New Delhi, December 2, 2025 – A recent report by India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) emphasizes the critical need for a two-tiered governance model within India's burgeoning social sector to enhance performance, strategy, and accountability. The report advocates for the implementation of advisory boards that collaborate with existing governing boards in nonprofit organizations.
The ILSS report aims to provide guidance to organizations and board leaders on how advisory boards can improve decision-making processes, broaden impact, and foster improved institutional results. Currently, all nonprofit organizations in India are legally obligated to maintain governing boards, which possess legal discretionary authority over the organizations' operations and are responsible for fulfilling fiduciary duties.
As India's social change ecosystem grapples with increasingly intricate challenges, advisory boards are emerging as a crucial complement, offering valuable networks, specialized expertise, and strategic insights to bolster organizational effectiveness. While governing boards maintain their focus on ensuring compliance, advisory boards can facilitate a transformative shift from operational to strategic and generative approaches.
The ILSS unveiled its second report, "Leadership and Management in India's Social Sector," which underscores the pressing requirement for developing professional leadership capabilities to ensure enduring organizational resilience and impactful outcomes. The report identifies key internal challenges, such as over-reliance on founders, constrained talent pipelines, and inadequate organizational systems. It also highlights external challenges, including compliance burdens, fundraising pressures, and uneven digital readiness. The report further suggests that funders, founders, and other ecosystem players should invest in leadership capacity, flexible funding models, and technology alignment to promote sustainable growth.
The second edition of the India Women Leadership Conference hosted the unveiling of the report and convened 190 women leaders from various sectors, including the social sector, corporate entities, philanthropic organizations, and grassroots movements.
Anu Prasad, Founder and CEO of ILSS, stated that recognizing and celebrating women's leadership can inspire future generations to pursue their aspirations confidently. Rekha Menon, former chairperson and MD of Accenture India, emphasized the importance of intentional leadership development in the social sector, especially for women, to achieve meaningful and lasting change.
The conference also shed light on the challenges women face in the social sector, with participants noting that progress on gender inclusion has stalled. They observed that leading social sector organizations is becoming more challenging than leading corporate entities. Data indicates that women hold only 19% of leadership positions in India's nonprofit sector. Panelists advocated for coordinated efforts among government, businesses, and philanthropic organizations, including AI-enabled monitoring, gender-responsive regulation, and investments in safety, skills, and market access for women.
