Please find below some articles on Asia Pacific philanthropy. You may also wish to visit the Topics and country sections, including Philanthropy/Trends and Philanthropy/Individual Donors sections. For diaspora philanthropy resources, please visit Diaspora Philanthropy.
Asian Philanthropy
Some Thoughts on Innovation & Future Directions in Asian Philanthropy. Conference paper presented in Seoul Korea, by Barnett Baron. (1993)
Investing in Ourselves: Giving and Fundraising in Asia (2004). There is a book for each country - India, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand and Bangladesh. Must reads if you are interested in philanthropy in Asia - especially the Preface that was written by Barnett Baron, Founding Chair of APPC. The link takes you to free downloads of all the books.
Learning the Art of Giving. Article in Time magazine with insight into Asian philanthropists, especially China and India. (2006)
Asian Philanthropists Breed Good Governance. Article describing the growing wealth in Asia and how they are giving back. Li Ka-shing Foundation has given away more than $US1billion mostly to education and health-care in Hong Kong and China. The Tata Group in India and Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary have also poured millions into building mosques, hospitals and schools. (2007)
When Asia's Millionaires Splurge They Go Big. Article on Forbes.com; Asian philanthropists are most generous; those who contributed to charities devoted 12% of their wealth to charitable giving in 2006 according to CapGemini/Merrill Lynch Report. (2007)
10 Asian Philanthropists. Alibaba showcases 10 Asian philanthropists in a gallery style feature. (2008)
48 Asian Altruists. Listing and description of top 48 philanthropists all over Asia. (2008)
Altruism Still Very Much Alive and Kicking. Article announcing RBS Coutts launch of their philanthropy services in Asia. (2008)
Time For Giving. Article in Forbes Magazine interviewing Rory Francisco-Torentino of the Asian Pacific Philanthropy Consortium. (2008)
Philanthropy in Asia-emerging trends. An interview with Christina Tung, Head of Philanthropy at UBS regarding the differences in giving between the generations in Asia and also differences between West and East. Download Ubs tung
Australia - Philanthropy
Endowment envy: Investing to donate? The idea of gift planning and deciding to name a charity in one's estate plan is a major subject in U.S. nonprofit fundraising conversations. A unique field has been built around this special professional niche in fundraising. Imagine my surprise to read an article in the Australia's Sunday Times about the subject of bequests and endowment fund gifts! It's great to see that gift planning is catching on elsewhere. (2010)
China - Philanthropy
China's Rich Are Giving It All Away. Article from China Daily about the 2007 Hurun Report of Chinese Philanthropists. Many of the wealthy are setting up their own charitable funds. (2007)
Developing China's Nonprofit Sector. McKinsey article on the development of China's nonprofit sector, including management gaps and lack of program expertise. Issues such as charitable contribution information and lack of funding are also discussed. (2007)
Philanthropy's New Frontier. Article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy by Ian Wilhelm on the re-emergence of Chinese philanthropy. The article provides insight into some of the legal issues of fundraising in China and charitable giving within China. (2007)
Now is the Time to Begin Charity at Home. Article describing nonprofit organizations in China and the transformation from a socialist society to one accepting charity (charity is not welfare). (2007)
China Dispactches. Article in Alliance Magazine looking at potential for promoting philanthropy in China. Author compares Russia and China's growth in NGO work and challenges that philanthropists in China must face. (2008)
Options for Increasing U.S. Support for Chinese Nonprofit Organizations. Paper by Robert A. Boisture, Caplin & Drysdale, examining potential for increased funding from US non-governmental funders, principally, foundations and corporations doing business in China. (2008)
More Rich Chinese to Dabble in Charity: Research. Article describing the research by a charity information center forecasting that private foundations in China will overtake government and non-governmental organizations to become the main source of charity in the country. (2008)
Philanthropy - China starts to give. Ethical Corporation columnists describes how China is starting to give and philanthropy is growing since the earthquake. (2008)
Group Aims to Add Transparency to China's Charities. The China Foundation Center was launch last week in Beijing to encourage transparency by making the activities of Chinese foundations available. The center will host a website that will initially archive data on more than 1,800 foundations across China. The 35 co-founders include a mix of public and private foundations, including the Jet Li One Foundation. (2010)
Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief at The Economist, speaks about the Evolvement of Philanthropy in China. Matthew speaks about the rise of philanthropy after the earthquake, Jet Li's One Foundation and how western corporations are moving into China and needing to partner with local organizations. (2010)
The evolution of philanthropy in China - recent reflections. Grace Chiang of Social Venture Group shares her thoughts on the shifts in giving and the charitable landscape in China. (2010)
Should there be a minimum for billionaire's donations? Wang Zhenyao, Dean of the Beijing Normal University One Foundation Philanthropy Research Institute proposed that Chinese billionaires should donate 1 million yuan (US$147,00) a year to charity. His remarks ignited a great deal of conversation among the public. Some say that the wealthy can set an example and play a leading role in promoting charity. Wealth can be powerful and comes with influence so the wealthy have more social responsibilities. Others are worried about the transparency and corruption of the nonprofit sector. There were also discussions as to whether 1 million yuan was an appropriate amount. (2010)
Shanghai residents more willing to donate to charity. A MasterCard International survey found that nearly 60 percent of Shanghai residents plan to donate to charity over the next six months, the highest rate across China. Beijing and Guangzhou followed Shanghai. Nearly half of those who plan to make a donation expect to give 1 to 2 percent of their annual income. Chinese males were more generous than females. Older and married people appear to be more generous. (2010)
India - Philanthropy
Cornell Receives $50 million from Ratan Tata Education & Development Trust. Cornell University has received an endowment of $50 million from the Tata Education and Development Trust. $25 million of the $50 million will be used to establish the Tata-Cornell Initiative in Agriculture and Nutrition. The Initiative will increase collaboration among Indian and Cornell scientists and student to improve the livelihoods and nutritional status of the rural poor in India. The remaining $25 million is for the Tata Scholarship Fund for Student from India. (Oct 2008)
An NGO for Every 400 People in India. A recent study found that there are 3.3 million NGOs in India. In relative terms, that is one NGO for 400 Indians. That seems like a lot of NGOs in one country. I wonder if there are many organizations overlapping in service areas? It seems as if there are many opportunities for NGOs to look at how effective they are and the impact of their work. (2010)
Indians are Charity Rich but Philanthropy Poor. India NGOs need professional fundraisers to motivate and inspire people to give. There are 1.2 million NGOs in India but less than one per cent of NGOs have professional fund-raisers. Potential to give is huge but NGOs are only beginning to tap into it. (2010)
Global billionaires turn to philanthropy in India. Article in Economic Times featuring Omidyar, Soros, Legatum and Google, investing in social development oriented investments in India. Omidyar has invested $40 million so far. (2010)
I'm an accidental philanthropist: Rohini Nilekani. An interview with the chair of Arghyam Foundation and Pratham Books; Rohini Nilekani talks about her approach to philanthropy. (2010)
New donors emerge in developing countries. In spite of the Bain & Co report on the slow growth of philanthropy in India, there are many concrete examples showing an increased interest in philanthropy. Local donors are emerging in India. This article highlights the philanthropic work of Reva and Vineet Nayyar. They donated more than US$6.5 million to launch a foundation that funds educational programs around New Delhi. (2010)
State of Indian Philanthropy. Arpan Sheth, of Bain & Co., presents his findings at the Indian Philanthropy Forum. Bain's research shows that nearly 40% of the nation's wealth is controlled by 5% of India's households. India leads other developing nations in charitable giving. However, it still lag far behind developed countries. (2010)
Bharti's Mittal putting more money aside for education. Sunil Mittal, the founder of India's largest mobile phone operator is supporting the Bharti Foundation and its work with education and underprivileged children. He has touched the lives of 30,000 children and has pledged to put more money aside to support 100,000. (2010)
Will give money, time for charity, 100 pledge at 'Giving Summit'. 100 men and women made a pledge to donate almost Rs 5 lakh a year and dedicate 40 hours of their time to support non-profit organizations in India. The Giving Summit was organized by GiveIndia. (2010)
I'm an accidental philanthropist: Rohini Nilekani. An interview with the chair of Arghyam Foundation and Pratham Books, Rohini Nilekani talks about her approach to philanthropy: You can find out what other philanthropists are saying, but the kind of work I have been doing is not techno-centric. I am not finding the cheapest water filter or application on the mobile phone that can be bought by the poor. That is one small part of the solution. The real work is in the lack of a public infrastructure and in the face of broken government systems. You have to work on those things alongside the state and NGOs. You have to work on building the capacity of people to become part of the solution. (2010)
Korea - Philanthropy
Philanthropy thriving at Shinhan Bank Foundation. Shinhan Bank was South Korea's first bank to file a Corporate Social Responsibility report in 2006. This article provides examples of how the bank pursue's its diverse forms of philanthropic work - including the engagement of employees in workplace campaigns.
Nepal - Philanthropy
A Reflection on the Legal Framework for Civil Society in Nepal. Article by Uttam Uprety. Published by the International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law, June 2011 edition.
Philippines - Philanthropy
Corporate Philanthropy in Asia: The Philippine Case. Research paper by Gisela Velasco examining the current state of corporate philanthropy in the Phillipines and how local giving can respond more effectively to social development needs. (2008)
Singapore - Philanthropy
Rule Changes to Boost Singapore as Hub for Charitable Foundations. Article featuring some of the revised changes in law for charitable foundations in Singapore. (April 2007)
Online donations look set to grow. SG Gives was set up in February in Singapore and allows donors to select a particular sector or cause. $561,300 was received by the end of May. Another online portal, GIVE.sg, was launched in January with 2,005 donors and 25 charities signing on. Nearly $135,000 has been raised. Online giving has become a cost-effective way to fundraise and donors are beginning to trust online portals. (Aug 2010)
Philanthropy thriving in newly rich Singapore. Article featuring the growth of millionaires in Singapore that are involved in philanthropy. Donations to charitable organisations grew from 381 million dollars (279 million US) in 2001 to 687 million dollars (504 million US) last year, according to the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC). (Aug 2010)
Taiwan - Philanthropy
Taiwan charity has global reach. Wall Street Journal has a feature story on Tzu Chi Foundation. Tzu Chi has 10 million donors and two million volunteers. The organization extends across much of the developing world and offers a "view of how Asian philanthropy may evolve in an era of rising affluence." One third of Tzu Chi's regular donors live outside Taiwan. It has 399 offices in 47 countries running local projects and raising funds. The organization is the first Asia-based Buddhist organization to provide cross-border humanitarian relief. (2010)
Vietnam - Philanthropy
Business for a Cause. Vietnamese-American David Duong was appointed to serve on the board of Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF). David was born in Saigon and emigrated to the US in 1976. He made his fortune as CEO of California Waste Solutions. VEF was founded in 2007 by former President Bill Clinton as an independent organization, funded by the US government. VEF grants scholarships to young Vietnamese scientists and students to study in the US. (2010)
