October 16, 2002 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Q. I’m looking for information regarding the solicitation of Asian-American donor prospects. I know that in Asia, the culture of giving is not the same as it is in the United States, and I would like to explore more effective means of soliciting these donors. Can you suggest any resources?
A. You’re absolutely right, there are cultural differences in giving to consider when you’re working in with Asian- American donor prospects, says Janice Gow Pettey, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Regional Foundation and the author of Cultivating Diversity in Fundraising (AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series, 2001, $29.95).
The trouble is, “Asian-American” is actually a blanket term that encompasses many different cultures (Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, and Korean are among the largest groups), and these cultures have distinct attitudes toward giving that could shape your fund-raising strategy, says Ms. Pettey. For example, “within the Filipino population there is a strong preference for doing fund raising around social events, so special events would be an area of interest,” she says. But, that would not necessarily be the case among Chinese immigrants, she says: “In that community, giving is a matter of exercising one’s moral responsibility to support those in need, and group participation is not as desirable.” Generational differences also play a role in Asian-American giving patterns, she says. “The longer a person has been in this country, the more apt they are to be interested in tax deductions as a kind of exchange for making a charitable contribution,” she says. “First-generation donors see it more as a reciprocity and mutual interest, and one does not donate for the tax credit.”
Your first step should be to learn more about the ethnic background of the Asian-Americans in your area. Your best bet for this is to visit the U.S. Census Bureau, which has a free service called American FactFinder. Here, you can learn detailed demographic information about your state, city, town, or ZIP code, and you can even narrow down your search to individual neighborhoods.
Once you know who lives in your area, you can turn to the research on fund raising among minorities. Ms. Pettey’s book is a good place to start, but also check out Opening Doors: Pathways to Diverse Donors, by Diana S. Newman (Jossey-Bass, 2002, $28), and Philanthropy in Communities of Color, edited by Bradford Smith, Sylvia Shue, Jennifer Lisa Vest, and Joseph Villarreal (Indiana University Press, 1999, $29.95).
