AAPIP 2010 Blog

We’re pleased that Andy Ho, Co-Chair of the AAPIP Metro DC chapter, and co-founder of the Cherry Blossom Giving Circle in Washington DC joined us for the recent national strategy session at AAPIP.

In his guest post below, Andy shares his perspectives on the convening — as both a participant and as a key individual in helping to shape AAPIP’s early strategies in the growing giving circle movement.

Click to read more. »

42 people. 13 giving circles. 2 days. 1 historic gathering.

On July 16 and 17, AAPIP hosted a National Giving Circle Strategy Session at our new offices in San Francisco, bringing together key leadership from established, new and emerging giving circles across the country.

Since 2005, AAPIP has made the growth and development of community philanthropy a cornerstone of our efforts to increase philanthropic capital to our communities.  For us, giving circles are pure expressions of building democratic philanthropy—they’re pooled funds where individual contributors come together to decide which organizations to support in their own community and how.

Giving Circles Movement, AAPIP San Francisco (click for more photos from this event!)

Participants from 13 giving circles came together to share stories and ideas on topics such as: how to start a giving circle, identifying best practices in the field, sustaining a giving circle, developing grantmaking criteria, fund development, and working with donors and with organized philanthropy in their own communities.

Those present included founders, leaders, and volunteers representing: Asian Giving Circle (Chicago), Asian Women Giving Circle (New York), Saffron Circle (Boston), Lunar Giving Circle (San Francisco Bay Area),Los Angeles API Giving Circle, Asian American Giving Circle of Greater Houston, South Asian Giving Circle (San Francisco Bay Area), Muslim Women Giving Circle (San Francisco Bay Area), Cherry Blossom Giving Circle (Washington DC), Asian Mosaic Fund (Philadelphia), Hmong Women Giving Circle (Minnesota), the Jasmine Women Giving Circle (Boston), the Circle of Change (Los Angeles), and the Devata/Cambodian American Women Giving Circle (San Francisco Bay Area).

Over the course of the two days new friendships and relationships were forged, and all giving circles — from the longest-running among them (Asian Giving Circle) to the newest circle (Devata/Cambodian American Women Giving Circle) to the largest (the Asian Women Giving Circle) — learned something new, and supported each other in moving forward.  We were also joined by two special guests,  Nicole Cozier of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, and Patricia Evert of The Gill Foundation, whose own personal commitment to the development of giving circles is shared by the foundations for whom they work.

We extend our thanks and  appreciation to all our guests and our staff who all made this gathering both educational and festive!

…

For more about AAPIP’s Community Philanthropy, view/download the AAPIP Giving Circle Brochure (PDF).

Four years ago, AAPIP conducted the first gathering of AAPI giving circles, and there were a total of four groups. Today there are 13 with several more emerging every month, representing a wide spectrum of communities, interests and donors. As we observe our 20th year of progress in philanthropy and in communities, we will be focusing even greater attention on the national movement to grow individual philanthropy and the critical role that giving circles play as part of that movement.  And on October 20, 2010, we will convene the AAPIP National Philanthropy Summit: Building Democratic Philanthropy, where we’ll share more about our vision for giving circles and how you can be a part of this movement. Join us online or at a convening in one of eleven cities across the nation hosting a celebration.  Visit us at www.aapip.org for more information as it develops.

post author: Joe L. Lucero
AAPIP Director, Strategic Communications

…

Subscribe to our blog’s RSS feed in the top left-hand corner of this page to stay updated!

Here’s a new post from Lillian “Beadsie” Woo about AAPIP’s briefing at the Here and Now Symposium in Washington DC on June 23rd. Beadsie is one of three new members to join our Board of Directors this past April, and is also a member of the Cherry Blossom Giving Circle in the metropolitan Washington DC region.

She is a Senior Associate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, based in Baltimore, MD, one of the top twenty largest foundations in the country. She is an economist with extensive knowledge of some of the most pressing issues facing immigrant families and low-wage workers.   We’re happy to have the support of both Beadsie in this new role, and the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

new AAPIP Board Member, Beadsie Woo in DC

“The data that AAPIP presented to open the Here and Now Symposium was really eye-opening and as a new AAPIP board member, an affirmation of the importance of having an affinity group focused on foundation giving to Asian American and Pacific islander organizations and API-serving organizations.

The disparity in philanthropic dollars to API communities and organizations relative to the size of the API population in the US was shocking! For a variety of reasons (including widely varying experiences among the different communities (Hmong being different from Chinese being different from Korean), relatively small numbers in comparison to other ethnic and racial groups, and maybe a reluctance to be a “squeaky wheel”), API communities and needs are underserved by philanthropy.

By conducting the research and then presenting it to audiences across the country, AAPIP is elevating a problem that would otherwise go unnoticed. Talking with individuals from API-serving non-profits before the program began, I felt pride in AAPIP’s role as co-sponsor of this conference that empowers these entrepreneurial individuals committed to their communities.”

We’re happy to have one of our newest Board Members, Jeanie Lee Boehmler, share her observations on the recent community reception and program at The Renwick Gallery, “What is the Role of Philanthropy and Government in Times of Crisis?“

(l to r) Donna, Danielle, Jeanie, Sokunthea, Leah, & Andy - representing AAPIP DC

Jeanie is the Director of Education Initiatives at Fight For Children in Washington DC.  Just prior to joining the AAPIP Board this April, Jeanie was the co-chair of the AAPIP Metro DC chapter, and led a number of programs bridging the community and philanthropy, with AAPIP members and our joint affinity group colleagues in the region. Jeanie’s experience with low-income children’s educational issues, her work as an executive director of an immigrant organization, and her knowledge of the Metro DC community are important contributions to AAPIP.

Below are her remarks:

Click to read more. »

Click here to see all of AAPIP's Washington DC photos on Flickr!

Also, thanks to Flickr user “banjaxx“‘ for sharing your photos of AAPIP in  DC!