WeReachOut

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about WeReachOut , its mission and operating model.

1. General Questions:

1.1 What is WeReachOut?

WeReachOut is a non-profit organization without any religious or political affiliation working to enrich the lives of underprivileged students in India. We connect deserving students to sponsors for financial help and mentors for career guidance/personality development. We believe that every child has the right to the resources needed for their education. Additonally, and equally important, is timely and relevant guidance to enrich their lives.

1.2 Who is behind WeReachOut?

WeReachOut is run by like-minded volunteers in India and US. We are always open to anyone that wants to share their time and resources towards its mission.

1.3 How is WeReachOut different from other non-profits helping needy and deserving students?

The current population of India is around 1.15 billion (1,150,000,000) and 35 percent of this population lives on less than $1 a day. Children (in rural India) under the age 14 makeup most of this 35 percent mostly functioning as child labor. We still have millions of homes without electricity and other basic services in India due to shortage of resources and overwhelming poverty. Given these massive need there is a dire need for more helping hands, WeReachOut wants to help!

WeReachOut is also unique in its student selection process – we enable sponsors to select students from their own eco-system and provide services to administer and monitor progress. Our processes ensure transparency and convenience. Best of all, 100% of the sponsorship money goes towards the student’s education with no process overheads.

1.4 Is the money I use to sponsor a student tax-exempted?

Yes. We are 501© approved non-profit and 100% of your contribution to sponsor a child is tax-deductible.

1.5 If 100% of contribution goes to the child, how do you run the organization? Where do you get your fund for operating costs?

Yes, 100% of the sponsor's contribution goes towards a student’s expenses. For our operating costs, we rely on corporate sponsors and contributions from our volunteers and also do fundraising events. You can also contribute towards the operational expense corpus through donations - please contact the WeReachOut team if you wish to contribute.

1.6 How many students have been sponsored by WeReachOut so far?

Year	No.of Students Sponsored
2023	107
2022	121
2021	107
2020	126
2019	161
2018	154
2017	170
2016	200
2015	126
2014	119
2013	118
2012	73
2011	56
2010	52
2009	60
2008	51
2007	67
2006	17

1.7 How do I join WeReachOut? Do I need to be a sponsor for being a member of WeReachOut?

You can sign up on our website by providing a valid E-mail address. You don't need to be a sponsor to be a member.

1.8 Where is WeReachOut registered?

WeReachOut is registered in California, USA and in Chennai, India

1.9 I want to volunteer my time for WeReachOut? How do I start?

Please register send us an email with a brief message about your area of interest to info@wereachout.org and we will reach out to you at the earliest.

1.10 I don't have time but I can donate some money one-time or at regular intervals. How do I do that?

You can sponsor any needy child that you may know back in India or pick a student identified by WeReachOut from its Student-in-Need page for sponsorship. Alternatively, You can contribute towards the operating costs of WeReachOut - please contact us at info@wereachout.org

1.11 How do I subscribe to news and updates from WeReachOut?

You can subscribe to our newsletter by submitting your email at Subscribe to Newsletter page.

2. Student Selection Process Questions:

2.1 Can I select any student I know in India who needs help? What are the guidelines?

Yes you can select anyone in India as long as the student is under-privileged and in poor economic situation without regard for the student’s race, religion or gender. We encourage selection of a non-relative. Your sponsorship covers only educational expenses (tuition, uniforms or books). For college students you can also choose to cover the Bank interest if the student secures a Student Loan.

2.2 Do you have pre-selected student that I can sponsor?

Yes, we do have a list of well deserving and needy students identified by our volunteers for sponsorship. Please check the Student-In-Need page to sponsor a student identified based on the following criterias.

	For High School Students: Rs.5,000 to Rs 10,000 (approx. $120) per year ($10 per month) sent annually to sponsor school students. 1) Qualification: 10th grade with the total marks above 70% from their public exam. 2) School/Medium: Govt. or public school students studied under their local language medium are preferred.
	For College Students: Rs.10,000 to Rs 20,000 (approx. $240) per year ($20 per month) sent annually to sponsor college students. 1) Qualification: +2 with the total marks above 70% from their public exam. 2) School/Medium: Govt. or public school students studied under their local language medium are preferred.
	Regarding Balance: You are welcome to donate any amount and the remaining balance will be available in your account for your new sponsorship.

2.3 Can I select a student from any part of India?

Yes, you can select a student from any part of India. We have a locally registered office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu with a dedicated resource to coordinate your sponsorship distribution based on our process.

2.4 Do I need to have a Mentor for the selection?

No. While it is not mandatory, it would really help to have a Mentor who lives close to the student as he/she could meet the student often. We are looking for open minded volunteers preferably teachers and social workers who work with needy students. This will help in keeping the student on track to their goals addressing any issues that are impeding their progress. In the absence of such a mentor, we collect the progress reports periodically by mail and update the sponsor.

3. Sponsorship Related Questions:

3.1 I would like to help a family in India not just for education. Can WeReachOut help?

Currently our processes are tailored for supporting educational needs. Contact us and we will discuss how you can help

3.2 I can't sponsor all the expenses for a student, I would like to share it with other sponsors, how do I do that?

No help is too small for us in our mission. We do allow multiple sponsors to share the expenses of one student. If you can't sponsor all the expenses and can't find other sponsors then WeReachOut Volunteers actively look for other sponsors to fulfill the unmet need.

3.3 Is there a limit for the amount of money that I want to sponsor for a student?

No minimum, but there are limits for maximum per year for each student based on their course

Rs 10,000 is the maximum sponsorship amount for a private school student per year Rs 50,000 is the maximum sponsorship amount for a professional college student per year

Please contact us for any legitimate cases to cover amounts different from the ones specified above

3.4 Is there a particular time that I need to start my sponsorship?

No. You can start contributing any time of the calendar year.

3.5 How do I send my contribution?

You can mail the checks to

WeReachOut,
P.O. Box 718,
Tracy, CA - 95376

(OR)

Click

to donate using PayPal. Please note that If you pay by credit cards, PayPal charges a transaction fee.

3.6 When do I get the tax exemption receipt from WeReachOut?

You can get it anytime by printing it from the website by logging into your account.

3.4 I want to talk to somebody about WeReachOut, how I do that?

You can reach any one of us listed on the Contact Us page get your questions answered.

4. Distribution & Monitoring:

4.1 Who distributes the money?

WeReachOut has an employee in India (part of WeReachOut’s Operations team) who sends the checks directly to the students. This employee also inform the sponsors about the progress and sends them the receipts of payments on a regular basis.

4.2 Can I distribute the money directly?

No. Sponsors can’t distribute the money themselves (If going via WeReachOut). IRS and RBI rules disallow that. WeReachOut team distributes the money and the sponsors are welcome to contact their students directly if they wish.

4.3 Can WeReachOut arrange for monthly or quarterly distribution of the money?

Yes. WeReachOut can distribute the money on monthly or quarterly basis to the students as per Sponsor's guidance.

4.4 What are all the expenses that I can cover for a student?

Sponsor can cover for the tuition fees, uniform and books expenses. For college students who have student loans, the interest on those loans can be covered as well.

4.5 Do I get any confirmation about the money that has been distributed?

After WeReachOut distributes the money to the student it sends the copy of the receipts to the sponsor and updates sponsor via email about monthly/quarterly distribution.

4.6 Who does the monitoring? And how often do I get progress reports?

The Mentors group monitors the selected students. WeReachOut employee collects progress reports regularly (at least quarterly) and updates sponsors via email. Sponsors can request for monitoring reports anytime about their students from WeReachOut. All the reports would be available online for the sponsors to pursue.

4.7 How do you select people for 'Coordinators' group? Are they salaried employees?

Yes, WeReachOut has an employee in India that manages all the logistics of operations