History of Lucky Draw (Book Per Month)

 

            As the fund flow in our SHaDE (www.shade.org.in) had been so very fluctuating in nature, we have decided to have a program wherein the contributing morality of the members can be boosted. Thus the idea of having a Lucky Draw was born.

 

            This program considers all the contributors for the month are eligible for the lucky draw.   Every month the lucky draw will be conducted within first 5 days for the previous monthÕs contributors and there will be a book worth of Rs.250/- will be given to the winners of the month. The winner will be asked to pick a book of his/her choice as the taste of an individual certainly varies.

 

Opinion Poll

 

            Though it was my own initiative and we did NOT want to have it as a one manÕs decision, we wanted to have opinions and suggestions from all the members. We had an opinion poll at our website for 10 days and it ended on 25 December 2009.

 

            Thanks to all or most of the members who took time to cast their votes to the opinion poll and also for pouring in their suggestions. There was a good rating for approval of the decision. It was about 82% who had agreed to the lucky draw.

 

Alliance with an online book vendor

 

For the books to be chosen, we had a partnership with ŌBookVookĶ, one of the leading booksellers in India, which is based out of Delhi.  After coming to an agreement with the owner Mr Ankit, we decided to have a coupon, which is an unique number that stands valid for the specified duration and can be used against a purchase of the book at their website www.bookvook.com.  Each coupon is valid for 3 months from the month of lucky draw.

 

How about the funds for books? – Dedicated Sponsor

 

            A special thanks to Mr Visweswaran Vidyaraju (my ex-colleague at Covansys India Pvt Ltd) from Chennai, for having agreed to be a dedicated sponsor for this activity.

 

            He had been a very good supporter and guide for all of our deeds right from beginning. Thank you very much Vish J

 

How are the winners selected?

 

            Thanks to Ms Savitha C (my ex-colleague at Torry Harris Business Solutions, Bangalore) for having written an application in Java to select a lucky winner from the contributors. Note: an individual gets his/her turn only once in 4 months J

 

How does it work – Book Selection and Shopping

 

            We had obtained six coupons at one shot by paying the money for six books in advance.  The coupon information would be shared to the prizewinner every month. He/she has to login to the website www.bookvook.com and do an online shopping by choosing a book of his/her interest by using this coupon which is worth Rs.250/-.

 

            In case, the book selected by the prizewinner exceeds the allotted amount, the individual has to bear the additional cost. For example, the book being chosen is of Rs.300/- and since the coupon is worth only for Rs.250/-, the individual has to pay the extra amount Rs.50/- to Bookvook on his/her own, only upon which the transaction deems to be completed.

 

            Remember that the coupon is valid only for 3 months from the month of lucky draw.

 

Shipping Charges

 

Considering the nature of our group and the purpose, along with our request, Ankit had agreed to ship the book for free of cost. Hence, the individuals need not bother about the shipping, which is otherwise around Rs.25/- within India. 

 

As of now BookVook ships only within India. Please check the website if the book needs to be shipped outside India.

 

Further Clarifications

 

For any details specific to BookVook and/or shopping: Reach Ankit at mail@bookvook.com and/or his mobile # 91-98183-95025.

           

            For any details with respect to the lucky draw: Reach me at raghavan@shade.org.in and/or my mobile # 91-98809-61616.