China Philanthropy

Hands on CSR: An Interview with Richard Brubaker

Richard Brubaker wears a lot of hats.  As founder and managing director of China Strategic Development Partners, he uses his 15 years of experience in Asia to help his clients navigate the Chinese marketplace and develop successful business strategies in China. And that is just the beginning. Brubaker has also started, founded, and/or  co-founded Hands On Shanghai, Chengdu, and Beijing which organizes volunteers and donations for local charities; Cleaner Greener China, a web-based platform bringing forward environmental issues and solutions; and Crossroads, which includes a CSR website, events, and strategic consulting. Oh and he also has 4 Twitter accounts to keep everyone up-to-date. We were fortunate enough to get an interview from Richard on all things China and CSR.

A 5 Minute Guide to Rural Education in China

It almost goes without saying that education drives China. Every family has hopes that their one child will not only graduate from high school but from there to college. China has a 9 year compulsory system. Beyond that students must pass a middle school exam to attend high school and likewise a high school exam to matriculate.  For China’s rural population, the dream is out of reach more often than not. According to a recent article on CSR Asia, only 17.7% of the country’s university students come from rural areas, down from nearly 30% in the 1980s—clear evidence of China’s wealth chasm. Still, it seems strange that the situation would be getting worse when more resources are available than ever. Several factors do contribute to the problem including:

Donating to Grassroots Charities in China: Wisdom or Folly?

I recently came across this post at the GiveWell blog that comes out strongly for not giving to small and untested charities (the context presumably is in the US where GiveWell is based).  The author Holden Karnofsky gives a strong argument:

"In my opinion, the worst case possible is that [a startup charity] succeeds financially but not programmatically – that with your help, it builds a community of donors that connect with it emotionally but don’t hold it accountable for impact. It then goes on to exist for years, even decades, without either making a difference or truly investigating whether it’s making a difference. It eats up money and human capital that could have saved lives in another organization’s hands.  

Another Interesting Perspective on GONGO’s

Following our post about GONGO’s below, I found this interesting perspective in an article from NPI today from Xu Yongguang, Director of Narada Foundation, one of the few private foundations in China, about the nature of GONGOs (translated from Chinese):

When GONGOs were set up in the early days, they were designed to be reliant on the government. The good thing about being reliant is that costs are very low, low to a point that when projects are running sometimes the overhead is actually zero. 

China Charity Vocab Lesson #1: GONGO

In order to understand the landscape of Chinese philanthropy, we'll be regularly covering here some "vocabulary lessons" on common terms that might not be familiar to everyone. We'll also include the Chinese characters and pronunciation where applicable.  Feel free to also send us requests for terms you'd like us to cover.  Don't worry--there will not be a test!

This first lesson is everyone's favorite oxymoron in the Chinese nonprofit sector.

Working with China's Minority Groups: An Interview with Three Valleys Foundation President Jean-Luc Fazan

Located in Southwest China, the Three Valleys region has a rich and diverse mixture of cultures and people groups as well as a striking scenery home to a quarter of the world's animal species. For most people in the area though, poverty and progress threaten to destroy not only the landscape but the cultures of the region. With an average year's salary at 600rmb (half that for those living in the most rural villages), residents often cannot afford education or health care. As one of the few organizations working in this area, Three Valleys Foundation seeks to promote education, alleviate poverty, encourage culture, and improve health care. I interviewed President and Director Jean-Luc Fazan, a native of Switzerland, recently to learn more about Three Valleys.

One Year After the Earthquake

On Monday, PRI's The World (a radio news magazine) featured a piece assessing the Sichuan Earthquake, specifically the enduring effect on charitable giving, volunteerism, and community in China. The clip also just happens to feature our own very own Grace.

China earthquake one year later (5:30) | PRI's The World

--Georgia

The "5-12" Sichuan Earthquake: One Year Later, A Look Back

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake, which struck at 2:28pm on May 12th, 2008.  The 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused enormous damage and loss of life and has forever changed the face of civil society in China. 

The Earthquake Toll at a Glance

- 68,712 total dead, official

- 17,921 still missing

- 5,335 children

- 15 million displaced

Doing Good: SVG's Newsletter- May 2009 edition

Doing Good is SVG's periodic newsletter that covers the going's-on of China's grassroots non-profit sector. Download here in English and Chinese.  This edition of SVG's newsletter covers:

- Cerebral palsy care 

- Green innovation

- Peer-to-peer lending for rural students

- Orphan surgeries

- Homeless job skills training

- Recently reflections from the SVG team

A Peasant's View of NGO Work and His Involvement

I recently came across this gem of a blog post, which is a straightforward and heartfelt account by a rural peasant in China named Xiong Jiefeng who became deeply involved in NGO efforts in his village. It is a rare glimpse into what a local Chinese farmer thinks about all the rural development buzz going on around him and how it deeply impacts his life for better and worse.  It is funny and poignant perhaps without meaning to be, and definitely gives a lot of things for NGO practitioners and philanthropists to think about.