What it means to be a volunteer initiative — not yet a registered NGO

You will see a sentence repeated across our site: *Hayat Al-Ummah Welfare is a youth-led volunteer initiative based in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi. We are not yet a registered NGO.* We say it on purpose, because trust works best when it is built on honesty. **What being unregistered means today** - We accept **donations from within India only**, and they are **not tax-deductible** (no 80G). - We keep our numbers factual — what we have served and what we have spent, reported by the volunteers who did the work. **What registration would change** Registering as an NGO would let us offer tax benefits to donors, accept and account for a wider range of contributions, and take on bigger recurring programmes. It is a serious step — legal paperwork, governance, and financial transparency — and we are clear-eyed about the responsibility it carries. Until then, the most honest answer to "are you registered?" is: *not yet, and here is exactly what that means.* If you are considering donating, please read that sentence twice and decide with full information.