Dasvandh Network (DVN)

Dasvandh Network (DVN) is a non-profit online giving platform where Sikhs give their dasvandh, the share of their earnings set aside for the Panth, to Sikh-led causes. Its site says it does not charge a fee for using the platform, and that it assesses projects and organisations on a number of criteria before listing them. It calls itself the world's largest Sikh crowdfunding platform, which is its own claim.

How it is run: DVN's 2023 annual report says its journey began 12 years before the report, and that it merged with another group, Ik Manzil, in 2020. A board of 23 members across the United States makes grants and helps pay for the platform. In 2024 the board supplied about 72 percent of DVN's operating income ($213,700 of $296,764). The rest came mostly from donors' tips (about 17 percent) and processing fees. Amrita Bamrah became executive director in 2023 and signs the 2024 report.

Key figures from its own reports

• 2023: $2.3 million raised on the platform from over 3,900 donors in 16 countries, plus $565,000 in grants to 7 organisations. DasvandhWeek 2023 secured $1 million in pledges for more than 80 organisations, which DVN calls the largest global Sikh digital fundraiser. DVN also raised money for six partners providing relief on the ground during the July 2023 Punjab floods.
• 2024: $2,438,397 raised on the platform from 14,000 donors, plus $570,000 in grants to 7 Sikh-led non-profits, a total of $3,008,397 for 69 organisations. DasvandhWeek 2024 raised nearly $800,000 for 58 organisations, and a Vaisakhi campaign raised nearly $200,000 for organisations supporting farming families in Punjab.
• DVN says it has distributed more than $18 million through the platform and its grants since it began.
• AutoDasvandh, a monthly giving tool, lets donors automate their giving.

The donor counts for the two years may not be counted the same way, and the reports do not say.

Its part in this history: DVN hosts projects for Sikh bodies and for communities the Panth has overlooked. One example is Nishkam USA's project for Sikligar Sikh students and housing in Karnataka.

Where it stands: The 2024 report is the latest annual report found. All the figures above are DVN's own and have not been audited by an outside source that was opened.