Two Founders Walk Into

Why is nonprofit fundraising so difficult, even when the work matters?

In this episode of Two Founders Walk Into, we sit down with Rishabh Lalani, founder of Kohmorehbee Consulting and a fundraising professional who has helped raise over ₹2,000 crore for organisations and causes, to unpack the realities of fundraising, philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in India.

From growing up with financial uncertainty to finding his way into social impact, Rishabh shares how his experiences shaped his approach to fundraising. He also challenges some widely accepted practices in philanthropy, including the growing corporatisation of nonprofits, the role of AI in grant proposals, and the systems that determine which causes receive funding.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Rishabh Lalani’s journey from Wipro to nonprofit fundraising• How he raised his first significant grant and discovered his role in social impact• Why nonprofits often receive funding for delivering programmes, but struggle to fund research and investigate the root causes of problems• How compliance requirements and corporatisation are changing the nonprofit sector in India• Why grant proposals may matter less than the relationships behind them• How AI is changing proposal writing, screening and fundraising• Why trust and human connection remain central to philanthropy• The different types of funders and what motivates them to give• Restricted vs. unrestricted funding, and why nonprofits need more flexible funding• Why Rishabh believes NGO reports should be replaced with more direct conversations• What the future of philanthropy and nonprofit work in India could look like

Rishabh also shares a practical perspective on understanding funders, building relationships, and identifying where philanthropic capital is most likely to move.

One of the central questions in this conversation is whether the systems built around philanthropy are helping nonprofits solve problems—or limiting their ability to do so.

Watch the full episode for an honest conversation about nonprofit fundraising, CSR, philanthropy, trust and the future of social impact in India.

Subscribe to Two Founders Walk Into for more conversations on leadership, building organisations and creating social impact.

Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q 

Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts 

About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. 

About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether 

About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. 

Follow them on LinkedIn: 

Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/ 

Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ 

Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ 

Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer 

Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr 

Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring 

Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ 

#NonprofitFundraising #Philanthropy #SocialImpact #CSR #Fundraising #NGOIndia #RishabhLalani #TwoFoundersWalkInto

What does it actually take to build something that can reach a billion people?In this episode, Sanjay Purohit unpacks what exponential change really means, and why social impact can't be approached the way we approach business growth. After 25 years in the corporate world, Sanjay stepped away at 50, mentored by Nandan Nilekani, to build the Center for Exponential Change. Ten years later, after EkStep, Shiksha Graha, and now Apurva.AI, he puts it bluntly: if you tried to train India's 4.5 million school leaders one institution at a time, it would take 5000 years. So he didn't. He built a network instead.Sanjay pushes on three sharper questions: What is scale? What is speed? And what does it mean for change to actually sustain?The conversation explores:Why scale is about the size of the problem, not the size of your organisationWhy solutions need to be portable, able to spread through other people's handsThe relationship between scale, speed, and sustainability, and why "differentiation" is often the wrong questionWhy sometimes "slow is faster" than what we think is fastThe "farm vs. forest" mental model, and why interconnected systems outlast standalone programsHow networks help solve problems too large for any single organisation (Project ECHO's "all teach, all learn" model)Why expertise needs to be diffused, not concentrated in a few expertsHow young changemakers can build the self-efficacy to lead systemic changeHow AI can become a force for diffusion rather than concentration, shaping Apurva.AIWhat it means to design for population-level impact, not project-level impactIf you're interested in systems change, social impact, exponential change, innovation, leadership, AI, or networks, this episode is for you.

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q

Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts

About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - Co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+.
About U&I - A nonprofit committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees. Core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact #inthistogether
About Change+ - Helps people become the leaders they're meant to be, blending self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking for emerging and senior leaders.

Follow them on LinkedIn:Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/

Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteerPartner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csrWork With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiringDonate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/
Follow Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditvSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into

More from Sanjay:

1. Rhythm, Harmony, Melody: https://centreforexponentialchange.org/rhythm-harmony-melody-the-art-of-system-orchestration/
2. System Orchestration: https://centreforexponentialchange.org/it-is-a-system-orchestration-at-play/
3. Podcast with ShikshaLokam: https://youtu.be/6s_qIK0VV8Q
4. Podcast with Apurva: https://youtu.be/Z3oIx4WwHbw
5. Think Collective Month: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-squirrels-know-scale-societal-thinking-9tsdc/
6. Think Books: https://societalthinking.org/books/
7. Project ECHO: https://societalthinking.org/distributing-the-ability-to-solve-moving-knowledge-faster-with-with-echo/
8. What is Exponential Change: https://centreforexponentialchange.org/what-is-exponential-change/

Why do fast-growing companies suddenly slow down?

Often, the bottleneck isn’t strategy, technology or even talent. It’s the management layer.

In this conversation, we unpack why managers can become one of the biggest barriers to scaling a company — and what CEOs, founders and senior leaders can do about it.

We explore the three leadership bottlenecks growing organisations need to solve:

* Execution ownership

* People leadership

* Leadership systems

From Google removing managers and bringing them back, to Netflix building a culture of context over control, Microsoft moving from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all,” and HUL developing leaders through real-world responsibility, we look at what some of the world’s strongest organisations have done differently.

We also discuss why managers often end up with 100% accountability and 0% autonomy, why promoting your best individual contributor doesn't automatically create a great people manager, and why leadership development cannot stop at workshops.

The bigger question is this:

How do you move from accidental managers to leadership by design?

Because ultimately, a company can only grow as fast as its managers.

If you’re a CEO, founder, CHRO, business leader or people leader building a scaling organisation, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q 

Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts 

About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. 

About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether 

About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. 

Follow them on LinkedIn: 

Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/ 

Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ 

Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ 

Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer 

Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr 

Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring 

Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ 

Follow Us: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into 

#podcast #genz #leadership #ngo #entrepreneur #management

What does it actually take to get funded as an NGO in India and why are so many organisations pitching the wrong funders entirely?

In this episode of Two Founders Walk Into, we sit down with Amit Antony Alex, Investment Director at Dovetail Impact Foundation, where he manages an international portfolio of social enterprises and impact organisations. Before Dovetail, Amit led investments at Upaya Social Ventures and headed enterprise grants at the UN Foundation's Clean Cooking Alliance giving him a rare vantage point from both sides of the funder-NGO relationship.

This conversation goes deep on the structural realities of philanthropy in India: why the sector is maturing but still has a long way to go, what the 10x startup culture is doing to nonprofits, and why the most honest thing a social entrepreneur can sometimes do is shut their organisation down.

Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q 

Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts 

About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. 

About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether 

About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. 

Follow them on LinkedIn: 

Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/ 

Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ 

Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ 

Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer 

Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr 

Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring 

Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ 

Follow Us: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into 

Timestamps:

00:00 — What excites Amit about where India is heading 02:30 — India's growth story and the two Indias 06:21 — Three things India's philanthropic sector needs to fix 08:21 — The funder-NGO power imbalance, explained 15:33 — How nonprofits can build towards scale the right way 18:01 — The controversial case for closing your NGO 19:36 — AI and its real (vs. hyped) potential in the social sector 22:03 — Career advice for young people entering the social sector 26:32 — Should funders pay for salaries? Unrestricted funding explained 29:03 — One change that would transform the nonprofit sector in 10 years

#philanthropy #nonprofit #socialimpact #NGO #India #ImpactInvesting #TwoFoundersWalkInto #socialentrepreneur

India has 96–97% school enrollment. So why can't 50% of Grade 5 students read a Grade 2 sentence?That's the question at the heart of this conversation — and it's the exact problem that Akshay and Madhuri from U&I have spent years trying to solve on the ground.In this episode, we go deep inside U&I Teach, one of India's most innovative after-school education programs, now running across 150 learning centers in 40 cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Chennai. #EducationIndia #SocialImpact #NGOIndia #LearningGap #TheoryOfChange #VolunteerIndia #FoundationalLiteracy #MentorshipIndia #AfterSchoolProgram #IndiaEducation #ShelterHome #ImpactPodcast #BengaluruNGO #HyderabadNGO #MumbaiNGO

What happens when one of India's brightest cricketers gets dropped not once, but twice and has to find a reason to keep going?

In this deeply personal conversation, Indian Women's Cricket Team star Jemimah Rodrigues sits down with Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti of Two Founders Walk Into to talk about the journey that most people never saw: the anxiety attacks before matches, the 35 days of faking smiles, the tears on a flight back to Mumbai and the faith, family, and community that pulled her back every single time.

This is not just a cricket story. It's a story about identity, belonging, and what it truly means to be part of a village.

About Jemimah Rodrigues: She is an Indian international cricketer known for her explosive batting and joyful presence on the field. She plays for India Women's cricket team across all formats and represents Delhi Capitals in the WPL. She scored a match-winning 105* against Australia in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup semi-final in Mumbai.

Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q 

Two Founders Walk Into Featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 Indian Leadership Podcasts 

About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. 

About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether 

About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. 

Follow them on LinkedIn: 

Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/ 

Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ 

Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ 

Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer 

Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr 

Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring 

Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ 

Follow Us: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into 

#JemimahRodrigues #TwoFoundersWalkInto #IndianCricket #WomensCricket #ICCWomensWorldCup2025 #Faith #Leadership #MentalHealth #Cricket #IndiaWomen #Podcast #Inspiration #VolunteeringIndia #CricketPodcast #IndianWomensCricket #WorldCupSemiFinal

Millennials and Gen Z walk into the same workplace and see completely different things. In this episode, Ajit and Satish host Anu and Nandu, two employees of U&I Trust, for a frank cross-generational conversation about the debates reshaping work today.

Did remote work kill culture, or just reveal which teams never had it? Is job loyalty a virtue or a trap? Should burnout come with a leave policy? And is work-life balance even a real thing or do we need to redesign that idea from scratch?

This is the conversation your leadership team, your HR department, and your group chat are all having separately. We brought everyone into the same room.

Candid, funny, and genuinely useful, whether you manage a multigenerational team or you're building your own career in 2026.

What's really broken in Bangalore and how do we fix it?

In this episode of Two Founders Walk Into, we sit down with Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO of Janaagraha, one of India's foremost urban governance experts. With 15+ years working with city governments, constitutional bodies, and citizen groups, Srikanth breaks down why Indian cities keep failing their residents and what a systems-level solution actually looks like.

We cover:

→ Why traffic, pollution, and flooding are symptoms, not the real problem

→ The three city systems every urban leader must understand: planning & design, political ownership, and state capacity

→ Why Bangalore still doesn't have an elected mayor accountable to its citizens

→ How walkability could unlock clean air, public health, women's safety, and traffic relief, all at once

→ Tender SURE streets and what's already working in Bangalore

→ The citizenship ladder: how residents move from passive consumers to active contributors

→ The role of organisations like Janaagraha, U&I Trust as civic connective tissue

→ Srikanth's personal journey from Big Four consulting to systems-change nonprofit leadership

→ What genuine empathy looks like in leadership and why it took 15 years to learn

If you care about Bangalore, Indian cities, civic participation, or building organisations that create lasting change, this episode is for you.

Two Founders Walk Into is featured in FeedSpot's Top 25 India Leadership Podcasts.

Follow us for conversations with thought leaders, urban thinkers, and civic changemakers building a better India.

Can nonprofits create real buzz and drive impact without a marketing budget?In this episode, we unpack a practical playbook for zero-budget marketing in the nonprofit world. From leveraging passionate communities to empowering staff and using accessible technology, this conversation explores how organizations can amplify their voice even in a crowded digital landscape.The discussion focuses on people-powered marketing, community champions, and smart use of technology to create meaningful engagement and real-world impact.Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, communications professional, or social impact enthusiast, this episode offers practical, low-cost strategies to build visibility and momentum.Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@UCPichWEo9gwkwpABT8kgk9Q About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether About Change+ - The organisation helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. Follow them on LinkedIn: Ajit Sivaram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajit4949/ Satish Manchikanti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/satish-manchikanti/ Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ Follow Us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uandi.org.in/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u&i-charity/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uanditv Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7HIvmqL5iG9wAAdV4 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-founders-walk-into/id1806002327 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5b4559-645c-4b99-a556-adef1fab97c7/two-founders-walk-into Timestamps:00:00 Introduction: Can nonprofits market with zero budget?02:05 Community as leverage: Fans and supporters as co-creators04:15 How nonprofits can activate volunteers as ambassadors05:30 Equipping communities with toolkits and campaign kits06:10 The “Purple Cow” concept and standing out creatively07:20 What nonprofits without large communities can do08:30 Employees and staff as powerful brand amplifiers11:00 AI tools and templates for scalable campaigns13:10 Accessing nonprofit discounts for marketing tools15:50 The role of AI in simplifying content creation16:10 The shift from “work speaks for itself” to storytelling16:30 Recap: The three levers of zero-budget marketing#podcast #genz #leadership #ngo #entrepreneur #management

Why do so many NGOs struggle with visibility, funding, and talent despite doing powerful work on the ground?

In this episode, Girish Balachandran, Founder of On Purpose, shares why he believes the biggest challenge in the social sector isn’t just funding, it’s mindset.

We explore why “good work should speak for itself” is no longer enough, and why communications, storytelling, and founder visibility are critical for nonprofit growth and sustainability.

If you work in the nonprofit sector, CSR, philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, or impact consulting, this episode offers practical insights into nonprofit communications strategy, NGO leadership, donor dynamics, and long-term sustainability.

Watch the full episode to understand how NGOs can move from impact to influence and why owning your narrative is essential in today’s digital-first world.