SAPP featured on the More Donors blog
Check out an interview with me on the More Donors blog. Thanks to Devin for featuring SAPP as a part of his “Be Our Guest” feature!
SAPP Blog Forum: Q&A with Mallika Dutt of Breakthrough
We at SAPP are very excited that our 2010 New Media Intern Nancy Gong had a chance to sit down with Mallika Dutt for an interview. Many of you probably know of Mallika, the president and CEO of Breakthrough – a human rights organization that uses pop culture, media,and technology to create awareness about human rights issues including HIV, women’s rights, racial justice, and immigration. Mallika has also served on the boards of our good friend AAPIP and Games for Change, and was a co-founder of Sakhi for South Asian Women. She is a great philanthropy role model for our community.
What is Breakthrough’s major focus and how does it do its work?
We’re about ten years old, and we work in two specific parts of the world: India and the United States. And in the fall, we’re really looking to go global, particularly with the issue of violence against women. While we work in these two specific countries, a lot of the products and initiatives we’ve created have large audiences in various parts of the world. So, in some ways, we really already see ourselves as a global organization.
Breakthrough’s methodology is to create cutting-edge media on human rights issues. This can take the form of multimedia campaigns, say on women and HIV/AIDSor calling on men and boys to take a stand against domestic violence. Or, it could take the form of a video game – which we did with ICED [I Can End Deportation], to get attention focused on deportation in the immigrant community. In addition to the multimedia pieces, we really look at mobilizing people at the community level to get involved and take action.
Where does Breakthrough receive its financial support?
The bulk of our support comes from organizations like the United Nations, bilateral agencies, the Dutch government, and others. But we’ve also been doing a gala in New York where we reach out to individuals to come out and support our work. The gala has been a very important outreach moment for the organization because it has given us an opportunity to showcase Breakthrough’s work directly with people of wealth. It’s been fantastic and also very challenging.
How engaged are South Asians in the United States with your mission and how do you perceive their philanthropy?
In the last decade or so, I think the South Asian community in the United States has started to become more philanthropically-oriented, but it’s still an uphill battle. There are particular kinds of causes and issues for which it is easier to mobilize the South Asian community in terms of giving. For example, there is an organization called Pratham, which works on literacy issues with children in India. Pratham raises millions of dollars from the South Asian community every year in the United States. They do a number of galas and they are very successful. I think they are so successful because Pratham is very specific and tangible – your money is putting 50 kids through school.
It’s far more challenging to get the South Asian community to support human rights or social justice or women’s rights issues compared to education and literacy. So, for example, I am one of the co-founders of an organization called Sakhi for South Asian Women, which is now about 20 years old. Sakhi works with battered women of South Asian origin in New York. There are a number of individuals who certainly give to Sakhi from within the South Asian community, but it is certainly not at the same scale and level at which they support Pratham.
There is another organization called SAYA!, which works with low income kids in the NYC area. It is far more challenging to raise resources to deal with discrimination and racial justice issues domestically, the kind of work SAYA! does. For us, it is far easier to get people to support our work on violence against women in India than it has been to get people to support immigration and racial justice work here in the U.S. That’s ironic to me because we are an immigrant community in the United States, and the challenges we’re facing in the immigration debate certainly affect the South Asian community. But, in terms of them seeing those issues as something to really invest in and get behind, it’s much more difficult.
What about South Asians and political giving?
I see much more South Asian giving not necessarily in the field of philanthropy, but in support of South Asians running for political office. There is a coming-of-age around political participation and political voice. This is something that people have started paying attention to, whether it was Bobby Jindal or Reshma Saujani or other people of South Asian origin who are beginning to run for office.
South Asians are supporting South Asians running for political office, regardless of their geographic location. And it’s not just South Asians that they are supporting. We’re getting more groups like South Asians for Kerry, South Asians for Obama – South Asians claiming a political space in this country.
Breakthrough uses a lot of popular culture and social media to aim at the younger generation – is that an intentional strategy or is it just to make your message more accessible to the masses?
It’s both. Read more…
Volunteering abroad
A lot of charity and philanthropy doesn’t necessarily come from money or donations. Sometimes it’s as simple as volunteering at a booth at a fair or event or giving your time to an organization for a weekend. A lot of people might prefer feeding the homeless in soup kitchens to giving their hard-earned money to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
I’ve been surfing around the web and in the same vein as my past few posts, I found a pretty cool organization called the True Travellers Society. What does that mean? Well, their tagline is, Free Volunteer Work and Meaningful Travel Abroad. Essentially, they post listings of organizations in certain countries (in basically every region of the world) that need volunteer help. They compile all the information and you’re free to go ahead and look up the organizations to see if there’s anything that sparks your interest.
It’s a perfect opportunity for those who would prefer to be more hands-on with their philanthropic contributions or simply… want to travel and want their visits to have meaning rather than just stay in a bunch of tourist traps. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see local culture and to expand your horizons. A lot of people I know who have done similar projects always feel so incredibly rewarded when they come home.
So check it out! It might give you the opportunity to go live in another country and experience another culture for awhile. Or even more fun yet, it’s the opportunity to go back to your “ethnic” roots to explore a bit and meet some new people and make some new friends.
Hunger in India
Chowk estimates that 700 people lose their lives to hunger each day in India.
Compared to larger and more “publicized” reasons of death in India (for example, terrorism or disease), hunger is a very real problem that seems to have taken a backseat. It’s also a very real problem that could be easily aided and remedied by some assistance from other people (including wealthy South Asians). In fact, the Chowk article highlights that even with the growing amount of Indian billionaires and wealthy groups, there gap between the poor and the rich is growing larger and larger.
As I’ve been trying to highlight in my postings on this blog, it’s not unique to South Asian cultures to see such a large disparity like that, but that is hardly justification. World hunger is a very large problem now and will continue to be an even larger problem in the future.
There are many South Asian non-profit organizations whose main focus is to help alleviate hunger and poverty in South Asia. The Akashaya Patra Organization uses donations to encourage children’s education and literacy along with providing them with a meal.
As I learned in my forthcoming interview with Mallika Dutt, South Asians seem to be very interested in promoting causes of literacy and children’s education, but not as concerned with other types of philanthropic activities such as immigration or human rights. Similarly, you may recall that I had blogged about The Hunger Project previously, which focuses on teaching and educating communities about growing and providing their own food for their community.
As a person who can barely stand to be hungry for more than an hour, I can’t really imagine what it would be like to be almost perpetually hungry — especially when I look at the waste that either goes in my disposal bin because of rotted leftovers or just poorly obtained produce from the grocery stores. Think about it. A meal for a day might be just that one extra day that makes things happen.
SAALT presents “Lead the Change”
We’re always excited about “Be the Change” – an annual event each October, organized by SAALT, to encourage volunteering by South Asians in the United States. So we’re just thrilled to hear about their new initiative “Lead the Change“:
On the occasion of our 10th anniversary, SAALT is proud to introduce a new leadership development event that provides community members with skills and resources to become effective community leaders for social change. This year, we are offering this initiative in two locations: Washington, DC, and San Francisco, CA.
This year, “Be the Change” takes place across America on Saturday, October 2nd. “Lead the Change” will take place the following day in Washington and San Francisco.
Registration for “Lead the Change” begins on August 6th – so keep checking back at SAALT’s website and sign up!
Do you have diabetes?
As many of you know, Type 2 diabetes is a huge challenge for the South Asian American community. Here is a public service message from the American Diabetes Association, with a request to fill out a survey targeting South Asians. Please forward to everyone you know who might be interested.
It is great to see such a large, mainstream charity focus on the needs of South Asians!
Do you have Diabetes? Are you South Asian American (from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka)?
Help the American Diabetes Association learn how to better serve you. Share how diabetes affects your life and help us learn what kinds of information and resources would help you manage your diabetes .
Complete a brief survey online by clicking here.
Right to Information in India
c/o NYTimes.com
India’s Right to Information law has given the poor a powerful tool to ensure they get their slice of their country’s pie. The New York Times reports that India passed a Right to Information law about five years ago to “promote accountability and transparency” in the public sectors of India’s government. In fact, the article details the story of a woman who was able to receive a housing grant once she was able to inquire and receive information about how her previous neighbors or associates were able to get a hold of those same grants.
From the looks of it, since this law’s major goal is to promote public transparency, it isn’t going to be a matter of jumping through too many hoops in a country mostly known for its intricate bureaucratic nature. As the article notes, if a woman who was living with her three small children in little side-street mud huts with a grass thatch roof can manage to inquire and receive information, this law must really have opened up doors for accessibility.
For our purposes here at SAPP, perhaps India’s new law is a grander step for overall transparency in Indian organizations, including non-profit and charitable organizations as well. This law seems to be easing some of the intense apprehension that citizens may have about where their money is going. After all, with a more informed public, in turn, more informed and public-serving officials or representatives will be elected… and a generally more accountable population can emerge… gradually.
What are your thoughts on this law? Do you know anyone who could really use this new law? Do you know someone who has already utilized it? We’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
Philanthropy + Anthropology= Philanthropology
Philanthropology: Where do you fall? 
It’s a pretty common understanding that a lot of the things we do as “adults” come from what we were exposed to and taught when we were younger.
So it’s logical that Barclays Wealth, the leading global wealth manager, has determined that there are several different types of “philanthropists” or “donaters of money,” based in large part on your own background:
Privileged Youth: Typically younger, and have inherited their wealth. Give their time and energy to charitable causes as a means of offsetting some of their guilt about their comfortable lifestyles. They are very generous with their time, and use their social networks to support predominantly social welfare causes across the globe.
Eco Givers: Eco Givers are most likely to be young females who have worked hard for their wealth. They are demanding of how their donations to charity are spent and, fundamentally concerned with the issue of climate change, this group predominantly supports environmental charities.
Altruistic Entrepreneurs: Middle-aged business owners with strong ties to their roots, this group’s wealth is self-made. With a strong belief that successful people have a duty to share their wealth, their philanthropic behaviour is often driven by their desire to support the communities in which they grew up.
Reactive Donors: Predominantly high-earning male executives, this group usually gives to charity because they believe that it is expected by their peers, rather than through a social or moral motivation. They also tend to give indirectly, through purchases from brands that support charities.
Cultured Inheritors: In their late 50′s and 60′s, this group’s wealth tends to be self-made although they also have inherited wealth. They plan to bequeath their wealth to their families. They wish to continue to the legacies of their parents, who may also have been heavily involved in charitable work. Their social and moral beliefs drive their motivation to give.
Professional Philanthropists: Consisting of high-level executives and successful business owners, this is the oldest group and their wealth is almost exclusively self-made. They support causes not only through donations but also by offering their business expertise, leading them to be more demanding of charities as they want to see the impact of their donations.
So, not to go over the same territory as other blogs, but: what category do you fall under? Personally, I don’t think I fit “neatly” into any of these categories at all and I can think of a few people who don’t either. Of course, note the caveat at the top, which says these are categories of “high net worth/income individuals.”
Even through the Barclay’s categories, one can tell that a lot of people give for various societal reasons. The “Privileged Youth” likes to use their social networks and offset their guilt. The “Reactive Donors” give because of peer pressure. “Professional Philanthropists” donate because of their business expertise.
We’ve talked on this blog about how South Asians may not be giving as much as other ethnic groups because of the societal influences that surround them, such as a mistrust of how the money is being handled or suspicion about the lack of transparency of the charities. The ‘save-save-save’ mentality that is embedded into so many Asian cultures may be another factor. (And yet, that saving has gotten them somewhere. India’s GDP is the 5th highest in the world, just behind Japan and China and beating out even the UK.)
If you don’t fit neatly into these categories — why don’t you tell us what type of philanthropist you are? Do your philanthropic ways sprout from your cultural background? From how or what you were taught to do as you grew up? Or was it from growing up and observing the world around you? Did you realize there was a need and you strived to fill it or do you give for other reasons? It’d be great to be able to get at the heart of “philanthropology” from your perspective!
India Canada state dinner in Toronto
With Aditya Jha (right)
Last night, I had the great good fortune to attend the India-Canada state dinner at the end of the G-20 Summit in Toronto. After getting through some protestors and some intense security, I finally got to the dinner and was delighted to find that Bollywood star Akshay Kumar would be our master of ceremonies.
It was so impressive to see so many Indo-Canadian leaders in one room, including Aditya Jha (whom we profiled here), and Hari Panday (who helped SAPP learn all about South Asian immigrant history in Canada from a philanthropic lens). There were also others from the Canada India Business Council, the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce, all the universities in town, and many independent business owners.
I was also able to meet some of the leaders and donors from the Canada India Foundation, which last year entered into a landmark joint initiative with the University of Waterloo “for the advancement of Canada’s research capacity in studying the politics, economy and social conditions of contemporary India” that will rely heavily on South Asian philanthropists:
In a memorandum of understanding with Waterloo, CIF will contribute up to $2 million to launch the India initiative, formally named Chanchlani India Policy Consortium, under the CIF banner. The CIF contribution will help establish a $10-million endowment, with donations to be raised from government and other private sources.
Yesterday was the first bilateral summit between the two countries’ prime ministers in 37 years, and capped a series of talks that resulted in a civilian nuclear deal and various business and education agreements. The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also announced that 2011 is going to be a “Festival of India” in Canada – here’s hoping SAPP can play a role!
Billionaires Get Together to Save the World!!!
Warren Buffett (c/o Getty via This Week)
It’s a little bit fascinating and a little bit intriguing and a whole lot eyebrow-raising, but according to The Observer (which is a sub-division of The Guardian over in the UK), earlier this month, some of the world’s biggest and richest names have gotten together to see what their collective wealth can do to help the world, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Dan Rockefeller, among others.
How terribly fascinating. But can the richest people on earth actually save the planet?
The article says that that “The Good Club” is already sending shockwaves throughout philanthropic and other human-aid/development organizations throughout the world. It’s pretty common knowledge that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gives regularly to all kinds of charities and non-profit organizations, the question really is: Can these billionaires actually save the world?
Their first meeting took place last year in NYC behind closed doors at the prestigious Rockefeller University, so no one really knows what they talked about, but I would imagine that it involves aiding developing countries and promoting humanitarian endeavors – and South Asian nations determinedly need aid in both areas. This year, the group is advocating a “Giving Pledge” to donate most of their accumulated wealth – summarized nicely in This Week. People who join the club will be invited to an annual “Great Givers Summit”.
In this article from The Times in the UK, I was especially struck by how the billionaires don’t want this meeting to be seen as some kind of “global cabal,” and that’s the main reason why it wasn’t hugely publicized. It will be interesting as “The Good Club” pools their collectively brilliant and entrepreneurial minds to see what they can do. The article has a resoundingly optimistic tone – not doubting the good hearts of The Good Club, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.
What do you think? Will these collective group of billionaires be able to help change the world? Or, do you believe that old adage, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”, which goes hand in hand with “Money is power?” Do you think South Asian billionaires will join “The Good Club”? Do you think South Asian communities will benefit?
