Giving Compass' Take:

• The Centre of Asian Philanthropy and Society produced a study that measured Asia's potential to do good and how many people view philanthropy throughout the continent. 

• How can other regions support each other's philanthropic pursuits through collaboration and information-sharing? How can we encourage global philanthropy for future generations?

•  Read more about what is hindering growth for the philanthropic sector in Asia. 

The is a first-of-its-kind study by the Centre of Asian Philanthropy and Society that looks at the factors enabling and impeding philanthropy and other kinds of private social investment in Asia. We worked with 34 partners from 15 economies to survey 1579 social delivery organizations and 80 experts.

Our participants (around 1600 organizations and 80 experts across 15 economies) answered questions about a range of factors that influence philanthropic capital.    The questions fell into four categories – regulations, tax and fiscal policies, procurement and ecosystem.  The first three are government-driven, while ecosystem looks at the role that people, communities, companies, and universities are playing in addressing social challenges and nurturing the social sector.

  • Insight #1: We find that people are out ahead of government: Asian economies generally score higher in ecosystem than the other three categories. Society is rewarding philanthropists and organizations in the social sector.  Public recognition and awards are becoming more prevalent in the economies we studied.
  • Insight #2: The right policies and incentives matter: Tax subsidies contribute a great deal towards the propensity to give across income levels and have an important signaling effect. In addition, the right policies can address the trust deficit and mitigate the deleterious effect on philanthropy. Many social delivery organizations in Asia are endeavoring to become more transparent and accountable.
  • Insight #3: The social sector in Asia is vastly understudied:There is very little reliable data. For the Doing Good Index, we had to create the data from scratch. More information about philanthropy can help address the trust deficit and showcase which practices, models and policies are best in class.

The key is to put systems and practices in place that allow us to learn from each other, contribute to our communities and help Asia become a global philanthropic leader and a center for social innovation.

Read the full article about philanthropy in Asia by Ruth Shapiro at AVPN