A Study of Chinese Philanthropy by Danqing Li

Danqing Li, Changing Our World's go-to Chinese Philanthropy expert, was kind enough to follow up Connette's profile of philanthropy in Australia with her own take on Philanthropy in China.  A mystery for most Americans, China's booming economy and massive population will play an ever-increasing role in the philanthropic sector. A FLiP with his (or her) eye on the future will definitely keep their other eye on China.

With the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, philanthropy is playing an important role in wealth redistribution and building civil society world wide.  In the process of globalization, the success of philanthropy depends critically on its ability to adapt to local cultures and environment.

With advancement in technology, the world continues to shrink, naturally and socially.  We can be physically relocated to another continent in a matter of hours.  We can also be an offending intruder of another society without physically moving across the borders.  What do these suggest to us?  Thinking and acting with caution and being aware of local cultures and practices is essential for success.

In international philanthropic practices, we see good intentions everywhere.  Developed countries have spent a lot of money and effort to help the developing regions.  They deserve respect and appreciation for their efforts.  Do they get it in reality?  Sometimes yes, and sometimes not necessarily.  To help others in ways that others can accept and appreciate is the key.  We also need to communicate precisely to our target audience in ways they understand.  I have no objection to conditional help but sometimes it is so crucially important to find that common ground with respect for differences.  We as outsiders can come up with solutions that do not address the intrinsic texture of the society we intend to help. However, if we listen and think, the right solution can be a product of a joint effort between the helped and the helping.

China represents an interesting opportunity to observe a thriving third sector with unique characteristics, including international, government affiliated, and local NGOs.  Since the country has had a very long history of a strong central authority, most recently the communist party for the past half century, philanthropy has traditionally been developed within the boundary of the unified authority and leadership.  Chinese government requires all fundraising NGOs to be affiliated with a government organization before they can be officially registered, whereas grant making NGOs can be registered directly with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. 

Manhattan GMAT offers social venture scholarship!

Last year FLiP happily promoted, at no charge, a program run by a national test prep company.

Manhattan GMAT offered a special deal to grant full tuition scholarships to 25 individuals in the New York metro area. They are doing it again this year! That’s free admission into an intensive 9-session GMAT prep course (a value of $1440).

This deal is open to you if you:
(1) Currently work full-time in an organization that promotes positive social change.
(2) Plan to use your MBA to work in a public, not-for-profit, or other venture with a social-change oriented mission.
(3) Demonstrate clear financial need.

Last year, at least five or six FLiPs took this course, and everyone reported back to me that it was truly an excellent experience.

Let me just repeat this so you can’t say I didn’t warn you. If you live in New York, are thinking about getting an MBA in order to work for a “socially good” organization, and plan to take a GMAT prep class, you can take that class for free.

The Social Venture Scholars will all enroll in a special preparation course taught by ManhattanGMAT’s founder, Zeke Vanderhoek, at the company’s New York City classroom center, beginning in January 2008.

All of the specific details, including application instructions, can be found at the following website: www.manhattangmat.com/svs.cfm. Please note that the application deadline is January 17, 2008.

An American Perspective on Australian Philanthropy by Connette Blake

Connette Blake, a former co-worker of mine at Changing Our World, moved to Australia two years ago and is currently the Manager, Marketing & Communication, at Social Ventures Australia (SVA), a new and unique model of philanthropic social investment that addresses some of Australia’s most pressing community challenges (www.socialventures.com.au).

What is philanthropy like down-under? Who better to ask than an ex-pat ex-philanthropy consultant?

I have lived in Sydney for only two years so I dare say that I’m an expert on Australian philanthropy.

So when FLiP asked me to write a brief article about Australian philanthropy I thought, “what insight can offer?”

A simple Google search will give you Australian giving and nonprofit sector information:

• In a country with a population of about 20 million people (roughly the same as New York state), there are around 700,000 non-profit organizations, many of which are small and depend on voluntary commitment.
• Only around 20,000 of these organizations have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status meaning that donors receive a tax benefit for their gift.
• Individual and business donations of money, goods and services total an estimated 11 billion AUD per year.

(As in the US, these statistics are only estimates; they are rarely timely or comparable across sources).

But we all know that facts, while important, don’t tell the whole story of a country’s philanthropy. Following are a few of my observations that I hope will help to complete the picture.

The Third Sector

Some say the philanthropic tradition in the US is stronger and more broadly established than Australia’s. Whether or not this is true, most would agree that Australian interest in philanthropy is growing.

I do not mean to imply that Australians were ever un-charitable. In fact, the ‘right to a fair go’ and concept of ‘mateship’ are intrinsic to the Australian culture, and those shared beliefs certainly support a tradition of helping others through charity.