For my project, I developed a cost allocation method for common expenditures at SVYM. There was already a method in place, but it had not been revised since 1999, which is why this project was significant. This project impacted the HR team, the finance team, the way SVYM will conduct evaluations in the future, and the way it plans its fundraisers. I spent my first week researching general cost allocation methods and some that are specific to NGOs. Over the next three weeks, I studied the current system in Sargur and met with my mentor, Savitha S. the director of finance for SVYM, in Bangalore to finalize the details of the mechanisms.
The most difficult aspect of this project was been dealing with ambiguity. Because my mentor was not located with me in Mysore, the lack of personal interaction certainly made learning about my project more difficult. With that being said, there are some aspects of this project that would have been easier to communicate about in person, or at least with another member of the finance team. These difficulties affected my expectations about the project, because although the project description reflected the ambiguity I am experiencing, I had assumed that it would have been clarified by the time I started.
Aside from the knowledge I gained about finance and the tangible computer skills I gained, I also grew a lot personally. From my first week at my project, I have become adjusted to being more of a self-starter and finding things to do that will benefit my project in the future, even if they are not necessarily an immediate need. I had to demonstrate self-control and discipline in order to get the necessary work done, and this was not something that I initially expected to do.
My goal was to create a sustainable cost allocation mechanism for SVYM. To effectively do this, I realized that I would have to work hard and efficiently to achieve this ambitious goal. A personal goal that I had for myself in doing this service is to be comfortable completing a task that is completely outside of my comfort zone. Not only did traveling to India enable me to do something that I normally wouldn’t feel comfortable with, but working on a financial project, and making sure I have the necessary knowledge to complete it, was been challenging for me, because it was something I had never done before.
