CSR Platform Discovery

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About you

Your name Your role

Organisation

A

Organisations & users

Who will use the system, and how donors and NGOs relate to each other.

A1.Roughly how many users of each type?

Best guesses are fine — this sizes the system, it doesn't limit it.

At launchIn 2 years Donor operational users NGO management users Board / senior leadership Administrators

A2.Donor ↔ NGO relationships

This decides the core structure of the database, so it's the single most important question here.

One donor organisation working with multiple NGO partners?

Yes — around 20 NGO partners assumed in the document Yes — more than 20 No — just one or two NGOs

Can one NGO work with more than one donor in this same system?

Yes — from day one Maybe later — not needed in the first version No — one donor only Not sure — let's discuss

B

Project lifecycle & approvals

What a project goes through, and what the donor must approve.

B3.Do these project stages match how you work?

Draft→ Submitted→ Approved→ Active→ On hold→ Completed→ Closed

Yes — these stages work for us We need different stages (describe below)

B4.Which items must the donor formally approve?

Tick everything that needs an approve / reject / return-for-revision decision.

New project creation Budgets and budget changes Activity and task plans Monthly progress reports Mid-project change requests Project closure

Anything else?

B5.How many approval levels?

One level one donor reviewer decides Two levels e.g. reviewer, then manager It varies (explain below)

Does it change by amount, project, or anything else?

C

Budget tracking

The MVP tracks planned vs recorded amounts — not accounting or payments.

C6.What budget categories should each project track?

Should the system flag over-spending?

Yes Later phase Not needed

If yes — at what point?

D

The monthly report

The report is the heart of the MVP — the more we know about it, the faster we build.

D7.Is there a monthly report format you already use?

Yes — we already report monthly in Excel / Word / PDF No fixed format — please propose one

If you have one: please email a sample (even a blank template) to sales@novatideconsulting.com. Matching your existing format is the fastest, safest path to a report everyone accepts.

Must-have fields in the report

D8.When counting "activities performed" in a month, count…

Only activities completed that month Everything worked on that month, finished or not Show both numbers separately

D9.Should the report also show beneficiaries reached?

People impacted is usually the first number a board asks for. It isn't in the current document — we recommend adding it now.

Yes — include it in the first version Good idea, but a later phase Not needed

If yes — how do you count beneficiaries today?

E

Team size

The system classifies each month as Increased / Decreased / Unchanged — we need to know who counts.

E10."Team size" includes…

Employees on payroll Volunteers Consultants / contractors Field workers

Notes

F

Board dashboards

What senior leadership should see the moment they log in.

F11.Which numbers matter most to the board?

Tick all that apply, then rank your top three.

Budget utilisation (allocated vs spent) Activity completion trend Team-size trend Beneficiaries reached Projects at risk or delayed NGO-wise performance comparison

Your top three, in order

G

Notifications & documents

How people find out something needs their attention, and what evidence gets attached.

G12.How should the system notify people?

e.g. "a submission is waiting for your approval". Tick all that apply.

G13.Should users attach documents and photos?

e.g. field photos, receipts, signed registers attached to activities or reports.

Yes — needed in MVP Later phase Not needed

What kinds of files, roughly?

H

Compliance & data

Anything the system must keep, prove, or comply with.

H14.Any compliance, audit, or data-retention requirements we should design for?

For example: CSR-2 annual filing alignment, statutory or internal audit needs, "keep records for 8 years", donor-specific reporting rules.

I

Hosting, support & language

Where the system lives and who looks after it.

I15.Hosting and support

Where should the system be hosted?

Novatide-managed cloud recommended — we handle servers, backups, updates Our own cloud / IT team To discuss

Availability expectation

Business hours is fine 24×7 To discuss

After go-live, who manages users and day-to-day admin?

I16.Language

English only English now, Indian languages in a later phase Multilingual from day one (tell us which below)

Languages, if any

J

Timeline & commercials

So we can plan the one-month build realistically.

J17.Timeline and sign-off

When would you like to go live (or start the one-month build)?

Who gives final sign-off on scope and acceptance? (name & role)

J18.Budget expectation for the MVP optional

A range helps us shape the right proposal — it's not a commitment.

Under ₹3 lakh ₹3–6 lakh Above ₹6 lakh Prefer to discuss

J19.Branding and name

Whose branding should the platform and reports carry, and do you have a name in mind for the system?

J20.Anything else we should know?

CSR Project Management System

About you

Organisations & users

Project lifecycle & approvals

Budget tracking

The monthly report

Team size

Board dashboards

Notifications & documents

Compliance & data

Hosting, support & language

Timeline & commercials

Your answers, ready to send