China Philanthropy

Understanding China’s Wealthy

Recently, McKinsey Quarterly's article Understanding China's Wealthy (behind the premium subscription wall) has provided fascinating reading for our team and a rare glimpse into the data behind the phenomenon of China's growing middle and upper classes. The implications are clear for multinational corporations hoping to target this segment, as well as for groups like ours who are seeking to broaden the appeal of charitable giving among China's wealthy.

The key message from the report is: China's wealthy are different from their global counterparts and effective approaches to engaging them must reflect these differences. Consider these findings:

SVG Book Review: The Foundation by Joel L. Fleishman

What do dialing 911, food production in India, and Big Bird all have in common? Their existence depends largely on foundations. What are foundations? The United States alone has more than 68,000 of them, and one of the most exciting developments in China’s philanthropic landscape is the emergence of private foundations. Despite their quantity and ubiquity across cultures, controversy and mystery often cloak these institutions.

When SVG was first getting off the ground, a close friend and mentor to Grace in the US recommended this book to us, and we have found it to be very informative and helpful in our interactions with our overseas foundation clients.  In The Foundation Joel L. Fleishman explains the place of foundations in U.S. history and brings us up to speed on the important role these organizations play both in America and around the world.

Tweeting with China's Social Entrepreneurs

Keeping up with all the latest in Chinese philanthropy is now just a tweet away. Crossroads just posted a list of China's "socialpreneurs" that he follows on Twitter. We've reprinted the list below, but he's asked readers to submit more so check back on their site for additions to the list.

Vocabulary Lesson #4: Left-behind Children

n. Left-behind children (留守儿童: liú shǒu ér tóng)

As millions of workers have migrated from China’s rural areas to factories and urban areas, they have left behind millions of children. In 2005, China Daily reported that approximately 10 million children are growing up without their parents and in 2007, the All-China Women's Federation estimated 40 million children under 15 have been left-behind (click here for a map of where these children live).These children are often cared for by a remaining parent, grandparent, or family member and do not see their parent(s) for months or even years at a time. Parents are, of course, reluctant to leave their children, but with the lack of employment and the promise of work in cities, they feel that leaving is the best way to provide for their families. While they send money home, the kids left behind are also left to their own devices.

Literacy in China

I was doing some research on literacy in China this week and came across a great report by UNESCO. The history and progress of China’s literacy is an important part of the country’s overall educational health, so I wanted to highlight some of the information I’ve gleaned in my reading.

Trying to find a consensus on the growth of literacy in China is like trying to find a grey rock in a quarry of gravel. The one agreement is that literacy is growing, but sorting through the data for the most reliable information proves challenging. For the first fifty years of the 20th century, illiteracy (不识字或识字很少) in China remained at a steady 85-80% of the population. Thereafter, the figures start to vary. Below is a broad view of literacy rates:

Serving up Conservation: Taking China's Wildlife Off the Menu

I came across an article on China Dialogue which I thought was a great compliment to our post on environmental NGOs. In “Taking Wildlife off the Menu”, Jonathan Watts reports on conservationists’ fight to stop illegal consumption of endangered animals. China persists as the leading offender in consumption of threatened wildlife and most Chinese are not aware and/or not concerned with the impact that an extinct species has on the environment.

Fame, Fortune, Foundation! Jet Li and Kobe Bryant take on Philanthropy

The rich and the famous are as much in the headlines for their red carpet fashion as they are for their scandalous behavior. Increasingly, however, they are in the news for “giving back”. Even as philanthropy has grown in Hollywood with celebrities, extending the spotlight to hurricane relief in the southern United States, clean water and healthcare in Africa, and tsunami cleanup in Southeast Asia, few famous do-gooders have set their sites on China in the recent past. Now it seems that the country is finally getting some attention from a few homegrown and international celebrities. 

Jet Li’s One Foundation (壹基金), currently in its third year of operation, began as a result of the 2004 tsunami in which Li and his family survived with the aid of local people who responded to his call for help.

Book Review: Rural Policy in China – The Recent OECD Review

We're excited to bring you our first guest post. Graham Thompson of The Blackford Trust (who we recently featured in an interview) kindly offered to review the OECD's recent report on rural policy in China. Read all about it!

Despite China's drive towards urbanization, it remains a predominantly rural country, with over 700m people living in the countryside – nearly twice the rural population in all OECD countries.  Rural policy remains fundamental to China's future, and has been examined in great detail in a recent publication by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development).  The Rural Policy Review of China, published in March 2009, was a collaborative effort between Chinese government and OECD researchers.  In addition, the work was partly funded by the devolved government of Scotland, a fact that is greatly welcomed by this writer, as a former Scottish rural policy official and Chairman of a charity that is focused on enhancing Scottish/China links.

A 5(ish) Minute Guide to China's Environmental NGOs

China’s breakneck industrialization has made it an economic force to be reckoned with even as the skies darken with exhaust and cancer holds steadily as the number one cause of death. According to a report on China and the environment published by the New York Times last year, experts predict China will soon emit more greenhouse gases than the United States. In 2006, China Daily reported that pollution costs China 10% of its GDP each year—a staggering US$200 billion. Voices in neighboring countries along with the larger global community are all calling for change in China’s environmental practices. Within China, citizens are also making their voices heard.