5 Steps to Developing a Successful Corporate Philanthropy Program Through my work, working with firms looking to develop “CSR” programs in China, more often than not the conversations I have revolved around donating money. For many firms, even those experienced in philanthropy, China can be a difficult place. The groups who are able to accept [...]

If the goal is to solve (or avert) the problems of business as usual, then it is going to take more than band aids to do it. That is a simple lesson that I teach my students every semester, and one that requires them to go through a series of exercises to identify the root [...]

For social entrepreneurs, or socially minded entrepreneurs, maintaining a focus on excellence and impact should be paramount. At times, maintaining that focus is difficult .. and tiring .. and it’s my hope that this clip helps those of you who are looking for a bit of inspiration (and focus).

     While there are those who feel that China’s economy has no limits, I would like to direct your attention to yet another example of where China’s economy is outstripping the basic laws of environmental carrying capacity. Poyang lake, located in North Jiangxi province is perhaps one of the largest lakes that you have [...]

Without a doubt, the latest campaign from Operation Smile sets THE example for how NGOs can better communicate their cause, their role, and their impact. The campaign absolutely KILLS IT, and going forward this will be required viewing for the NGOs/ Social enterprises I work with.  

Over the last 2-3 years, one of the more interesting developments in China’s philanthropic landscape has been the explosion of foundations that have come onto the scene. Interesting because as the number of foundations, and the number of celebrities/ CEOs opening their own foundation, grew there was a general belief that this would improve the [...]

Last night, and this afternoon, I had a bit of a scare. A donor to one of the organizations I have been working with, a long time friend, sent me a message that she was pulling her donation because of an error I had made.  It was a simple error in failing to recognize her [...]

One of the main concerns for many firms, and donors in general, over the last few years has been the ability to identify and scale up partners that will provide for the highest report on their program investments in China. In part, this is a result of the various scandals and difficulties many have faced [...]

If the first step towards recovery is admitting that you have a problem, then readers will agree that Apple taking the time to meet with several of China’s most prominent Green NGOs was a first step for Apple. Particularly given the fact that Apple was largely unwilling to address the numerous labor and environmental failures [...]

The other night while speaking with my wife about achieving goals, she made the comment that I needed to think more like a rocket than fireworks. That, in the interest of achieving my “goals”, I needed to have a trajectory with a goal as the destination… versus shooting straight up in the air, looking pretty, [...]