Date: [Date of submission]
To:
Mr. Raghu K. Sankaramanchi
President, Founder and Trustee
Mrs. Roja L. Sankaramanchi
Secretary/Treasurer
The Executive Directors and Directors
Sai Datta Mandir, Inc.
Subject: Shirdi in America — Request for Status Update and Accounting
Dear Mr. Sankaramanchi, Mrs. Sankaramanchi, and Members of the Board,
We, the undersigned donors and devotees, are writing to request an update regarding the Shirdi in America initiative.
Beginning in 2015, many members of our community contributed funds toward the Shirdi in America initiative, including through the Sthala Seva land campaign and the Sai Ratham / Paduka Yatra. The project was presented as a two-phase undertaking: acquisition of land followed by development of a permanent temple. Land was acquired at 583 South Middlebush Road, Somerset, New Jersey, in 2015, and a Bhoomi Puja was conducted on October 18, 2018.
More than eleven years after the land acquisition, and nearly eight years after the Bhoomi Puja, donors have seen limited visible progress toward construction of the permanent temple. Many contributors therefore have questions about the present status of the initiative and the funds contributed toward it.
We respectfully request that Sai Datta Mandir, Inc. provide the undersigned donors and devotees with the following information concerning the Shirdi in America initiative:
1. Contributions received
The total amount of contributions received specifically for the Shirdi in America initiative, broken down by year and separately identifying contributions received under the Sthala Seva land-acquisition program and the Nirmana Seva construction program, including the amounts collected under the respective sponsorship arrangements.
2. Land acquisition
The acreage acquired, the purchase price, and the date of acquisition. Sthala Seva materials in 2015 described approximately 23 acres, while later materials describe 24.4 acres.
Please also explain how the purchase was financed at the time and how Shirdi in America contributions received afterward were applied toward the purchase and associated acquisition costs.
3. Nirmana Seva sponsorship program
The Shirdi in America website describes a fundraising goal of more than 18,626 devotees contributing $11 per square foot. Nirmana Seva promotional materials, including a 2019 Telugu Jyothi advertisement, describe sponsorship at $251 per square foot for a proposed 111,111-square-foot project.
The website also describes a proposed structure with a devotee-occupied portion of 16,798 square feet, representing two-thirds of that structure.
Please clarify:
- The purpose and applicable period of each sponsorship rate.
- The proposed construction area and any subsequent changes to the design.
- The amounts actually collected under each sponsorship arrangement.
- The square footage sponsored to date.
- How those contributions have been held or utilized.
- The status of the recognition benefits described in the fundraising materials.
4. Donor recognition
The 2015 Sthala Seva materials stated that a Wall of Donors would be erected with the names of square-yard sponsors.
Please advise whether this has been created and, if not, when it is planned.
5. Present status of the property
The current ownership and use of the property, including whether it remains held in the name of Sai Datta Mandir, Inc. or any other entity, and details of any outstanding mortgage, loan, lien, or other financial obligation secured against it.
6. Balance and utilization of project funds
The amount of Shirdi in America contributions remaining after the land acquisition, how those funds have been held or utilized since, including whether any portion has been used for purposes other than the Shirdi in America project, and the present balance, if any, designated for the permanent temple project.
7. Development of the permanent temple
The organization’s present plans for developing the property, including the status of the Franklin Township and other approvals on which the project website says the final design depends, the reasons for the limited visible progress since the 2018 Bhoomi Puja, and any financial, regulatory, or other obstacles affecting the project.
8. Timeline and next steps
The specific steps proposed to move the project forward, the anticipated timeline for achieving those steps, and how the organization intends to finance the remaining development.
We further request copies of records showing contributions received for, and expenditures made from, the Shirdi in America fund, together with the organization’s three most recently filed IRS Forms 990, including all publicly disclosable schedules and attachments.
We request a written response addressing each of these matters, together with relevant supporting financial information, within 30 days of receipt of this letter.
Please direct your response to [Name(s) / Steering Group] at [email address], on behalf of the undersigned.
We intend to share any response received with the signatories and may publish a response on the website, subject to the appropriate handling of personal or confidential information.
We also ask that this letter be shared with each member of the Board.
Our purpose is to obtain a clear understanding of the status of the initiative for which devotees contributed since 2015, and to encourage constructive progress toward fulfilling its original vision.
Thank you for your attention to this request.
Sincerely,
The undersigned donors and devotees of the Shirdi in America initiative
[Signature list attached]