Advisory
CSR, ESG, volunteering and nonprofit advisory
Raghu Vamsi Kadiri advises companies, NGOs and foundations on CSR strategy, CSR and ESG policy, employee volunteering and building nonprofits that last. The advice comes from running a volunteer-led network across 23+ states with 250+ partner companies.
For companies
From the CSR policy to the photo you do not need to take.
CSR strategy and policy
Your Section 135 obligation, CSR policy, annual action plan and choice of focus areas, mapped to Schedule VII and the SDGs, with a clear theory of what will change.
CSR and ESG policy writing
Raghu has written CSR and ESG policies with partner companies: documents a board can approve and a team can actually deliver, with roles, review cycles and the evidence each commitment needs.
Programme design
Volunteer-First CSR design: the roles volunteers play, the roles you pay for, the partner model, budget and milestones.
Choosing implementing partners
Due diligence that goes beyond documents: CSR-1, tax registrations, governance, field capacity, references and how a partner handles bad news.
Employee volunteering
A volunteering model that fits your business calendar and your people. Delivery can be handled by OurVolunteer.com or any provider you choose.
Impact and reporting
Outcome measures you can defend, volunteer contribution tracked properly, and narratives for the Board’s report and BRSR that do not overclaim.
Board and CSR committee briefings
A clear, independent view for directors: what good CSR looks like now and what is changing.
Multinationals with Indian entities
How India’s CSR law and practice work, for global teams responsible for an Indian subsidiary or office.
Where the advice comes from
Field visits, budget reviews and site checks come before any recommendation. A few frames from that side of the work.
For NGOs and foundations
Starting right
Choice of legal form, registrations and the first-year compliance calendar, drawn from his book and Marpu’s early years.
Getting CSR-ready
The due diligence pack, proposal, budget and reporting that make a company comfortable funding you, and renewing.
A volunteer model that scales
Structure, roles, training and retention, so volunteers become your delivery system, not your events.
Governance and boards
Board composition, policies and the rhythms that keep an organisation credible as it grows.
Foundations and family philanthropy
Where to give in India, how to find and assess partners, and how to involve family members or employees as volunteers.
Ways to work together
A working session
A focused half day with your team on one question, with written notes afterwards.
A defined project
A CSR policy and action plan, a programme design or a partner selection, scoped and priced upfront.
Ongoing advisory
A monthly rhythm through your CSR year, from planning to reporting.
Board or advisory council
A seat on an advisory council or board, where the organisation’s mission fits his work.
How he advises
Four rules he keeps.
Independent
Advice serves your programme, not a partner’s pipeline.
Disclosed
Raghu leads Marpu Foundation and created OurVolunteer.com. If either could be a partner for you, he says so at the start, in writing. You choose freely. See the transparency page.
Grounded
Recommendations are tested against what actually happens in the field, not only what reads well in a report.
Within the law
He knows the CSR framework well and keeps up with changes, but statutory filings and formal legal or tax opinions belong with your company secretary, auditor and counsel.
Read his thinking first
For CSR heads
For boards
Good to know
Can Raghu Vamsi Kadiri be our CSR consultant?
He works as an advisor to CSR teams and committees: strategy, programme design, partner selection, employee volunteering and reporting. For statutory filings and formal legal or tax opinions, he works alongside your company secretary, auditor and counsel.
Will he recommend Marpu Foundation as our partner?
Only if it is the right fit, and he will tell you at the start, in writing, about his role at Marpu Foundation and OurVolunteer.com. You are free to choose any partner, and he will help you assess others on the same criteria.
Does India’s CSR law apply to us?
Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 applies to companies with a net worth of ₹500 crore or more, a turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or a net profit of ₹5 crore or more in the preceding financial year. Such companies must spend at least 2% of their average net profits of the previous three years on CSR. Foreign companies with a branch or project office in India can be covered too. The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed changes to some of these thresholds, so confirm the current position with your advisors.
We are below the CSR threshold. Is advisory still useful?
Often, yes. Startups and mid-sized companies that do CSR voluntarily get the most from starting with a sound design, and employee volunteering works at any size.
Do you help NGOs with registration and compliance?
Raghu advises on the choice of legal form, registrations and compliance systems, and on getting CSR-ready. Filings are done by your chartered accountant or lawyer.
How is advisory priced?
Working sessions are priced per session. Projects are scoped and priced upfront. Ongoing advisory runs on a monthly fee. Share what you need and you will get a clear proposal.
Get a clear view before you commit a budget.
Tell Raghu what you are planning, where you are stuck and when your CSR committee meets.
Need an implementing partner instead?
Marpu Foundation runs CSR programmes across 23+ states, with 12A, 80G and CSR-1.