Asian Prospects Require a Highly Personal Touch

They key to creating fundraising efforts that resonate with this donor base is a personal touch, Chao writes. To achieve this, she recommends:

1) The ask be delivered by a well-respected friend, business associate or family member.

2) Building a connection with individuals and getting them involved with the organization before making the ask.

3) Acknowledging contributions and gifts and personalizing these acknowledgements to reflect the level of the gift.

4) Universities and museums offer a family gift option, as well as the ability to name gifts in memory of a deceased family member.

5) Holding events. Filipino-American donors, Chao says, enjoy events and social gatherings such as dinner dances. Likewise, golf tournaments and ethnic holiday celebrations are popular with second- and third-generation Japanese Americans and Chinese Americans. It can be an effective way to introduce these individuals to an organization. Sending out personal invitations to such events is a must, she adds.

Aside from adding a personal touch to prospect interaction, Chao says organizations looking to stimulate philanthropic involvement among Asian Americans should increase the presence and participation of socially connected Asian Americans on their own boards and staff, and collaborate with Asian-American nonprofits that are trusted within the community.

To read the full version of this report, visit www.cof.org/files/Documents/Publications/Cultures_of_Caring/asianamerican.pdf