Much research has been done on giving circles at a national level. Women’s giving circles, in particular, have been the most popular and written about. But what about Asian American giving circles? Are they different than any other circles and if so, how are they distinctive? What are some of the experiences in starting a giving circle in ethnic communities? For an increasingly diverse philanthropic population including growing numbers of Asian Americans, there is still very little research and data on philanthropy among Asian Americans.
This post officially announces the release of a new research paper studying eleven prominent Asian American giving circles across the United States. The popularity of giving circles in the past 10 years has spawned a small but growing number of Asian American giving circles. Groups of Asian Americans, typically highly educated, urban young professionals, pool their funds together and collectively decide to give back to community organizations benefiting Asian American community organizations in cities across the United States. While Asian American giving circles are relatively small and give modest grants, what they do give is highly appreciated by Asian American communities.
The paper, Asian American Giving Circles: Building Bridges Between Philanthropy and Our Communities was presented at the 37th Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Conference this November in Philadelphia by Andrew T. Ho, of Council on Foundations.
The research paper shows that these Asian American giving circles enjoyed enthusiastic responses from community organizations. They also faced many common challenges, including volunteers’ lack of time to devote to building the giving circle, leadership succession, attracting members not already familiar with philanthropy, and educating members about philanthropy. Asian American giving circles, as a vehicle for philanthropy, are effective for bridging philanthropy to the community. The potential for increased Asian American philanthropy is clear from demographic trends, but tapping into this potential remains elusive. More research is needed to further the knowledge of Asian American philanthropy in all its forms, in order to build a greater body of knowledge to benefit the philanthropic sector.
You may download the study with the links below. In addition, please visit our dedicated page on Asian American Giving Circles Study to follow this story to post any comments and questions. Press releases and interview dates will also be provided shortly. Please stay tuned!
Download Asian American Giving Circles FINAL
Download Asian American Giving Circles Study Summary
Download Asian American Giving Circles Reference
Download Asian American Giving Circles Press Release
Photo courtesy of the Hmong Giving Circle
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