NCGives Launches New Initiative

As part of NCGives' work to celebrate, connect, inspire and grow giving in North Carolina, NCGives has been laying the groundwork for an Asian American-Pacific Islander philanthropy initiative during the past year. This May (coincidentally, Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month), NCGives was pleased to see this initiative truly take off with the hiring of student consultant Hai-Tan Le.

Hai-Tan, who was born in Vietnam and has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina since childhood, is a rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill. In tandem with his studies in sociology at UNC-CH, he is now conducting research for NCGives on giving among Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, especially those in North Carolina.

Hai-Tan has been reviewing background information on non-profit organizations, community foundations and small giving groups, as well as scanning Asian American-Pacific Islander literature, so as to compare and contrast the types of giving that occur in these communities and to gain a better understanding of how these particular cultures view and participate in philanthropy. So far, Hai-Tan has found that "Asian Americans' value of giving is derived from the family-and it is from that collective spirit that a sense of philanthropy comes about."

Hai-Tan has also discovered that Asian American-Pacific Islander communities give a great deal of their time and talent. Rather than simply financially supporting organizations in their community, they also volunteer their time and skills as a way to become a part of the broader community through personal involvement and by creating connections. This allows for them to "walk a mile in another person's shoes" and truly empathize with those they help.

Looking to the Future...

Hai-Tan is working under the supervision of NCGives' program coordinator Arlene Ugbaja, creating a list of organizations which they plan to interview and survey regarding their philanthropic practices. "NCGives has done some program work in the African American, Latino and Native American communities as a part of our efforts with communities of color," Arlene says. "However, this is the start of our work in the Asian American-Pacific Islander community."

"While many similarities in giving exist among communities of color, there are also vast differences. This is especially true given the range of diversity among this population. NCGives' work will shed light on the generosity of this community and on the unique customs and practices related to giving as we engage in conversations across these diverse communities."

NCGives is hopeful that the community interviews, which are being scheduled during June, will illuminate what giving traditions are practiced among North Carolina's Asian American-Pacific Islander communities. The results of these interviews and the connections made may lead to a convening later in 2009 to continue the dialogue.

"Our tagline is 'connecting givers for good,'" Arlene notes. "We look forward to connecting with the various groups and engaging in meaningful conversations."