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, 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, on June 25, 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 no visible 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 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 and financing (Sthala Seva sponsorship program)

The property at 583 South Middlebush Road, Somerset, New Jersey, was acquired on June 25, 2015, for $1,270,000 and is recorded in the name of Sai Datta Mandir, Inc. The current Somerset County property record describes the property as 24.29 acres, while Sthala Seva materials in 2015 described approximately 23 acres.

The organization’s 2015 Form 990 reports land with a cost or other basis of $1,283,143 and reports $716,382 in secured mortgages and notes payable to unrelated third parties at year-end.

Please explain how the acquisition was financed, including the amount funded from Sthala Seva/Shirdi in America contributions, the amount financed through mortgage or other borrowing, the amount funded from other organizational resources, and how Shirdi in America contributions received after the acquisition were subsequently applied.

3. Nirmana Seva sponsorship program

The Shirdi in America website describes a fundraising goal involving more than 18,626 devotees and refers to contributions of $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 relationship, if any, between the $11-per-square-foot reference and the Nirmana Seva sponsorship program.
• 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 offered 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 present use of the property and details of any outstanding mortgage, loan, lien, or other financial obligation secured against it, including the current outstanding balance and the purpose for which any such obligation was incurred.

6. Balance and utilization of project funds

The amount of Shirdi in America/Sthala Seva contributions remaining after the land acquisition, the additional contributions received for the project after the acquisition, how those funds have been held or utilized since that time, whether any project-designated funds were used for purposes other than the Shirdi in America initiative, 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.

9. Organizational records and tax filings

We have been unable to locate a publicly available Form 990 for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Please confirm whether a Form 990 was filed for that year and, if so, provide a copy.

The organization’s 2024 Form 990 states, in its explanation to Part VI, Section C, Line 19, that its Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, Form 990, and Form 1023 are available to the public and “will be provided upon the request.” Accordingly, we request copies of the organization’s current Bylaws and all amendments; Articles of Incorporation and all amendments; and its complete Form 1023 exemption application, including all publicly disclosable schedules, attachments, supporting documents, amendments, and IRS correspondence relating to the application.

We further request copies of records showing contributions received for, and expenditures made from, the Shirdi in America initiative, sufficient to substantiate the project-specific accounting requested above, including contributions received under the Sthala Seva and Nirmana Seva programs, amounts applied toward the land acquisition and related debt, subsequent project expenditures, and the present balance of funds designated for the Shirdi in America initiative.

We request that this information be provided in the interest of transparency and accountability to the donors who contributed toward the acquisition of land and construction of the permanent temple.

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 coordinator@shirdiinamericadonors.org.

We intend to share any response received with the signatories and may publish the 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 have 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 to the Shirdi in America initiative

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Contribution Type *I contributed to Sthala SevaI contributed to Nirmana SevaI made another contribution toward the Shirdi in America initiative

Consent *

I have read the collective letter and agree with its contents. I voluntarily authorize my name and location (city, state/province, and country) to be included among the signatories to the letter and submitted to Sai Datta Mandir, Inc.

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