China Philanthropy

CSR in China: A Work in Progress

CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, has been a huge focus in the business world in China, especially after Sichuan’s earthquake last year. A recent article on Asian Philanthropy Forum points out that “the definition of ‘CSR’ is very western concept closely related with the longterm strategic planning of a company while CSR in China is tend to be a short-term action originated from philanthropy.” As a key element in corporate management and development, CSR has been widely accepted in the west and is acknowledged among most multi-national companies after more than 50 years of history. However, it is still a relatively new concept for most Chinese companies. 

Migrant Workers: The Old, the New, the Economy

Millions of Chinese from rural areas and small towns have made and continue to make the pilgrimage to the country’s big cities where the promise of a better life for themselves and their families looms amid sky rises and urban growth. Once they arrive, however, it can be rough going. Several factors contribute to the hardships the more than 120 million migrants face. Coming from poorer areas of China, they lack education. Many cannot read or write and they operate under different social and etiquette norms which set them apart a city’s local residents. They are not qualified for higher paying jobs, thereby further enforcing a second (or even third) class mentality. Migrants are easily taken advantage of by corrupt bosses and criminal organizations and many end up homeless and begging.

Baobei Foundation: An Interview with Carol Hoag

     In April 2008 four women living in Shanghai started a charity to address the needs of Chinese orphans born with often life threatening neurological and gastrointestinal disorders. They named the organization Baobei meaning ‘precious child’ in Chinese and partnered with surgeons at Shanghai Children’s Medical Center (SCMC) as well as an increasing number of individuals—both foreign and local, businesses, and charities. Baobei Foundation not only helps children get life-saving surgeries, but also critical aftercare. I interviewed Managing Director Carol Hoag to find out more about the organization and their current work.

Conference Takeaways- "Investing in China: The Role of Philanthropy"

Back in the saddle now in Shanghai and heading off again tomorrow to Taipei for 2 weeks.  First I wanted to share some takeaways from the fabulous Give2Asia conference last week in Beijing.  Dien and her staff pulled off an excellent and informative inaugural conference, and I met some terrific people there.  I hope there will be many more such events in years to come.  

For me there were 2 main focal points of the various speakers and panels:

Sometimes It Just Comes Down to This

Last year, SVG raised a significant amount of funding for a land lease for China's only orphanage for the blind, Bethel.  Somewhere along the way as we were being the eyes and ears for our donor clients on this project, we fell in love with some of the kids there.  We just received news last week when preparing our donor update report on this project that Zhiwei, the boy pictured in this photo, was adopted recently!  It really made our day as a team.  Every little bit counts.

-- Grace

West China Story

I'm in Beijing this week, meeting with few overseas clients as well as gearing up for Give2Asia's philanthropy conference on Thursday.  Apart from extremely high winds, Beijing weather has been uncannily California-like the last few days!  (Sometime in the future I will write about the differences between Beijing and Shanghai in terms of the non-profit sectors, I promise, but not today!)

This afternoon I spent some time catching up with Dr. Kenny Lin, CEO of Town and Talent Technologies an innovative IT solutions company with a strong philanthropic bent towards Western China.  To put it more strongly, Dr. Lin's organization is one of the few local companies in China that I have seem which are directly engaged in charity with a large scope in western regions of China.

Strategic Philanthropy: Safe or Smart?

Although the title has been around for a while, strategic philanthropy has gotten a lot of buzz both from those who agree with the practice and those who do not. First, let’s look at a few definitions of the term:

•  Traditional giving helps one person at a time by providing charity for immediate short-term needs. Strategic giving focuses on change and builds for the future.                                                                                       Torie Osborn, Liberty Hill Foundation

• By strategic philanthropy, we mean effective giving which is designed around focused research, creative planning, proven strategies, careful execution and thorough follow-up in order to achieve the intended results. To be truly effective and rewarding, strategic philanthropy must also reflect and be driven by your core values and concerns.     The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc.

• Word Spy defines it as corporate philanthropy that serves the interests of the corporation.
  

The practice of strategic philanthropy has roused critics who dislike the idea of a corporate giant meddling in the affairs of organizations.

The Sky is Falling or Is It?: Chicken Little and Philanthropy

We’re living in a Chicken Little society. Headlines and broadcasts draw us in with the woes of recession. Clearly, the world has some big financial problems, but how big are they really and how will these troubles affect philanthropy? Within the past month Philanthropy UK has published two articles evaluating the status of giving during the economic downturn (See Reading Tea Leaves, Reading Tea Leaves #2). Philanthropy UK reports that while there is a “growing indication of a decline in certain areas of giving there is also a strong thread of consistency in trends for giving.” Evaluating a number of surveys (mostly focused on the UK), they discovered that the situation was not often as dire as it sounded.

Introducing...

I'd like to introduce our new Communications Associate at SVG, Georgia Sparling.  Georgia has a BA in English from Brown University and has been living in China for almost 4 years.  She has been a freelance journalist for several reputable publications in China including City Weekend and Shanghai International Family Magazine.  We're really excited to have her on board with us.  Stay tuned as we will be posting more frequently on this blog!

--Grace

GRRRRR---Giving in a Bear Market

Everyone wants to know how the economic downturn will affect their line of work and those in the field of philanthropy are no exception. Recently, Forbes.com gathered three experts in philanthropy to discuss the outlook of giving in a bear market.

So far, foundations have not taken as drastic a hit in their bank accounts as they have in their psyches. Individual giving is expected to drop by only 3-4% in 2009, the same as last year. Still, there is a wary “wait and see” mentality among philanthropists. If U.S. history is any indicator of present reactions to the Recession, then, “ individual wealth and, accordingly, individual philanthropy, declined proportionately less than the market,” reports Betsy Brill of Strategic Philanthropy. But decline it will and, as most foundations base their giving on donations over a three-year period, the effects of the economic downturn will not be felt for some time.