AAPIP Blog

AAPIP is excited to announce the launch of our Winners Circle Facebook contest and we need your help to make it a success.  Get everyone you know (friends, family, co-workers) to go to our Facebook page and vote for a  Giving Circle. We think they’ll have no trouble finding a group that shares their passion about a particular issue. (If not, maybe they’ll start their own circle.) The top three vote getters will receive the recognition they deserve AND share $6,000 in prize money to invest in community groups. Read here for more information, or go straight to our Facebook page to vote!

Kent Wong, UCLA Labor Center

The September 2011 convening in San Francisco was the first AAPIP gathering I had attended, and I was impressed by the spirit and scope of the work.  I had the opportunity to bring three leaders of the Dream Act movement to present to the group, and they were so gratified to receive such a warm and supportive reception.  It was especially meaningful for them to speak before a national gathering of Asian American community leaders, and to be welcomed by their own community.

As someone who has worked with philanthropy over the years, I was so heartened to learn more about AAPIP’s advancement of democratic philanthropy.  The world of philanthropy is filled with contradictions.  To many Asian American community and non-profit organizations, philanthropy is an alienating and frustrating labyrinth of unwritten rules and bureaucratic regulations.

Yet, the power of community philanthropy and the giving circle movement that AAPIP has been a part of nurturing is that it promotes grassroots, democratic philanthropy that is controlled not by foundation presidents hidden away in their marble and steel towers, but by anyone who has a few friends and a commitment to make a difference.  The giving circle movement draws on the tradition of many Asian immigrant communities that have pulled their limited financial resources together for mutual support and survival, and who have learned through their own experience the power of collective support and collective action.

Giving circles are doing great work all over the country.  They are building community, identifying important grassroots causes and organizations, and pooling together resources to make a difference.  But they are inherently limited in their scope and reach.  So the opportunity to bring giving circles from around the country to learn from one another, to build on best practices, and to be challenged collectively to be part of this growing movement is an exciting process.

In my work with the Dream Act movement, I have been inspired by a new generation of leaders and activists who represent the hope and future of our society.  With virtually no paid staff, no lobbyists, no fancy buildings, travel budgets and expense accounts, they have built a powerful movement through sheer courage and determination.

But I also realize that they can’t build this movement alone.  They need allies who can support them with scholarships and internships, who can access the media and reach policy makers, and who can provide financial support to grow their movement.  With encouragement and support, the Dream Act students will change the direction of this country.  They are my heroes, and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with them.

Kent Wong & DREAM Activist, Catherine Eusebio

Kent Wong is the Director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also a Trustee of The New World Foundation.

by Allistair Mallillin

Last weekend, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) convened giving circles from around the country in San Francisco. Being a relative newcomer to AAPIP, I thought I had signed up for a free weekend trip with amazing food, not knowing what kind of content would be in store. The quality of food surpassed expectations, but what really resonated was the quality of people.

In particular, two things really stuck out for me during the weekend.

One came from Eugene Cho, founder of One Day’s Wages, who said that a fundamental aspect of leadership is being willing to do what you are asking others to do. If you cannot, you are simply a salesman without integrity. This has a lot of meaning in the context of building a giving circle movement. During the weekend, we were asked how we can help grow the number of giving circles to 50, and the real answer is that we have to care about the root values of the giving circle. We need to show integrity, as Eugene would put it. As we continue to grow the giving circle movement, our paths are much easier when we have a deep connection to an issue. Throughout the weekend, all of the participants displayed that strong connection, as well as the energy and enthusiasm to help make this campaign a reality.

The second thing that stuck out came from the restaurant where we all had dinner. The restaurant had a quotation wall, and one from John Steinbeck spoke to the human mind as being the most valuable thing in the world.  As the giving circle campaign continues, it is important to note that each circle was envisioned by a few people—minds—wanting to make a difference. And the impact of that idea is something that can be taken to heart. As was brought up in discussion, giving circles do not have to exist forever, but can exist within certain timeframes. The longevity of a giving circle is measured not in years of existence, but in the impact of the funding distributed to Asian American organizations, and the awareness spread on behalf of building democratic philanthropy.

It was great to get away for a couple of days, and return to Boston re-energized, inspired, and grateful to have a nationwide network working towards the common goals of building democratic philanthropy and supporting Asian American organizations. Since the first giving circle was formed in Chicago (with the assistance of AAPIP), the giving circles have awarded over $800,000 to Asian American organizations nationwide. That is an amazing feat when you consider that these giving circles run solely on volunteer efforts. While it is important to keep progressing forward, I want us all to take a moment to reflect on the impact and support we have provided the Asian American population. One grant at a time, we are empowering our communities and working to change the institutional systems at play. Let’s continue to build the movement of change!

Allistair Mallillin is the Development Associate for United South End Settlements and a member of the Saffron Circle, a giving circle of multi-generational, multi-ethnic Asians committed to creating positive social change by pooling resources and sharing talents in the greater Boston Asian community.

By Noelle Ito, Director, Community Philanthropy

The following post was prepared in July by Noelle Ito, following some of her initial meetings with giving circles around the country, as AAPIP’s new Director of Community Philanthropy.

11 giving circles, 7 cities, 1 month and lots of meetings later, I feel fully immersed in AAPIP’s National Giving Circle network.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting all but two of our giving circles and have learned of their strategies, struggles and aspirations.

I started my tour in the Bay Area and on my third day attended the Devata Giving Circle’s Inaugural Celebration.  The stories of each of the Cambodian women that make up the circle brought the whole room to tears.  They were stories of refugee families, identity, and empowerment through giving back to their community.

In the Bay Area I also met with the Muslim Women’s Giving Circle, the Lunar Giving Circle and the South Asian Giving Circle.  Although each with a different mission, style and focus population, the leadership of each circle inspired me and I could see what the future holds as multiple circles emerge in each city.

In Los Angeles I learned about the Circle of Change’s use of video to share information on local organizations to their membership.  I also attended the LA AAPI Giving Circle’s celebration event where I met youth that had participated in the Summer Activist Training and witnessed new members joining the giving circle movement.

After covering all of California, it was off to Chicago where Peggy Saika, Jai Lee Wong and I attended the Asian Giving Circle event at the PepsiCo Sustainability Center where grants were given out to four outstanding organizations one of which was receiving their first grant ever!

As we made our way to the east coast, we got to know Amtrak well as Jai and I stopped in NYC, DC, Philly and Boston.  In DC, we attended the Cherry Blossom Giving Circle’s learning and networking event where community organizations discussed the state of the local AAPI community.  Over breakfast with the Asian Mosaic Fund in Philadelphia, we learned of an emerging Latino Giving Circle that they have taken under their wing by lending technical assistance.  And in Boston we met with both the Jasmine (one of our newer circles) and Saffron (one of the oldest) Giving Circles and learned how they are working together.

Along the way I was very fortunate to also meet with a few of AAPIP’s close friends from the last 20 years including Jessica Chao, Kathy Im, June Jee, Lisa Philp, and Ruby Takanishi, as well as, a few of the hosts of the giving circles including the Liberty Hill Foundation and Asian Pacific Community Fund.

- written by Joe Lucero

AAPIP is pleased to welcome Noelle Ito, Director, Community Philanthropy.  Noelle started with AAPIP on May 23, and has already made remarkable progress in reaching out to AAPIP’s growing network of giving circles across the country.

In this new role, Noelle will shepherd AAPIP’s Giving Circle Campaign and growing work in the development and support of a national giving circle movement. Prior to joining AAPIP Noelle was the Director of Donor Relations for BronxWorks, in New York. She has also served as the Director of Development for the Little Tokyo Service Center in Los Angeles.

Noelle has extensive experience in donor relations and, in a recent interview, shared her thoughts about the promise and potential of community philanthropy and giving circles, in particular:

“There are donors that look like us … and if we pool our resources, like we’ve been doing all of these years in our community’s history, we can do something really big. It’s going to make a big impact. We can partner with each other, and leverage each other’s strengths. … Giving circles are all different. There’s not one formula. They’re all unique and we want to preserve that.”

On the role of institutional philanthropy, and community foundations in particular, with the giving circle movement, Noelle adds:

“This movement really is going to involve everyone – from big foundations, community foundations, AAPIP, the giving circles and their leadership, the non-profit organizations doing the work and their participants, too.”

To learn more about Noelle and her observations about the impact of community philanthropy and the AAPIP Giving Circle Campaign, watch this brief interview or contact her at Noelle[at]aapip.org.