Asian American Giving

A Better Way to Share Annual Reports?

Each year, nonprofit organizations spend valuable time and money on pulling together an annual report. The report may be the organizations' one and only 'about us' piece that they give to donors and prospects. It is filled with the usual list of contents, a letter from the chair and/or executive director, several stories of beneficiaries and donors, a donor list and financial statements, and maybe a listing or samples of projects showcasing its accomplishments. 

I think annual reports are important because it allows the organization to report back to their donors and the community on how charitable funds are used. In general, the organization is practicing good donor stewardship and being transparent with its work - besides, if you don't have one, funders get upset since it is the norm nowadays.

Is there a better way to reach the same goals but with less time, effort and money?

Debra Askanase at Sociabrite has a great blog piece showcasing several nonprofits that have transformed their printed annual report to a video report. She writes: 

Video is a natural medium for storytelling, and that’s what the annual report should be. There are some significant benefits to a video report: lasting content on the Web, video footage for reuse and changing a report into a discussion. 

What do you think? Would a donor be more likely to watch a short video? I think so. Especially if your donors are all holding smartphones, ipads and even the kindle fire.

Here's a sample of one from THEMUSEUM:

Calling Asian Pacific Islander American Bloggers!

Asian Pacific Islander American bloggers from across the country will come together on Feb 26 on the back lot of CBS Studios in Studio City, Calif.

BANANA 2 is a follow-up to the inaugural convening in Nov. 2009 co-hosted by Lac Su, author of I Love Yous Are For White People (HarperCollins, 2009) and Steve Nguyen, a television/film producer and head of the ChannelAPA.com’s Los Angeles division, who enlisted the help of a small group of bloggers and community activists to produce an event highlighting and amplifying the online voices of Asian Americans.

“We are excited to have a talented group of established and up-and-coming bloggers from the APIA community at this second annual gathering to share their voices, knowledge, endeavors and visions with others – bloggers and non-bloggers, APIAs and non-APIAs,” said Su. “All of the bloggers expected to attend have unique views of their own community, and will share their progression as an APIA blogger.”

The conference will provide an opportunity for bloggers and their readers to build a stronger community by beginning conversations and building relationships beyond the conference. Conference panels will include topics on using blogs and social media to create meaningful social change, working with businesses and corporations and defining the role of Asian American bloggers.

Giving up on Contests

I just received another email about yet, another contest for nonprofits. Whether it is an online contest to get the most votes or a contest to get the largest donation dollars, I am a bit tired of hearing about these contests. They distract nonprofits from their mission and waste valuable time and resources that nonprofit staff need to dedicate to their current work. Worse, board members hear about how wonderful these contests are all over the news and suddenly, the rest of the board jumps all over it. Staff then needs to defend why they are not involved, explain about opportunity costs, etc., etc.

Having a contest is an easy way out to find what is supposedly the "best" out there. The theory is that the best would surface and "win" attention to their work, thus, increasing their outreach and if lucky, raise more funds. Instead, what happens is that the usual suspects with more staff time, larger marketing budgets, and easy to understand missions win. 

So, before another foundation or corporation starts another contest, let's think about what the contest actually and tangibly offers the nonprofit - with their outcomes and impact in mind. Or, even think about the budget you had expected to spend and perhaps give that away instead. Afterall, is the budget really a marketing budget or a grantmaking budget? 

Know Your Sector

Ben Klasky, aka Philanthropy Guy, has a wonderfully informative and entertaining clip about the nonprofit sector. Know Your Sector shows that nonprofits in the U.S. generate $1.1 trillion each year, which is more than the entire economies of Saudi Arabia and Sweden combined! A very worthwhile 3:42 clip for those interested in working or supporting the nonprofit sector.

OneVietnam Network Prepares For Beta Launch

As an advisor to OneVietnam Network, I am pleased to announce that our beta launch is on June 17th!

Vietnamese communities worldwide will soon have a unique platform for communication and connection with OneVietnam.org. Founded by 1st and 2nd generation Vietnamese-Americans, OneVietnam is an online network that acts as a nexus between individuals, communities, and philanthropic groups serving Vietnamese communities worldwide. Its interface uses the latest in Web 2.0 technology for easy accessibility and instant connections to causes most relevant to its members. Starting June 17, those interested in reconnecting to and strengthening the community can log onto OneVietnam.org for an invitation to preview OneVietnam’s beta site.

OneVietnam came into being when a group of recent UC Berkeley and Harvard graduates perceived a growing disconnect between Vietnamese communities worldwide. Since the post 1960s Vietnamese diasporas, Vietnamese have spread out across over thirty countries around the globe. With generation gaps widening and geographic barriers present, cultural identification languishes and philanthropic organizations lose what should be a strong support system. 

Using social media and Web 2.0, this group of college graduates developed OneVietnam with community, philanthropy, and online innovation in mind. Rather than creating another social network, the founders focused their network on cultivating ties between Vietnamese communities and providing an outlet for later Vietnamese future makers to get their voices heard. OneVietnam has already managed to get the conversation flowing between individuals worldwide through its Facebook Page with 6,000 supporters and Vietnam Talking Points blog with over 200 original articles.

Building the Ultimate Philanthropy Bookshelf

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is asking for help in building the ultimate philanthropy bookshelf. They have started discussions on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to collect nominations for what should be included. To follow the conversation on Twitter, search for the hashtag #philanthropybooks.

In January of this year, I posted what I thought were the Top 10 Philanthropy Books of the Decade. What are yours?

 

1. The Seven Faces of Philanthropy: A New Approach to Cultivating Major Donors by Russ Alan Prince (2001). The author is famous for his work with high-net worth donors and advisors.

2. The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford (2001). Part of the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) program required reading. The main lesson for an advisor is that he or she must gain the confidence of their clients.

3. 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.

4. Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy by Tracy Gary (2007). Not only is this a great book for donors but a must read for advisors that want to work with donors.

5. Portrait of a Giving Community: Philanthropy by the Pakistani-American Diaspora by Adil Najam (2007). Prof. Najam looks at how Pakistani-Americans manage their multiple identities through their charitable giving and volunteering. Prof. Najam also founded the blog, All things Pakistan and is an expert on environmental policy in developing countries.

6. Money Well Spent by Paul Brest and Hal Harvey (2008). I learned about this book from Sean's blog,Tactical Philanthropy; great companion pieces are Sean and Paul's posts about strategic philanthropy.

7. Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker by Bill Somerville (2008). I bought more than 20 copies as gifts for people wanting to start a career in philanthropy. Giving made simple. Bill has a flip camera now...grantmaker + flip camera = no grant reporting and instant documented impact?

8. Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus (2008). A great read for understanding the issues of micro-credit and the potential of social businesses.

9. Law and Society in Vietnam: The Transition from Socialism in Comparative Perspective by Mark Sidel (2008). This book helped me understand the country in which I was born in but never knew. Prof. Sidel was with the Ford Foundation before becoming a professor of law.

10. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (2009). Great authors making a compelling case for investing in the health and autonomy of women and girls.

Photo courtesy of bablingdweeb, Flickr, Creative Commons

Philanthropy News Digest 4/17/10

* Melinda Tuan wrote a guest post, Building the Capacity of the Capacity Builders, on the Tactical Philanthropy blog. She serves as a Consultant to the Impact Planning and Improvement division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She writes: I've come to the conclusion that it is extremely important to build the capacity of the capacity builders. Without a strong philanthropic sector, there cannot be a strong nonprofit sector. And without a strong nonprofit sector, many people-and especially the people at the margins of society about whom I care so much- will suffer.

* You may remember our friend Christine Tran when she interviewed Ivan Small on Diasporic Giving in Vietnam and wrote about Getting an MBA in Vietnam on AAG. Christine now blogs @christienptran about tech news and research. Her recent post, Some research on consumer trust, looks at several studies on "who consumers trust when making buying decisions." She finds that "we trust our friends and family most. Yet, companies have to figure out how to facilitate more sharing and advocacy on behalf of their brands where friends and families interact." I wonder if these studies also apply to fundraising and how people give?

* Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle will receive $250,000 as part of the new Ford Foundation initiative. The "Supportive Diverse Art Spaces Initiative" will revitalize local economies by support artists and arts organizations nationwide. Wing Luke will use the funds for marketing, a website upgrade, music events, etc.

Redefining Philanthropy by XuanThu Pham

XuanThu Pham is a marketing communications consultant in the Bay Area. She provides strategic marketing guidance to small businesses, non-profit and philanthropy organizations, and small technology companies. She interviewed me last week on a piece called Redefining Philanthropy. The feature is part of Everyday Voices, an independent project featuring "one-on-one conversations with everyday, committed people around us." It is an honor to be grouped with women leaders like Penelope Trunk, founder of three start-ups, including Brazen Careerist, and Sheila Patel, professional make-up artist.

When I started Asian American Giving, my goal was to present stories featuring Asian Pacific American donors and nonprofit leaders because no one was doing it. There were very few photos of Asian American donors, beneficiaries and nonprofit leaders in the media. AAG would change that landscape. In the past several years, we have seen an increase of Asian American philanthropy blogs and bloggers and I feel as if we are getting there.

At Asian American Giving, we write about organizations, trailblazers, and philanthropic trends that are a part of our community.  Yet, I normally shy away from requests that feature my work in philanthropy. In doing this, I realize that I am doing what most Asian Americans do - we try to remain in the background, quietly leading and facilitating change. I was also defeating the very purpose of why I started AAG. Therefore, when my very good friend, XuanThu, asked me to share some of my thoughts about life, career, and influences that helped shape me as an individual, I decided that it was time that I stepped up. In the article, you can find our plans for the next phase of AAG! In addition, I encourage you to visit XuanThu's beautiful illustrations depicting the everyday lives of Asian Americans.

Globalizing Your Marketing Efforts?

The principle of knowing your audience is crucial for any marketing strategy. Knowing who you want to target and presenting the right story in order to motivate them to take action requires some work. We have a tendency to assume our audience is only here in the U.S. By doing this, are we missing a large portion of prospective donors?

For some groups, their target audience may be a local community in a particular city. For others, their work could reach thousands around the world. If your work has been recognized nationally, why not go for global? If you were an organization doing work overseas, don't you have audiences in multiple countries, i.e., grantees, donors, etc.? As we use Facebook and Twitter to market our work, perhaps we should also think about our global audiences and how they would react to the messaging too!

Fred Wilson, VC and principal at Union Square Investments, recently wrote the post Does Rest of the World Matter More than the US? He compared Comscore's U.S. vs rest of the world traffic for online groups and found a majority of visitors are actually not from the U.S. For example, Facebook has 471 million worldwide visitors; 370 million are non-U.S. or 78%. Twitter has 74 million worldwide users; 53 million are non-U.S. users - or 72%.

For those of us in the non-profit world, perhaps we should ask how we can engage others that are not in the U.S. Could organizations working overseas have marketing staff twittering in local language about what's happening on the ground there? Or, perhaps, organizations with multiple offices could have various Facebook pages that specifically target local audiences? If you were an alumni organization, are you working to reach alums no longer living in the U.S.? I believe we have an opportunity to connect with supporters, beneficiaries and partners on a global scale if we start to think about how our work transcends geographic boundaries.

Photo courtesy of Cherrylynx, Flickr, Creative Commons

In the Asian American Philanthropy Blogsphere 02/21/10

At the end of 2007, when Asian American Giving went live, we were the first blog dedicated to promoting philanthropy in the Asian American community. Over the years, we have been excited to see more Asian Americans join the philanthropic blogsphere. As the philanthropic field evolves and the use of social media becomes more prevalent, we hope others will join in the conversation.

We are pleased to dedicate this post to fellow Asian American bloggers in philanthropy and applaud them for telling their stories, sharing ideas, and highlighting hidden issues, in the U.S. and abroad. To see a partial listing of philanthropy blogs we follow, please see the right column of our site under Philanthropy & Nonprofit Blogs. 

Below are recent posts from several Asian American philanthropy bloggers we thought you might enjoy:

* Tony Wang has several posts on Grants vs. Loans for Nonprofits. The first post provides a brief history of program-related investments (PRIs) and how they are used. The second post describes the common reasons for making PRIs. Future posts will examine the particular justifications for PRIs in supporting social enterprises, leveraging government grants, and improving fundraising capacity.

* The Nonprofit Law Blog is a wonderful resource for nonprofits. Gene Takagi is the contributing editor and publisher of the blog.  The blog provides practical and useful information that nonprofits can implement immediately. A recent post by Emily Chan encourages nonprofits to conduct regular legal audits in addition to a financial audit. She lists the documents that nonprofits should have and questions that they should be asking themselves.

* Michael Edwards, author of Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World, was a guest on the South Asian Philanthropy Project blog. Asked about what more South Asian philanthropists could do, Michael says that "some are already seen as role models inside and outside those communities, but I'm not sure they are seen as intellectual leaders in the broader debate, so I think that's something that needs to be addressed." 

* On Vietnam Talking Points, Le-Quyen Le writes about the uneven progress of education in Vietnam. While the adult literacy rates is 90% and more students continue to post-secondary education, many academic partnerships and aid from the private sector only benefit a small minority of the student population. 23.4% of the Vietnamese population is between 6 and 17 years old. Le encourages more investment in Vietnam's education system.

* Dale Asis of Global Grassroots Giving and Global Coalition for Humanitarian Efforts-Philippines features the work of Ekya, a nonprofit organization composed of 30 and under Indian American professionals who are dedicated to help alleviate poverty in India. Dale writes that supporting social entrepreneurs is an important way to promote sustainable change in India and in other developing countries, including the Philippines.

* Richard Woodbridge encourages the use of family distribution networks as an alternative distribution network to the rural base of pyramid customers on Think Change India.  Creating a functional and reliable distribution network for consumer products is beyond the capacity of social entrepreneurs. Richard points out that many rural families have at least one member in the city and social entrepreneurs should take advantage of this. "The city-dweller takes the trains, buses, autos and oxcarts back to their roots in the remotest of areas to visit their homes. With them often come gifts, money, medicine, food, clothing and electronics. Perhaps there is room for one more item."

Photo courtesy of Kevin Kelly: Asia Grace