Sales & Marketing Alignment: How to Synergize for Success
Overview on china's philanthropy for ACCP
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7. Thank you! Your Ideas, Asia ’s Future Leith Robotham 415-322-8619 [email_address] www.give2asia.org
Editor's Notes
GONGO: gov’t org. non-gov’t org. Typically designed and run by the state to address or assist a micro-social or environmental need. GONGO’s are often vehicles for international donor assistance, and because of this, they’ve become more autonomous (to the government) and more self-sufficient – a trend encouraged by the state. Although often used interchangeably with NGO, NPO is the preferred term, as the term “non-governmental organization” could have different (negative) meanings w/ in China. “ Friends of Nature” was the first NPO (originally called “Academy for Green Culture”) Still, registered NPO’s must find a sponsoring department within the government which is willing to assume responsibility for the NPO’s work. Est. 447,000 registered NPO’s, est. several million non-registered organizations operating as an NPO, and an est. several million organizations registered as a business, but operating as an NPO. (Actor/ Martial Arts Expert / Celebrity) Jet Li’s One Foundation was the first privately-funded public foundation. It’s an international foundation focused on education, health, environment and poverty.
Legislation in 2004 opens the door to private foundations – although private foundations (donors) still needed governmental representatives. Officially, the 2004 legislation requires organizations to disclose financial and program data to the governmental department they’re registered with, although a 2009 study concluded that this is rarely done. The incubation and pilot programs reflect China’s pattern of testing new services and ideas in certain areas to then gauge the public’s response. The NPO efforts have proven themselves successful, and are expected to be replicated throughout the country and used as a model for upcoming national NPO legislation. “ My money comes from society, so I should give back to society.” This quote, from a recently minted Chinese millionaire, points to the emergence of social responsibility. As the population and global presence increases for China, so do social issues.
China ’s philanthropy sector is developing positively as a whole, however it still requires greater transparency, an educational base and talent. The China Foundation Center, launched in 2010 with the assistance of the Foundation Center in the U.S., is providing a venue for transparency. This effort is to assist organizations with reporting and serve as a center of intelligence for organizations that are unsure of regulatory requirements and best practices. The China Private Philanthropy Forum offers a knowledgebase for administrative best practices. In general, capacity to fill senior and junior ranks within a given organization is greatly needed. While there is no doubt “best of intentions” is at play for program operations, skills such as knowledge of regulations and donor engagement / reporting are in short supply. Efforts must be made to build these skills if the sector is to continue to grow and become sustainable. Companies often desire to engage employees through volunteer programs. Again, best of intentions are at play, but often “extra hands to paint a classroom” isn’t truly what a given organization needs. Instead, companies should take a serious look at volunteer programs where corporate leaders train NPO leaders on management and administrative skills. Programs such as loan executives, leadership seminars, and even corporate management educational courses may be more beneficial and impactful to the organization than a few days of “painting classrooms”
Legal registration: There are still many barriers that make it difficult for NGOs (especially grassroots ones) to obtain eligible legal identity. One of the barriers is that NGO need to find an official agency to be its a professional sponsor first and then to apply registration with ministry or bureau of civil affair as a non-profit organization. But the fact is no official agency wants to take the responsibility of being professional sponsor. As result, some NGOs have to register as business entities to operate, while some others operate without any official registration legal identity. New rules issued the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on the administration of donations in foreign exchange enters into force in March 2010. This has created a lot of challenges for NGO to receive and settle grants from abroad. Again, talent lags behind the sector’s growth.
Don’t work in a silo, independent from the company’s other activities in China. Be specific on the questions you ask NPOs. Don’t ask “why should this project be funded?” Instead, ask: “How many [people / acres / animals / etc.] does your organization expect to [impact / help / etc.] through this program and what is the [program’s waiting list / environmental concern if the project doesn’t go forward / number of animals in the immediate area that …. / etc.]” Remember, you’re dealing with language and cultural hurdles, specificity in your questioning and reasoning is paramount. Finally, provide detailed feedback. Good, bad or otherwise, feedback will only benefit the grantee. It should be done regularly and with sincerity.
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