Asian American Giving

Disrupting the Formats of Board Meetings

I have a board meeting tomorrow at work. My colleagues and I started preparing for it two months in advance. Our fiscal year ends September 30th so this board meeting includes budget and annual plan approvals. It is a lot of work and I wonder if the hours that are dedicated to this process  is necessary (there is also an opportunity cost involved).  Or, perhaps, there is a better way? With all the talk about disruptive philanthropy and practices, I wonder if there is a space for disrupting the typical formats of board meetings.

As I reflect on my board experiences (as a board member and as a staff), I realize that there are some similarities.

1. Every board meeting comes with a binder that is sent to you a week or so before the actual board meeting (that's a lot of trees and who really needs another binder - especially those three-ring binders!).

2. There are way too many "report-backs" at the meetings and it just encourages you not to read the materials. Which means you don't prepare for questions or feedback.

3. Most meetings don't encourage conversation or dialogue. They are carefully orchestrated by the CEO or Chair so that the outcomes are what they intend them to be.

4. Only a few participate in the board meeting. The more vocal ones are heard and the opinions of larger donors carry more weight.

There are many how-to and best practices of board leadership and management books and articles. But instead of sharing all these theories with you, I wanted to find out what the  practicing nonprofit CEO/Executive Directors would prefer. I quickly gave a call to several of my nonprofit CEO/Eeecutive Director friends to see what they wish to see in their board meetings. Below are some of their comments:

1. Board meetings should be used to celebrate what the staff has done under the vision of the board.

2. Board meetings should be over the phone, once a quarter, where the CEO shares the three goals they have met and review what the three new goals are for next quarter.

3. Skip the reports and create moments for innovation that allows for the input of all board members.

4. Create space for board members to bond with each other and with staff.

5. Balance mission with "ROI (return on investment) fund-raising" talk.

What are some of your ideas? How can board meetings be fun and how can we use them to move the organization forward?

Photo courtesy of Guoman Hotels, Creative Commons, flickr

Philanthropy as Practiced by Asian Chefs

In December, the Asian Chefs Association served more than 2,000 meals to clients of San Francisco's Glide Memorial Church. The non-traditional Chinese meal included sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, stir-fry chicken and vegetable, rise, Asian coleslaw with sesame vinaigrette, fruit and cookies. In this recently released video by Jim Choi, you will see the blending of Chinese and Western culture, language, philanthropy and volunteerism. The annual collaboration between the Asian Chefs Association and the Glide Foundation is a wonderful example of social change that cuts through many barriers - race, culture, language, and social class.

The chefs include Khai Duong from Ana Mandara, Lawrence Chu from Chef Chu's in Los Altos, and Christopher Yeo from Straits in San Francisco and Sino in San Jose. They cooked the meals with woks they had to bring from their own restaurants. ACA has raised funds for tsunami recovery, human-trafficking, and supported livelihood projects related to the culinary field.

Glide Foundation's founding president, Janice Mirikitani, in partnership with her husband, Reverend Cecil Williams, have been recognized worldwide for their groundbreaking organization which empowers San Francisco's poor and marginalized communities to make meaningful changes in their lives to break the cycle of poverty and dependence. In 43 years, they have built 87 comprehensive programs that provide education, recovery support, primary and mental health care, job training, housing and human services.

I am a big fan of ACA and volunteer and attend their events at every opportunity. I encourage you to get involved and volunteer at the event next year. Volunteering doesn't get better than this - doing good and cooking with San Francisco's top chefs!

See also: Great chefs, good hearts: Asian Chefs Association

Profile: Daniel Yang - Building an Internet Cafe in Uganda

- Dien S Yuen

We are witnessing an emerging trend in the giving and volunteering patterns of young Asian Americans and we look forward to enabling and documenting this shift. We have written about Asian Americans giving to mainstream organizations in the U.S., to Asian American groups, and to Asia-based organizations. Now, we are seeing many examples of Asian Americans giving to other parts of the world. Daniel Yang is a Korean-American working to launch an internet cafe in Uganda. His story is a great example of this emerging trend.

Daniel Yang is a second year medical student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2006, as a college student, he was deeply impacted by a documentary film about the civil war in Northern Uganda and decided to travel there with three of his friends. Lacking money and a clear plan, he took to the streets of downtown Chicago dressed in a pink teddy bear costume bought on eBay for $150. With the support of a few thousand hugs, he made it to Uganda, handing 16 children in the slums of Kampala a camera and an opportunity to share their stories.

After returning from his trip, he co-founded Project FOCUS, a Chicago-based youth-led non-profit organization composed of artists, writers, activists and students committed to educate, inspire and empower youth through art. Currently, the project is working with a rural community devastated by HIV/AIDS in Lyantonde, Southwestern Uganda. Project Focus is partnering with local organizations to launch an Internet Café, providing access to information and communication previously unavailable to residents of the region. The Café will also provide technology skills training, a revenue source for a local community-run primary school, and allocate space and tools for the production of creative multi-media projects. They are looking for 24,999 supporters to give $1 each.

Daniel writes:

Web access provides communities with the opportunity to improve social welfare, and claim their voice in the global conversation on strategies for rural development. With this service, the local populace will benefit from direct links to job, educational, weather, and health information, as well as more efficient markets for produce and products.

Bangladeshi American Diaspora Philanthropy, Part 2

- 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

Seasons of Change: A Leadership Development Discussion Series, Part 2

- by Andy Ho

Back in April, I wrote about the first Seasons of Change seminar hosted by the Joint Affinity Group in Washington, DC.  Last month featured the second seminar in this series, this time on the topic of Board Involvement and Leadership.  The speakers were Rubie Coles of the Moriah Fund, Dr. Madye Henson of Greater DC Cares, and Rosetta Thurman of the Nonprofit Roundtable.  Each of them shared their experiences serving on nonprofit boards, both good and bad, and gave their advice on getting involved and serving on a board.  Here are some of the learnings that stuck with me:

* Board leadership forces you to think differently about leadership.

* Board service helps you to learn how to build consensus.

* Be present in a board - it is not a good experience to be a board member in name only; otherwise it will get on your nerves.

* If you aspire to nonprofit management, then board service is invaluable experience.

Attractive board members, they shared, are strategic thinkers, people with large networks, good at assessing group dynamics, and those that know how to run board meetings.

So whether you are already working in the nonprofit sector, or are coming from the corporate or government sectors, there are opportunities for you to serve on boards of organizations, if you have the time, inclination, and skills.  Find an organization working in your passion, and get involved!

Photo courtesy of James Jordan

Asian Employee Groups - Resources for Nonprofits

AsianWeek has a great article this week on Asian employee groups.  These groups "arose out of the need to better address the concerns of different communities within the country's increasingly diverse workforce."  Corporations such as AT&T, PG&E, Intel, Sodexo, Wells Fargo, Cisco, Visa, and Chevron have these Asian employee groups. 

The members of these groups help recruit and retain the best Asian talent for their companies.  Many of these groups also organize ways to give back to the community.  They have contributed financially and volunteer at many commmunity related causes, including earthquake relief and the tsunami disasters.  As nonprofit organizations look for volunteers and donors, it seems as if these social networks would be a great place to start.

Photo courtesy of swisscam

Vid Prabhakaran and his New Role as President, Board of Directors, Kearny Street Workshop (KSW)

Vid Prabhakaran is the new president of the board of Kearny Street Workshop (KSW), the oldest non-profit Asian American interdisciplinary arts organzation.   Vid's vision for KSW and how his community experiences have led him to this new role is the subject of this post.

I have been a supporter of KSW's for several years now and when I received an email from Vid, personally asking for a meeting so I could share my thoughts on where the organization should be heading, I was curious.  Now, here was someone that understood community relations and donor stewardship.  I am sure Vid was a little surprised when I asked if I could interview him instead for Asian American Giving. 

Vid is an attorney in the regulatory practice group of the law firm, Goodin, MacBride, et.al.  He practices before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and other regulatory agencies, with a special emphasis on energy and telecommunications matters.  He earned his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, and his B.A. in Political Science from Yale University.

1. Dien: Vid, please share with us what KSW does and why should donors and volunteers support it?

Vid: KSW’s mission is to produce, present, and promote art that empowers Asian Pacific American communities. We truly believe that by accomplishing that mission together, we can create a more just society that fully incorporates Asian Pacific American voices informed by our cultural values, historical roots, and contemporary issues.

2. Dien: How did you get involved in KSW?

Vid: I have always been involved with organizations that try to make the world a better place by strengthening the Asian American community within it. And I’ve always considered myself a supporter of the arts more generally. When I heard that KSW was looking for board members, I jumped at the chance to become a part of a dynamic organization that was untapping the creative potential of my community.

3. Dien: Are you also an artist?

Vid: I guess you can call me an emerging artist like so many of the individual artists who are a part of the KSW community. I dabble in some writing/blogging and some painting from time to time. But as I mentioned, I consider myself more of a supporter of the arts—someone who appreciates the creative exploits of a talented artist and understands the obstacles they face as they emerge as artists.

4. Dien: Please share with us your goals for KSW as chair.

Vid: First and foremost, I hope to ensure that we continue to have high quality programming. We are very lucky to have a new Executive Director who is committed to that pursuit and has already started to put together some great workshops, presentations, and galleries. Secondly, I hope to place Kearny Street on a financial footing that ensures its long term stability and continued growth so that generations of new artists and their communities can continue to rely on KSW. Third, as an Indian-American, my goal is to have all Asian Pacific American communities, including those who may not have engaged with KSW as much in the past, come to think of KSW as their organization and an important part of their community.

Desperate Housewives: H-1B + H-4 = Isolation and Depression

- Don Wong Jr.

BusinessWeek ran an article last week revealing that India sends the most foreign workers to the US on H-1B visas for high-skilled workers.

Some 45 percent of all H-1B petitions approved in 2005 were for workers from India. What's sometimes lost in all the controversy over the effects on employment (displacement) of American workers, and the US economy generally, is that there are human beings - individuals - behind each visa.

The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article this weekend, detailing the lives of the wives of Indian women in Silicon Valley. The women in the article are the spouses of Indian technology workers in the US on H-1B visas. Although these women are often highly educated, their H-4 visas prohibit them from working in the US. Away from their families, with their husbands work long hours, it's not surprising to learn that these women feel isolated, and often become depressed.

What I found so encouraging was the individual stories of how women formed networks to support one another, and how others made the decision to volunteer in various capacities to sharpen skills and contribute to their communities.

Photo courtesy of lovelypetal

How to Select For-Profit & Non-Profit Board Members: Advice from a Venture Capitalist

Fred Wilson is a professional board member and is managing director of two venture capital firms, Flatiron Partners and Union Square Ventures.  He shares his thoughts on how to choose board members on his blog, A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC.  These suggestions can be applied to selecting non-profit board members as well.

* Avoid "big names".  For the most part, they are useless.

* Select people who will attend each and every meeting, who will pay close attention to the business

* Select people who have an affinity for your business, who understand your challenges and your opportunities

* Avoid putting someone you can control on your board.  In tough situations they will have a fiduciary duty to do what's right and you won't be able to control them when it matters most to you.

Inside - Outside Leaders: Answer to the Non-Profit Leadership Crisis?

Three-quarters of 2,000 executive directors plan to their jobs in the next five years according to a 2006 Compasspoint study.  So where do we find leaders to take their place?  How about looking for an inside-outside leader - such as a board member?

Joseph L. Bower, author of the November 2007 Harvard Business Review article, Solve the Succession Crisis by Growing Inside-Outside Leaders, proposes that we look internally for our candidates.

The author found that 60% of respondents to a poll of 1,380 human resource directors of large US companies said their firms have no CEO succession plans in place.  When the time comes to name a new CEO, many firms look outside for their candidates.  Yet, he found that strong evidence supports the notion that a well-groomed insider is a key to sustaining company performance.

As most of us know, the difference between companies that manage succession well and those that don't, is that succession planning is a process, not an event.  That process should takes place years before the event.

Internal Candidate - Outside Perspective

The author describes the ideal candidate for the CEO position as an internal candidate who has an outside perspective.  That is, those who are leaders in the company but somehow maintained enough detachment from the everyday ideology and issues.  They know the tracks and the people within the company but they also know how things need to change.

To build a pipeline of future leaders, the author suggests that we:

1.  Recruit folks who are highly talented in their area of specialization and who have the potential to be managers. 

2.  Find candidates that manage effectively within the company's strategy, system and culture and yet know where the world is headed.

3.  Give them a series of increasingly complex assignments and hold them accountable.

4.  Provide them with mentors who help them maintain their unique perspective and intervene when necessary.