When Impact 360 Foundation entrusted me with leading the philanthropy engagement for the Tata Steel World 25K Run Kolkata (TSW25K), sometime during July 2025, I was a bit confused trying to understand what the nature of my engagement will be like – it didn’t quite look like a typical fundraising job of engaging with corporates, writing proposals etc. I knew this would be very different from my earlier work. With my years of experience in institutional fundraising and CSR, I was stepping into a space where philanthropy was not driven by proposals or grant cycles, but by people, pace, and purpose. This journey required me to understand philanthropy—not just as a transaction, but as a movement.
Before beginning the Kolkata chapter, I travelled to Mumbai to understand how philanthropy is anchored around the Tata Mumbai Marathon by United Way Mumbai. That visit was an important learning moment. Mumbai’s ecosystem reflects a deeply embedded culture of giving, where corporates, NGOs, and citizens instinctively view philanthropy as a shared civic responsibility. Kolkata, I realised, operates differently. Philanthropy exists here—but it is quieter, relationship-driven, and not always naturally linked to platforms like a run.
In Kolkata, the Tata Run is still seen as a celebration of fitness, fun, and community spirit. Giving through the run is not yet intuitive. This gap shaped much of my work and learning through the TSW25K philanthropy journey.
Over the months, my team and I engaged closely with runners, run clubs, NGOs, and corporates. Some of the most powerful insights came from the runners themselves. Many were first-time runners, and for the first time in the 10-year history of TSW25K, several of them and some run clubs engaged with philanthropy. Their discipline, resilience, and endurance—both physical and emotional—became a source of inspiration for me. Watching them commit to causes while training for a demanding race reinforced the idea that philanthropy, much like running, is about persistence rather than instant outcomes.
Corporate engagement, however, revealed a larger challenge. Over 100 corporates were approached, but only 10% of them eventually came on board. This was not due to lack of goodwill, but limited awareness of philanthropy through endurance events. In Kolkata, corporate visibility often inclines towards short-term, high-visibility opportunities—such as advertising during Durga Puja—rather than long-term engagement through social impact platforms. This reinforced the need for continuous sensitisation, storytelling, and relationship-building to position philanthropy as a meaningful and strategic investment.
One of the most meaningful achievements of this journey was empowering NGOs to tell their own stories and raise funds through the TSW25K philanthropy platform. For many organisations, this was their first experience of fundraising in such a time bound ecosystem, where they themselves had to interact with various stakeholders like runners, corporates and clubs. Even when the funds raised by some NGOs were modest, the shift was significant. NGOs became more proactive, confident, and outward-facing, learning to articulate their impact, seek visibility, and view philanthropy as a relationship rather than a one-time deal. Creating this change in mindset- that this platform was not just about money, but was also about visibility, peer learning, collaboration and community building – was an important thing that this platform did. NGOs interacted with runners and corporates, shared their work with each other, and celebrated causes collectively. Slowly, a community began to take shape—one that extended beyond individual organisations or campaigns.
The journey was not without its challenges. The start was slow., results were not immediately visible, and there were phases of uncertainty. During these moments, a large part of my role became keeping the team motivated, helping them trust the process and reminding ourselves that meaningful philanthropy rarely delivers instant gratification.
What sustained us was a shared belief—that this was philanthropy in a different form. Not limited to five or six months around a race, but rooted in long-term mindset shifts and relationship-building.
We consciously opened up spaces for interaction—organising meetings in NGO cafés, involving NGOs in sessions for corporates on race day, and creating opportunities for runners to engage directly with causes. The intent was not merely to showcase causes, but to celebrate them, giving NGOs dignity, visibility, and voice within the larger ecosystem.
Some NGOs were proactive and adapted quickly; others were slower to respond or participate. In hindsight, more structured hand-holding and earlier engagement might have helped bring more organisations along. These reflections remain important learnings for the future.
On a personal level, this experience required significant unlearning. Coming from a background of institutional fundraising, I had to let go of familiar frameworks and timelines. I learned to build trust quickly, listen deeply, and value conversations as much as commitments. I also formed meaningful friendships—people who believed in the idea, challenged assumptions, and will continue to walk this journey in the years to come.
The numbers—funds raised, people reached—may still be modest. But the foundation has been laid. Awareness has begun. A culture of philanthropy linked to endurance sports has been initiated in Kolkata.
For me, the TSW25K philanthropy partnership, has been far more than an assignment. It has been a lived experience of resilience, relationship-building, and reimagining what philanthropy can look like in this city. It is difficult, but not impossible. The momentum has been built. Now, the task is to keep it moving—well beyond the finish line.
Sibani Basu Sen
Sibani Basu Sen is a senior operations and strategic professional with leading NGOs, INGOs and Consultancy including CARE India, Access Development Services, Khadi Board etc. Sibani holds a Master’s degree in Economics, along with diplomas in Human Resource Development and Entrepreneurship Development.