Annapurna Seva Sangh: Alleviating Hunger Selflessly

Annapurna Seva Sangh was a non-governmental organization (NGO) located in the civil hospital compound in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The organization’s primary objective was to assist the patients and their families at the district civil hospital. Most patients were living below the poverty line and lacked sufficient funds to cover their daily expenses while receiving treatment. Since the patients were accompanied by their family members, they were all under considerable financial pressure. To cater to the patients’ needs, Annapurna Seva Sangh managed a clothing bank, an oxygen bank (to supply oxygen concentrators and cylinders), and a dining hall that provided free lunch and dinner. The NGO also offered ambulance services and frequently organized blood donation clinics. The organization, which had grown tenfold since 2016, efficiently used its resources under limited funding opportunities. However, it was also operating with very thin cash reserves and was therefore exploring other sources of revenue so that it could provide uninterrupted services to people in need.

The case highlights multiple operational issues faced by the NGO including services delivery and management of resources. By working through the case and assignment, students will have the opportunity to do the following:<ul><li>Understand the NGO’s dynamics while considering the grim social situation.</li><li>Analyze the organization’s stakeholders and their impact on its business operations.</li><li>Examine the key challenges the organization faces in its day-to-day operations.</li><li>Understand the organization’s marketing strategy, which enables it to grow despite limited sponsorship opportunities.</li><li>Apply the reach, act, convert, and engage (RACE) framework for digital marketing.</li><li>Apply the designing service excellence model.</li></ul>

• Strategy, Service Operations, RACE