China Philanthropy

Shanghai Young Bakers: Chinese Orphans Master French Baking

Shanghai Young Bakers (SYB) trains Chinese orphans aged 17 to 23 in the art of French bakery and Chinese-style western pastry making. Thomas Meron is SYB’s Project Manager and, as the only full-time staff member, he coordinates SYB’s activities and volunteer base. I spoke with Thomas to find out what’s cooking at SYB (pun intended).

SVG: How did Shanghai Young Bakers get started?

Thomas Meron: The project idea started in 2008, but the first students arrived in 2009. Originally it was a project of the French Junior Chamber International—a group of young French people who start projects benefiting the community. The idea was simple. The founders, having spent a lot of time in China wanted to make something socially meaningful. They saw two things. The first was that the bakery market was booming, especially in big cities, the other was that China still has a lot of poverty and need. So from these two points they decided to start SYB. Because SYB was getting bigger, it separated from the Chamber at the beginning of 2010.

China’s Rich List & Philanthropy

The 2010 Hurun Rich List (for info on the 2009 list see our post here) was announced earlier this month and shows both the fast upward mobility of China’s entrepreneurs and the speed with which they can fall. Over the past several years, the Hurun List has been an increasingly popular measuring stick for the analysis of China’s wealthy class and that includes their charitable activities. The Hurun report reflects a number of changes that will impact the social sector (both directly and indirectly). Below are several ideas brought out by the List:

The New, Young, Up and Coming Wealthy
The report found that on average Hurun listers are 15 years younger than their entrepreneurial counterparts in the West, and they’re multiplying more rapidly. Over the past year, known RMB billionaires (US $150 million) have increased from 363 to 1,363. Although they still make one-third less than their male peers, China has 11 of the top 20 richest women in the world.

Links That Make You Go Hmmm…for the week ending October 15

Do High Ratings a Good Charity Make?:  Holden on the GiveWell blog discusses why he thinks charity ratings don’t cut it.

The Thing About Chinese Philanthropy: A great article on why Chinese philanthropy is the way it is. Rather than slamming the country for its hesitant acceptance of the nonprofit sector, the author says why philanthropy differs in China compared to the West and offers a possible solution.

The 2010 Hurun Rich List: The popular list of China’s wealthiest is out with quite a few names rising to the top of the list while others fall. Stay tuned for more commentary on how philanthropy might be shaping the Hurun list in an upcoming post.

Vice Premier Calls for More Rural Resources: At a recent ceremony for the National Association of Vocational Education of China (NAVEC), China’s Vice Premier Hui Liangyu said the country needs to encourage resource building for farmers and migrant workers. He called for better vocational skills so that people who choose to migrate to cities will be better equipped and farmers to have increased access to farming techniques.

Job Opening: Compassion for Migrant Children Regional Programs Manager

Compassion for Migrant Children is seeking a Regional Programs Manager (RPM) for their Shanghai post. The RPM will work directly with the Shanghai Regional Manager and collaborate with the Beijing Regional Manager of Programs and other c center teams. This role assumes primary responsibility for developing, managing, and monitoring the programs and operations at CMC's Shanghai regional community center sites, taking the lead in coordinating the community engagement efforts, and working with the Shanghai Regional Manager to launch new program initiatives. The RPM will also oversee and manage the Community Center Teams, who together with the RPM manages the community centers. The RPM will take a lead responsibility on external Chinese relationships, including Chinese NGOS, government, and communities. This position is open to Chinese Nationals. For a complete job description email recruit@cmc-china.org.

Non-profit Workers: Are We Short Changing Social Development?

 
The question of whether or not nonprofit employees should be working at market rates has the effect of immediately drawing sides in a debate that can get downright unpleasant. While it’s not a new subject, it is one that deserves more attention, especially in the context and culture of China’s burgeoning NGO sector.

GreenTV (in Chinese) reports that the average starting salaries for entry level positions for college graduates in Chinese companies is RMB 2,500/month (US $370; presumably in major cities). Within three years that salary often more than triples to RMB 8,000 (US $1200). For NGO employees, their starting salaries may be as low as RMB 1-2,000 (US $150-300) and rise to RMB 2-3,000 (US $300-450) in the same amount of time.

When great workers who are passionate about their job and the social good they can do can’t keep their heads above water financially, it can lead to high turnover rates, limited efficiency and effectiveness. Ultimately, it is the community that suffers. What needs to happen to improve the quality of work and workers in NGOs–not only in China, but worldwide?

Links That Make You Go Hmmm…for the week ending October 1

 

Gates-Buffett Dinner 50 Strong: Despite all the hoopla about whether or not China’s wealthy would make an appearance, the much-anticipated Gates-Buffett charity dinner seems to have drawn a crowd of around 50.

A Charity Dinner for the Middle Class: The Shanghaiist reports on another, less high profile charity dinner held simultaneously with the Gates-Buffett one to encourage the not-so-wealthy to consider charity.

China’s First Regional Charity Law:  Hunan Province is drafting China’s first regional charity law that will serve to protect donors and increase accountability in the nonprofit sector.

Free Insurance for Orphans: The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Children Insurance Foundation have launched a program that will provide orphans with health insurance for one year. To date, 280,000 orphans have been insured; however, the article stipulates that only healthy children are eligible. People can donate to the program online at http://1j1.cctf.org.cn or through text messages.

Should China Still Receive Aid?: With majorly expensive world events like the 2008 Olympics and the World Expo, many countries are starting to question the hefty foreign aid still given to China.

Thirty Years of the One-Child Policy: Telegraph takes a look at the state of the one-child policy now in its third decade.

You’re Richer Than You Think: A UK based website called Global Rich List allows you to calculate your yearly earnings to see how wealthy you are compared to the rest of the population. The outcome may surprise you.

Bolder Giving: “How much money is enough? Is a system that produces so many billionaires a fair one? Is it a good idea to ask billionaires to contribute their fortunes to charity? If they do, are the results going to be positive?” Journalist Kristi Heim asks some great questions about the impact and role of wealth and giving in light of the Gates-Buffet Giving Pledge.