March 4, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
While both Russia and China want to promote philanthropy within their borders, Russian efforts are hampered by unethical charities and a testy relationship between the government and nonprofit groups, writes Ken Berger, president of Charity Navigator.
Mr. Berger recently attended conferences in Moscow and Beijing to discuss how the two countries can develop nonprofit regulations and bolster charitable giving.
On his blog, Ken’s Commentary, he writes of a big disparity in the events. “Whereas China seems to be taking steps forward (albeit still in the early stages), Russia is still at the starting gate. In China, they are talking about how to give, in Russia they are talking about the idea of giving,” he writes.
In Russia, since “there is so little regulation, there are no clear guidelines on what can and cannot be done. Therefore, some people have created charities as their own personal money tree (sound familiar?). At the same time, the government has a pretty adversarial relationship with the sector” because of concerns charity leaders will speak out about human rights or politics.
Read The Chronicle’s articles about the growth of Chinese philanthropy and problems facing Russian nonprofit groups. (A paid subscription or free temporary pass is required to view these stories.)
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