China Fundraising Conference, Shanghai, 6 December 2018
“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.” – Chinese proverb.
Daryl Upsall FInstF, Chief Executive is proud to be speaking on “Fundraising: Trends and Challenges in the Changing World and China” at the 2018 Chinese national fundraising conference, the CAFP Annual Forum in Shanghai on the 6th December. Organised by the China Association of Fundraising Professionals this year’s theme is “Chinese Fundraising, where to go”.
China is one of the fastest growing markets for mass and high value philanthropy in the world and market where the full power of the digital age has been put work to inspire the Chinese public to donate to worthy causes via their cell phones on a scale that is unseen in the rest of the world. In 2017 the total measured value of donations was in the region of 149.9 billion yuan, a staggering $21,605,300,000 USD.
To give an example of the scale of opportunity of digital based micro-donation fundraising in China on the Tencent Charity Foundation platform the 99 Charity Day, is the most significant charity fundraising day in the country. During the 99 Charity Day in 2017, the total amount raised from the public in 3 days reached over 829.9 million yuan, approximately $119m USD from 12.68 million donors. This year the total amount is raised was 830 million yuan, around $119.1M USD Dollar from some 28 million participations. What does this mean as individual donation amounts have gone down whilst participation rates have more than doubled?
Among the many new challenges, the fundraising and philanthropic sector face in China is how to move the somewhat random nature of the public to donate to causes and build a better long term understanding of the issues they care about and the organisations that they give to. The transition from simply giving to engagement has not really begun so far in China…but it needs to if there is to be a strong and healthy non-profit sector that is strong and sustainable in the long term.
In addition, and as noted by the rapid development of “internet philanthropy platforms” by the major online commercial players in China “makes the border between commerce and philanthropy much vaguer”, and commercial interests “will continue to strike the values and ethical boundaries of the philanthropy industry in China.”
It is going to a fascinating and exciting experience to debate these themes in the conference in Shanghai and contribute to the debate on “Chinese Fundraising, where to go”.
“To know and know that you know, not to know and know that you don’t know, that is to know.”
– Chinese Proverb
