My apologies for not updating the blog as frequently as I normally do in the past several weeks. I was in China and upon returning, I have been distracted with strategic plans, business plans, annual plans, etc since our board meeting is coming up.
I was traveling in Shanghai as part of the Wharton Fellows/Conference Board program. The theme of our five days together was to "develop or improve our China strategy." We went to the Expo, met with local leaders, and visited manufacturing, banking, technology and consulting firms. All the corporations we met with spoke about CSR and how important it was in order to do business in China. I enjoyed stepping out of my non-profit role to learn about the business trends in China. I believe this helps me understand the needs of corporations and how we could structure their CSR strategies as we closely work with them to develop their employee engagement and grantmaking programs.
As part of the trip, I also stopped at our Beijing office and visited with my co-workers and friends in the philanthropy sector. I was amazed at how fast things were moving in this area. The buzz was around the new China Foundation Center and of course, Dr. Wang Zhengyao's retirement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and his new role at Beijing Normal University's One Foundation Community Research Institute. Nonprofits inside China, but especially those outside China, are asking how they can play a role in China's growing philanthropy sector. What do you think? Any ideas?
I also had an opportunity to learn more about the new magazine on philanthropy in China, The Charitarian. They have free, online editions in Chinese and English and you can view them on their website. The Charitarian claims to be the:
... world's leading philanthropy magazine and Made in China, the Charitarian makes a global impact by profiling best practice in business ethics, government social responsibility, climate change, China charity and global philanthropy.
To be "Made in China" also means some form of government oversight. Please take a look and let me know what you think of the magazine. I am hoping we can feature the founder of the magazine in the future.
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