Asian American Giving
In this blog series, we hope to explore the history, cultural traditions, and current practices of Vietnamese-American giving in order to demystify for many a demographic that holds great potential for the philanthropic sectors.
While much has been written about the Vietnamese-American experience, its struggles and triumphs, little attention has been given to the community’s philanthropy. Yet, as the high levels of mutual assistance and the billions in remittances sent back to Vietnam each year show, the Vietnamese-American capacity for giving is tremendous.
It is a community that has matured immensely since its humble beginnings in the 1970s. From fleeing “boat people” and disenfranchised refugees, Vietnamese Americans have become innovators in Silicon Valley, legislators on Capitol Hill, and trendsetters in the worlds of arts and entertainment. As it transitions from a silent immigrant demographic to a community of political, economic and cultural influence, it is time for the philanthropic sector to pay greater attention to this population as well.
In this blog series, we hope to explore the history, cultural traditions, and current practices of Vietnamese-American giving in order to demystify for many a demographic that holds great potential for the philanthropic sectors.
Motivations
The refugee backdrop of early immigrants greatly informed the trajectory of Vietnamese-American philanthropy. Because Vietnamese refugees were often impoverished and ill-prepared for their new life in America, the first Vietnamese arrivals were less concerned about philanthropy than they were about meeting basic survival needs. Nevertheless, philanthropic activity, both informal and institutional, arose as Vietnamese Americans actively sought out one another to form support networks and organizations to serve the community.
Factors often cited by Vietnamese-American donors as drivers of giving include Confucian values and a commitment to religion. Like many Asian communities, Vietnamese culture has been profoundly shaped by Confucian thought, which emphasizes filial piety, relationships, and altruism among its main tenets. These values combine to foster the mentality that tending to the well being of the family and immediate community is a social responsibility. Philanthropy, naturally, ensures the financial health of loved ones.
A similarly prevalent force in the lives of many Vietnamese Americans is religion. As one Vietnamese-American philanthropy advisor explained, “There’s a lot to be said about the Vietnamese-American culture that really does inculcate and promote a sense of generosity beyond the self. When you add in Buddhism and Catholicism, it extends even more so.” Religious demographics within the community have yet to be proffered, but the majority of religious Vietnamese Americans profess to Buddhism or Christianity (particularly Catholicism) – religions where values of compassion and charity serve as central pillars.
Next: How and Where Vietnamese Americans Give Domestically
Institutional philanthropy—the practice of giving to mainstream, tax-exempt charitable organizations—is a relatively new concept being embraced by the Vietnamese-American community. Instead, Vietnamese support mechanisms have been traditionally based on informal giving between family, friends, and immediate community members. The strong kinship ties that typify Vietnamese culture, in line with the Confucian values that define many Asian countries, lead them to look first to their network of acquaintances before turning to governmental or institutional resources in times of need. These informal practices remain the predominant model of giving within the Vietnamese-American community today. For instance, established Vietnamese Americans often take it upon themselves to help newer Vietnamese arrivals by providing shelter, mentoring, and general assistance.
Although informal giving remains dominant among Vietnamese Americans, the refugee circumstances of their coming also compelled Vietnamese Americans to develop philanthropic mechanisms beyond their immediate networks. The Vietnamese refugee experience has often been characterized by a separation from family, traditionally one’s first line of support; and U.S. resettlement policies, designed to scatter refugees across the country, complicated the community-building process. As a matter of survival, many early Vietnamese Americans performed second, domestic migrations and congregated in ethnic enclaves, where they established faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), such as Vietnamese-American Catholic parishes and youth development centers.
FBOs and CBOs have had a visible presence in the Vietnamese-American community as early as 1975 and continue to be among the most observable sites of Vietnamese American philanthropy today. In addition to providing social services, such as English language lessons, job training, and healthcare, FBOs and CBOs often act as giving channels operating in between informal and institutional spheres. As organizations that serve narrow, ethnic-specific causes, it can be difficult for FBOs and CBOs to secure financial support from outside the community. They often must rely on the very community they support to finance their operations. Vietnamese Americans have, for the most part, responded accordingly, donating both financial and human capital to these organizations.
Next: How and Where Vietnamese Americans Give Back to Vietnam
by ANH TON
Even as they work to establish themselves in the U.S., many Vietnamese Americans commit to supporting family and charitable projects in Vietnam. In the early phases of the diaspora history, underdeveloped official channels led to the rise of informal giving that persists today. More recently, relaxed legal and tax regulations have also enabled the growth of institutional philanthropy to Vietnam.
Read the rest of the article at asianphilanthropyforum.org >
by ANH TON
On a whole, the Vietnamese-American community is still in its wealth-creation stages, so it is difficult to ascertain whether younger Vietnamese Americans will embrace philanthropy as a pronounced aspect of their lives or give on a more passive basis in order to focus on raising their own net worth. Less occupied by the politics of older generations and more receptive to giving back to and beyond the immediate community, younger generations of Vietnamese Americans have the potential to charter their own path.
Today, there are strong hints towards the rising salience of giving among Vietnamese-American youth. For example, Vietnamese Student Associations (VSAs), found in high school and college campuses across the country, are growing hubs of philanthropic activity. Since 2005, the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) has incorporated philanthropy into its core mission by initiating the Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP), which allows Vietnamese-American students (and other members of VSA chapters) to fundraise and actively participate in the grantmaking process to serve Vietnamese or Vietnamese-American causes.
Read the rest of the article at asianphilanthropyforum.org >
by ANH TON
Given the unique history and culture of the Vietnamese-American diaspora, there are accordingly unique ways in which it approaches philanthropy. Charitable organizations hoping to connect with this group should be mindful of the reservations still prevalent among Vietnamese Americans about institutional philanthropy. Opportunities to overcome this lie in personal touches. This is not a direct-mail constituency but rather one that responds to community relationships.
The idea of giving to larger charitable institutions, as opposed to personal contacts or local groups, is something of a novelty to many Vietnamese-American donors. Vietnamese Americans may be well-acquainted with charity but philanthropy as defined by Western precepts is new and difficult to explain. It is up to NPOs to demonstrate to Vietnamese Americans the value of institutional giving, whether that value comes from providing tax benefits or increasing accountability of how donations are used. NPOs must also be transparent about how they operate in order to assuage Vietnamese-American reservations.
Read the rest of the article at asianphilanthropyforum.org >