Asian Philanthropy Forum

Enabling Indian Diaspora Philanthropy

Give2Asia released a new report that looks at the challenges and trends of diaspora donors giving to India. Here are some of the highlights from the report, Enabling Indian Diaspora Philanthropy:

* Nearly 2.7 million people of Indian origin reside in the US, making it the third largest Asian American population. 

* Over $2.3 billion was received by some 12,400 non- governmental organizations in India from overseas sources in 2008-09, an increase of nearly 12% over the previous year. Of this, nearly $740 million came from the United States alone, making it the single largest contributor. Diaspora remittances to India are the highest in the world at an estimated $49.3 billion in 2009.

* The Indian government has also recognized the financial and intellectual power of its diaspora, and has been actively seeking to encourage its business and philanthropic investments.

* There are challenges to giving to India though. They include: (1) lack of information about good organizations; (2) lack of trust in intermediaries and grantees; (3) India has a complicated legal process for non-profits wishing to accept foreign funds; and (4) and many of the funds to India are concentrated in certain parts of the country.

* Give2Asia has seen some recent trends in private giving: (1) public-private partnerships in India are increasing, an example is the creation of the Public Health Foundation of India; (2) donors are focusing on localized high-impact philanthropy; (3) donors are not only giving annually but they are making endowment gifts; and (4) social investments are on the rise.

To read the full report, you can download it here. 

Understanding the Giving Preferences of the Chinese American Diaspora

From Give2Asia's blog, post written by Ann Hoang

Over the last 25 years, the Chinese economy has grown at breakneck speed, creating enormous wealth as well as opportunity. The effects of this growth extend far beyond the country itself; today’s global Chinese diaspora has consequently risen in influence across a wide variety of industries, from the arts to finance and technology. In America alone, this group’s prominence has demanded the attention of nearly all sectors of society.

The philanthropy field, in particular, has much to gain from today’s influential Chinese Americans. Vital to effective engagement, however, is a solid understanding of why, where, and how this unique group approaches its philanthropy. Unfortunately, little research currently exists. To lay a foundation for further study on this topic, Dien Yuen, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Give2Asia, and Andy Ho, Manager of Global Philanthropy at the Council on Foundations, have released a study exploring the history, emerging trends, and projections of Chinese-American giving.

The study, titled “Chinese-American Diaspora Philanthropy: A Perspective on History, Characteristics and Potential,” can be found in the latest issue of the Journal of Asian Business (University of Michigan Press). It offers the insights of two experts within the philanthropic advisory industry on this significant, and yet little-understood, phenomenon.

The report’s key findings include the following:

• Chinese Americans are rooted in a desire to support their communities—particularly in Asia, where they give most.
• First-generation immigrants tend to give to the country with which they most closely identify, in some cases even to specific home towns. Ethnic Chinese who settled in different Asian countries before emigrating tend to have multiple country interests.
• Most Chinese-American donors value the opportunity for hands-on involvement with recipient organizations, whether through research, site visits, or other forms of engagement. Further, they tend to be interested in straight-forward projects with a defined set of beneficiaries, immediate impacts, and measurable results.
• Because most Chinese Americans have close ties to Asia through their personal and business networks, they tend to be well-informed about issues on the ground. Accordingly, they often have very specific project or program interests.
• They most consistently give to disaster relief; education and livelihood; women’s empowerment; healthcare; and economic development.

An executive summary version of the article can be downloaded here. The full report can be purchased through the University of Michigan: http://www.umich.edu/~cibe/faculty/jab.html

Our Second Anniversary

One June 11, 2008, Asian Philanthropy Forum went live. Since then, we have posted 200 entries! Thank you for your support the past two years. There are some exciting changes ahead for us and we hope you will continue to follow us via email subscription, RSS, Facebook, Twitter (@asiangiving), or LinkedIn.

June 11, 2008 - Our Beginning: After a successful APPC (Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium) Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam this May, many of us left wondering how our conversations could continue.  Many new and old friends, from Pakistan to Australia, were sharing stories and facing similar challenges in their work.  It occurred to me that we were ready to take on the challenge of Giving 2.0, that is, using technology to transform philanthropy in our communities here in Asia.

Philanthropists and social change leaders focused on the Asia Pacific region are closely linked and interdependent. Philanthropists are seeking accountable and innovative organizations and programs to support and fund; NGOs and social entrepreneurs are looking for investments from philanthropists with which to start, expand or sustain their programs.

The circulation of ideas, knowledge and stories among donors and grantees must be increased, harnessed and shared with others. This virtuous circle of ideas, impact, lessons, and perspectives is how our community learns from and strengthens itself – ultimately empowering us to influence the world, as we want it to be. This is the purpose of the Asian Philanthropy Forum and we encourage you to join us in this exchange.

-- Dien S. Yuen

Duy-Loan T. Le, Philanthropist and Business Leader

Talking Points Vietnam (TVP), the blog of OneVietnam Network, has a post on Duy-Loan T. Le, philanthropist and business leader.  Duy-Loan came to the U.S. when she was 12. She taught herself how to read English and within four years, graduated as a valedictorian of her high school.  Duy-Loan then joined Texas Instrument and was eventually elected as a Senior Fellow, a rank equivalent of a Senior Vice President.  She is the only women holding this position in Texas Instrument's nearly 80 years of history.

Duy-Loan has received many awards and recognitions, including the National Technologist of the Year, Times People, Asian American Engineer of the Year, Women of Vision: Leadership, and Top 15 Women in Business.

Duy-Loan serves on the board of the Mona Foundation.  She is a founding member and currently serves on the advisory board of the Sunflower Mission.  Sunflower Mission is a U.S. based non-profit that is committed to improving the lives of the people in Vietnam through educational assistance programs. They have built over 62 classrooms in remote areas of Vietnam, where 90% of the poor live. Through the Sunflower Mission Dao-Le Scholarship Program, over 2,200 scholarships have been awarded since 2004.

Disclosure: I serve as an advisor to the OneVietnam Network.

American Pakistan Foundation Launches on 12/11/09

The Pakistani-American community is small but they give at a level that is above the national average.   According to a study on philanthropic giving by the Pakistani diaspora in the U.S., the Pakistani-American community gives over $1 billion annually, including money, goods and time.   In an effort to further encourage this giving in a secure and transparent channel, the American Pakistan Foundation was founded in May 2009.

Organized by the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the attendees of the meeting agreed that the Pakistani-American community has a vital role to play in the development of Pakistan by forming a not-for-profit development organization devoted to improving the social and economic condition of the people of Pakistan and to promoting greater understanding and trust between the two nations.

The American Pakistani Foundation strategy:

1. Develop a secure and transparent channel for funding programs to improve donor trust through the establishment of an effective mechanism for improved evaluation, monitoring and reporting to meet international donor and foundation expectations.

2. Establish partnerships with the Pakistani civil society and development organizations and credible NGOs with existing programs to prioritize and meet the most urgent needs of the Pakistani people.

3. Complement existing Pakistani-American philanthropy by bringing more major foundation and corporate funding to facilitate expansion of existing efforts.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the guest of honor and will deliver the keynote address at the American Pakistan Foundation's Inaugural Benefit on Friday, December 11, 2009.

Invitation: Disaster in the Philippines- Conference Call on Relief and Recovery Efforts 10/19/09

Give2Asia is hosting a teleconference to brief donors, advisors and friends about relief and recovery needs and effective philanthropic strategies in response to the disaster in the Philippines on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 8:30 am PST/11:30 am EST.  The call will be moderated by Mr. Joe Lumarda, Trustee of Give2Asia and SVP, Capital Group Companies.

Based in Manila, Dr. Steven Rood, Philippines Country Representative at The Asia Foundation, is monitoring first hand the destruction caused by Typhoon Ketsana, and the heavy rains brought by Typhoon Parma.  He will describe the destruction, immediate responses, on-going needs and what it will take to rebuild the lives of those affected by the disaster.

Ms.Gillian Yeoh, Program Officer at Give2Asia will reflect on lessons learned from past disasters in Asia. She will also share how our partners on-the-ground are responding to the relief and recovery work.

Call details:

US callers: 1-800-920-7487 International callers: 1-404-920-1710Participant code 16764888#RSVPs to kuyenco@give2asia.org are encouraged but not required.  For friends unable to join the call, information on how to access a free recording will be available on Wednesday, on our website at www.give2asia.org.  Please feel free to pass this along to interested colleagues.

Download INVITATION - Philippines Conf Call 101909

Photo courtesy of IRRI images

Bangladeshi American Diaspora Philanthropy, Part 2

- by Dien S Yuen

Philanthropic support from the U.S. to Bangladesh for the purpose of supporting charitable projects come from several sources. A majority of remittances sent to Bangladesh are used to pay food, household essentials, education and healthcare.  A very small percentage, however, is for social investments such as the building of schools, wells, and clinics.  This informal giving practice is difficult to quantify and no data currently exists. One reason "donors" prefer to give to individuals and do not give to institutions in Bangladesh, and many parts of Asia still, is the lack of trust in institutions - in the management and use of funds to the transparency, reporting and impact.

Another source of philanthropic support come from individuals and friends that give to 501(c)(3) charitable organizations to support private development projects in Bangladesh.  During a quick Guidestar search, I found 238 organizations using the keyword "Bangladesh".  A majority of them were established by Bangladeshis with a specific focus or reason - disaster relief, education, human rights, environment, livelihood, etc. In addition, many of them are voluntary organizations and do not have full-time staff.  

We looked at 20 arbitrarily selected organizations and found live websites.  Unfortunately, most of the data from their websites are several years old.  Interestingly enough, a majority of them were incorporated in the east coast, Texas, and Ohio.There are several organizations that appear to be strong and organized. Organizations like Drishtipat,Agami, Volunteer Association of Bangladesh (VAB), SpaandanB, etc. were started by individuals that mobilized others in their community to give back.  VAB has offices in the US and in Bangladesh.  Their website is very transparent and they list the number of students supported with a breakdown of how many and how much donors gave.  The grade level of the students and a summary breakdown of how they placed in exams are also provided.  In addition, donors receive copies of the actual financial operating statements in the mail.

There are also philanthropic groups such as Tides, Give2Asia, Geneva Global and others that work with individuals, foundations and corporations to support projects in Bangladesh. In 2008, Tides Foundation made 14 grants to various organizations in Bangladesh totaling $706,609. The funds supported groups like the Rakhaing Women's Union, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies and Action on Disability and Development.

Bangladesh Freedom Foundation and Drishtipat are working on a research project to build a database on diaspora philanthropic organizations and select case studies with the long term objective of increasing the flow of information, resources, knowledge, and expertise.  We look forward to hearing about their research and learning more about Bangladeshi American diaspora philanthropy.

Bangladeshi American diaspora philanthropy, part 1

Photo courtesy of Charles Jennings

Bangladeshi American Diaspora Philanthropy, Part 1

- by Dien S Yuen

Friday was the start of a two-day conference in Boston on "Ideas and Innovations for the Development of Bangladesh: The Next Decade".  The conference brought together several hundred participants from the US, Bangladesh and other countries. Organizers of the conference see the event as a major platform for a serious and meaningful discussion of issues, challenges and opportunities Bangladesh faces at this critical juncture in its history, as it charts new directions towards its future, and nurtures ambitious hopes about its possibilities.  

The agenda features many panels on governance, energy and environment, human infrastructure, investments and resource mobilizations and media and culture.  Unfortunately, it did not have a session on diaspora philanthropy and the generosity that Bangladeshi-Americans are known for.  Therefore, I decided to do a two-part post to share several examples of how Bangladeshi - Americans are giving back.

The 2000 Census lists 57,412 people identifying themselves as having Bangladeshi origin (although I have found other reports mentioning 500,000).  Almost 50% of Bangladeshis over the age of 25 have at least a Bachelor's degree.  Many are foreign-born and many Bangladeshis live in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit.  In general, my observations about this community is that Bangladeshis are professionals with earning power, they travel back to Bangladesh (some even have moved back), and they have organized themselves in their own social groups.  These are the core characteristics of a powerful diaspora group and philanthropists and leaders are easy to find once you start researching these groups.  One such leader is Iqbal Z. Quadir, the conference keynote, who is a legend in his own community as well as in the social innovation field.

Professor Iqbal Z. Quadir is the Founder & Director of Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (the Center was founded by MIT in 2007 through a $50 million gift from Legatum, a global investment firm). Prof. Quadir founded GrameenPhone Ltd, which has now become Bangladesh's largest telephone company.  His background in rural Bangladesh combined with his venture capital experience in NY led Prof. Quadir to recognize that the "ensuing digital revolution could facilitate the introduction of telephony to 100 million people living in Bangladesh."  

Prof. Quadir and his family established the Anwarul Quadir Foundation, named in honor of his father, in 2004, to promote the economic development and social justice in Bangladesh by encouraging innovations that empower its citizens.  The Anwarul Quadir Prize is an annual global competition that attracts submissions from over a dozen countries and ranges in focus from healthcare to micro-finance.  In 25 pages or less, the author must propose an innovative and practical idea that would improve the lives of low and middle-income people in Bangladesh.  The winner receives a $25,000 prize.

Last year, the winner submitted an essay titled "Innovative Approach to Providing Safe Water in Bangladesh".  The author had identified a fern that can be easily grown in Bangladesh and proposed a method for removing arsenic from water using the fern.  The fern can be easily cultivated in Bangladesh.  This idea could help as many as 88 million people in Bangladesh affected by arsenic poisoning.

This type of contest is a creative way to encourage individuals to be innovative in finding solutions for those in developing countries.  The rules are so flexible that anyone from around the world can submit their ideas.  It empowers the creator while helping others.  Got an idea to solve a problem?  Write it down.  Submit it.  Win a prize and perhaps get to see the idea implemented so it helps millions!

Banglaeshi American diaspora philanthropy, part 2

See also:

The Good Entrepreneur in Partnership with CNBC: Interview with Iqbal Quadir

An idea whose time had com: The Economist's special report on entrepreneurship highlights Iqbal Quadir

Innovating Bangladesh: ushering in the next sea of change in Bangladesh

On Saturday afternoon, a media plenary session analyzed the use of media as development in Bangladesh. For those that could not join the conference, Unheard Voices, Drishtipat's blog, hosted a live blogging event.

Photo courtesy of Mystic Lens

Asian Philanthropy News Digest (10/09/09)

Blue Book for Philanthropy in China.  China CSR has an article about the Blue Book For Philanthropy that was recently released.  The Blue Book contains listings of all major charity events and regulations in China from 1981 to 2008. Several highlights: (1) Chinese organizations have received CNY107 billion in 2008; (2) Government is still the driving force for non-government donations; (3) donations are shifting from in-kind and in-cash to service-related donations; and (4) China needs to create more legislation in order to develop the philanthropic sector.  By the end of 2008, 414,000 registered social entities and NGOs in China existed.  Of these, 1,597 were public and non-public collecting foundations.

Promoting Diaspora Giving Worldwide.  My friend, Dale Asis is the new Executive Director of Global Coalition for Humanitarian Efforts- Philippines.  The Coalition includes 48 individual donors and organizations that give to the Philippines.  Dale just started a blog called Global Grassroots Giving and will be "writing about 99 personal stories of the growing philanthropy of diaspora donors in the US and around the world to their homeland countries and how they are making a difference."  He will include the success stories, the ones that went awry and those that give in their new adopted country and in their native homeland.

Narayana N.R. Murthy named to Ford Foundation board.  I am not sure how I missed this big news in May.  Narayana N.R. Murthy, Chairman of the board and chief mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited joined the board of the Ford Foundation.  Ford Foundation trustees are elected by the full board and serve six-year terms.  Trustees set policies relating to grant making, geographic focus, spending, investment, management, governance and professional standards, and they oversee internal and independent audits.  Ford Foundation has distributed more than $15.6 billion worldwide and in fiscal year 2008, assets valued at $11 billion.  Each year, some 40,000 proposals are received and 2,000 grants are made.

Photo courtesy of chrisjfry.

Database of Diaspora Philanthropy for Asia

- by Dien S Yuen

Asian Philanthropy Forum started after a successful APPC conference in Hanoi in May 2008. In my first post, Continuing the conversation: APPC & beyond, I spoke about the need to take on Giving 2.0, that is, of using technology to transform philanthropy in our communities in Asia:

The circulation of ideas, knowledge and stories among donors and grantees must be increased, harnessed and shared with others. This virtuous circle of ideas, impact, lessons, and perspectives is how our community learns from itself and strengthens itself – ultimately empowering itself to influence the world, as we want it to be.

I was pleased then to see the announcement from APPC that it has made four grants to support various organizations in Bangladesh, Pakistan, China and the Philippines. The four projects include different ways of organizing and collecting information to capture giving from the diaspora.  In addition to using this information for research purposes, I hope the "databases" will eventually lead to more transparency and accountability in the sector.  From a donor-advisor perspective though, I hope the databases are available and disseminated in such a way that it is easily accessible and utilized by donors and advisors to donors.  Perhaps, this is the beginning of a diaspora database version of Guidestar for each country?