Giving Compass' Take:

• Philanthropy News Digest reviews a new book called Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, which details how giving has evolved in Asia, with a focus on service delivery organizations (SDOs) and an emerging market for impact investing.

• There is optimism and opportunity in Asia for many philanthropists now: Can your organization learn something from the tradition of Asian nonprofits, specifically when it comes to the strong culture of family giving?

• There is one obstacle that has been a conundrum for NGOs in Asia: trust. Read all about it here.

Recent years have seen growing interest in and media coverage of Asian philanthropy. But the phenomenon remains under-analyzed and not well understood. In Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, authors Ruth A. Shapiro, Manisha Mirchandani, and Heesu Jang set out to examine how Asian philanthropy works, how it differs from philanthropy in the West, and what we are likely to see in the way of trends and developments in the coming years.

The book, which is available as a free download and is based on thirty case studies of successful service delivery organizations (SDOs) and social enterprises as well as interviews with high-net-worth individuals, consists of nine chapters — the majority written by Shapiro. Each is devoted to a specific topic, from the laws governing philanthropy in different countries, to the strategies employed by Asian philanthropists, to the role of impact investing. Together, they present a much-needed overview of the state of Asian philanthropy in the twenty-first century.

The book opens with a brief historical survey of how charity — the act of doing good — and philanthropy — the formalized and systematic process of doing good — have evolved in various Asian countries. Differences notwithstanding, the authors make clear that there's a long history of charitable giving in Asia that is rooted in a cultural predilection to help one's family and clan and a tradition of giving to service delivery organizations (SDOs) rather than public advocacy groups ...

As for impact investing in Asia, Shapiro suggests it is very much in its nascent stages, due in part to the lack of viable deals. But that appears to be changing as the number of conferences devoted to the topic grows and governments start to create funds to support the creation of social enterprises.

Read the full article that reviews Pragmatic Philanthropy by Supriya Kumar at PhilanTopic.