Asian American Giving

The Windows in Bill Gates' New Office: A Focus on Philanthropy

Bill Gates' "retirement" from Microsoft a couple weeks ago marked the beginning of his full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is likely to be remembered as one of the significant milestones in the 21st century of philanthropy. The Foundation (with $37.3 billion in assets, according to its website), is more than three times larger than the next largest foundation, and wields tremendous influence in the areas where it is "bringing innovations in health and learning to the global community."

I'm excited to see how Gates influences the Foundation and its work as he devotes his attention to philanthropy full-time. One article stated that he will be "just as busy, or busier, than he has in the past." Given Gates' track record of remarkable and groundbreaking accomplishments, and his high level of vision and energy, it would not surprise me to see him even busier in philanthropy.

Requests from journalist and researcher

~  Request from journalist: The following is a request posted on SAJA Forum from Sandip Roy, award winning journalist: I am doing a reporting story on "reverse immigration" following Indians who are returning to/have returned to India after substantial time in the US. Or perhaps they grew up in the US but are now pursuing careers in India. This will be a print/online/radio project for several outlets including New America Media, San Francisco Chronicle, and public radio, and I am looking for some leads for people to interview in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata (though might travel to other cities as well).

I am looking for a diverse array of people, from careers, age groups, raised in US vs immigrants, to be able to capture different aspects of issues faced in moving to India. Any leads for people to talk to would be appreciated. I am especially interested in people from the Bay Area in California since some of the outlets the story would be published/aired in are California-based. So a California connection would be great but not imperative.  My email is sandiproy[at]hotmail.com

~ Request from researcher: Deborah Bach of Pyramid Communications is looking for South Asian participants for a focus group on philanthropy. The following is the request from Seattlepi.com: The goal of this online discussion group is to learn how members of the South Asian community (those born abroad and living in King County) think about philanthropy and which community issues are most important to them. We're especially interested in talking with people who work in the technology sector.

Participants will receive a one-year family membership to Seattle Art Museum or Bellevue Art Museum for their time and opinions. The discussion will be held over a three-day period, from July 14–16. Participants may log in from any computer and at any time of day, so you could easily participate in the discussion from the comfort of home. If you or anyone you know would be interested in participating, please click the link here to answer a few preliminary questions.  You will receive a confirmation email if you're selected for the group. Any information you provide will remain confidential and participation in the discussion is anonymous.

Photo courtesy of jam343

New South Asian American Coaltion

   

From press release dated 6/24/08:

31 South Asian community organizations from 12 regions throughout the United States announced the formation of a National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO). The newly formed coalition released a detailed action and policy agenda focused on nine key issue areas affecting local South Asian American communities, including immigration, gender equity, and access to services.

Coalition partners include community-based groups that provide social services, organize, and advocate for South Asians in 12 metropolitan areas around the U.S. The groups range from member-led organizations, social service providers, and volunteer collectives that focus on a wide variety of issues such as mental health, domestic violence, racial and religious profiling, and housing and economic development. Their constituents and members include low-wage workers, youth, and LGBTIQ individuals. Some of the groups were established decades ago, while others were formed in the past 5 years.

New tools for nonprofits

* The NonProfit Times and NOZASEARCH has launched a new, searchable database of 4,456 corporate donations that are $1,000,000 and up.  The database can be accessed for free and no registration is required.  You can search by business name, state and field of interest.  The results can be exported to an excel spreadsheet. 

* YouTube has a new nonprofit program.  "Video is a powerful way to show your organization's impact and needs, and with a designated "Nonprofit" channel on YouTube, you can deliver your message to the world's largest online video community."  Nonprofits can fundraise using a Google Checkout "Donate" button.  To apply, organizations must be a qualified U.S. based 501(c)(3); not be religious or political in nature; may not be focused primarily on lobbying for political or policy change, etc.

* CivicMind: Online dictionary for people who are changing the world.  The site includes "essential words and concepts you need to communicate, work with colleagues, and learn about nonprofit organizations, foundations, national service programs, and community-based groups."  I like her definition of social conscience: an individual's concern for the needs of society as a whole and not simply those of oneself or one's family; recognition that caring about, and being responsive to, the needs of others is a moral obligation and an integral part of the practice of citizenship.

Photo courtesy of jam343

Asian Philanthropy Forum

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Asian Philanthropy Forum is the new, sister-site to Asian American Giving. As a subscriber or regular visitor, you have probably noticed that we posted a number of times on the subject of international philanthropy in recent months - especially philanthropy to Asia. From our conversations with donors and individuals working in the nonprofit sector, we have concluded that there is sufficient interest in philanthropy in Asia to justify a separate blog devoted to the topic. As a result, the articles we write about philanthropy in Asia will now appear on Asian Philanthropy Forum. We will continue to write about U.S.-based philanthropy on the Asian American Giving site.

I encourage you to visit the Asian Philanthropy Forum. We will be featuring several donor stories in the coming weeks - including a number of Americans who are giving to organizations and causes overseas. Our readers have shared with us that these interviews and stories provide valuable insight into the thinking of donors - information that would be useful to anyone in the philanthropy field.

Below are some of the stories that might be of interest to you on Asian Philanthropy Forum:

James Chen, Chairman, Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation

Steve Suda: Thoughts on Chinese Philanthropy

We welcome any feedback and suggestions you have, please don't hesitate to share it with us.

- Dien S Yuen

Photo courtesy of James Jordan