
Kerala leads in social development indicators, but my journey bypassed those validations. It led to Attappady—known for child deaths over rights, malnutrition over nourishment. The KSRTC bus from Thrissur to Agali groaned through sharp bends and broken roads, a rehearsal for the uneven path ahead.
Agali was cold on arrival; the hills held their breath. But SVMM hospital buzzed—Dr. Jilshoy brisk in the corridors, nurses preparing for a long day. One name echoed in hamlets and rooms: Dr. Narayanan, the “10-rupee doctor.” Reverence here is embedded in survival, not in shouts.
First stop: Ramyasree, an eight-month-old post-heart surgery patient in Coimbatore, supported by SVMM. Her mother, an unpaid volunteer, cradled her. Gratitude settled silently in the body—years of service repaid through her child’s life.
The hamlets told harsher tales: malnourished children with thin limbs, anaemic mothers, untreated mental illness drifting between lucidity and absence. Children roamed on school days as parents chased daily wages that dissolved into liquor.
Poverty here is generational, behavioural, and structural. In Choondi, frail Thaami ran toward us, trembling but determined. Years of mental illness had eased under Dr. Narayanan’s care; he now takes medicines. “I feel good these days,” he said, a shy smile masking neglect. Nearby, Lokammal showed her daughter Muruki, who lives with mental illness and resists medication. SVMM’s Akash knelt, speaking gently where force had failed. Hope remained fragile but present.
SVMM’s Sudha, the ANM, continued her work amid resistance—once even chased for urging hospital care. Persistence is not a luxury here. Yet light persists. At SVMM’s Malleeswara Tribal Hostel, children train in volleyball and kabaddi; disciplined bodies, ambitious eyes. Hunger-battling parents now dream of state teams. Service is not charity—it is resistance. SVMM resists Attappady’s forgetting every day.
