I have been in the philanthropy field for over 14 years and have worked mostly with Asian American and Asia-based donors. When I see articles or hear about those covering the philanthropic giving of Asian American donors, I get excited that people are sharing their knowledge. Until, of course, I find that the article or speech is horribly confusing, inaccurate, or a regurgitation of previous research. Some pieces just make me sigh and say, really?
The Chronicle of Philanthropy covered the Association of Fundraising Professionals conference in Chicago last week. Of all the sessions covered, it was great to see an article on philanthropy titled, Why Charities Need to Pay More Attention to Minority Donors. The article highlights the differences in working with Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. The reason for why charities need to pay attention to them? Changing demographics - minorities will outnuber the whites in 2050 and will become more relevant donors. But, what about now? Is no one paying attention to Asian Americans as donors now? We've seen some large gifts from the Asian American community - five figure gifts to six figures and sometimes even seven figure gifts. To me, it is not about a larger group of donors and the odds that they will give more. It is about the wealth, generosity, opportunity and cultural and societal influences that encourages Asian Americans and other "minority" groups to give.
Fundraising topics like this is difficult to present and it usually takes someone with lots of experience and sensitivity. One hope is that they have worked in the communities or have in-depth interviews with those that do. Collectively, the "minority" communities have many labels but "minority donors" is not on the most popular list for Asian Americans. The more embraced description is "cultures of caring" as found in the Council on Foundations report.
One important distinction is between the people considered "Asian Americans" and "Asians." While there are many definitions of "Asian Americans," the general understanding is that they live in the U.S. Asians, on the other hand, live in Asia. Even Asian Americans are a general term. Most people identify as Chinese American, Japanese American, Korean American, etc., before they identify as "Asian Americans." In the Chronicle article, the presenter at the conference states:
Talk of money and wealth may be taboo in some Asian cultures. In Japan, for example, family wealth is kept hushed. There may be a gender gap in the giving process, too; some Asian male donors may feel uncomfortable talking about philanthropy with a woman, Ms. Gasman said. “They also tend to give to someone who is Asian and respected by their community,” she added. “That relationship is deeply important.” Asians also value prestige and give money to institutions with good reputations. Education and services for elderly people are important causes for Asian donors.
It seems as if the quote is referring to those living in Asia. Japan is brought up and the donors are described as "Asians." But wait, I thought the topic was about Asian Americans and not Asians? Or was it the other way around?
Is there a difference between the giving patterns of Asian Americans and Asians? Yes. In addition to differences in societal and environmental influences that each individual faces, the enabling environment of each Asian country also creates different methods of giving.
To put together a session and lump several "minority" communities (with significant histories) together in a conference in an effort to explain the depth of their philanthropic patterns seems a bit superficial. Let's hope next time, someone will actually spend the time to treat each group individually and properly. Yes, we really do have enough info to fill an hour long session at a conference.