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 [...]

Following up from my post last week where I said “there is going to be a HUGE market for providing that capacity “, I was asked for a few examples of where I saw opportunities for products / services. 1) Urbanization and migrants With over 200+ cities with more than a million people, and a [...]

If there is one thing that the recent rash of scandals in China’s charities proves, it is that China has a long way to go with developing a credible and robust culture of philanthropy. A few weeks back there were the pictures of a woman named Guo Meimei caught posing with luxury cars and accessories, [...]

For many startups organizations, particularly those in the non-profit sector, finding support from volunteers can be vital. Website developers working in their spare time… An accountant to help close the monthly books… an HR Director willing to help develop HR structures and hiring practices… are all (at times) necessary engagements that can have a profound [...]

By now, if you are at all exposed to the world of nonprofits, then you are mos likely aware of the recent news surrounding Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea” and Founder of CAI. IT is a story that in short has “shocked” many, crushed the dreams of some, and have lead to [...]

While reading the recent news that Shanghai based Social Venture Group (SVG) will be launching their most recent project, a website called China Charity Gift to facilitate donations to seven China based charities. It was a project that I know they have been working on for a while now and while taking a sneak peak [...]

Through the recently released China Charity Donation Report 2010, released by the China Charity & Donation Information Center, the issues of NGO transparency were once again highlighted. An ongoing issue for many, the main data point that was highlighted almost all the coverage was that 90% of the public was not satisfied with the current [...]

With the recent success of signing 40 billionaires to the Giving Pledge, it should not be any surprise that the recent news of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet coming to China would create headlines, and rumors that they were coming to convert.  It is an event, set for late September,  that was on the front [...]

With the recent rise in China’s philanthropic activities, and the increased questions of transparency, China has reached a critical stage in civil sector development and participation. Historically fueled by large corporate donation drives, during times of disaster or as part of government relationship building, the post 5.12 earthquake era has seen a seismic shift in [...]

A friend from the Qinghai organization Friendship Charity Association has sent me a proposal to bring solar electricty to 400 people in Qinghai. PROJECT PURPOSE/GOAL This Solar electricity generating panel project would provide a reliable source of electricity for Tsanak Tibetan villagers and solve problems as follows: Local villagers, especially the local women and girls, [...]