Annelotte Walsh
Annelotte Walsh is the Director of Research at The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), she supports the creation of evidence-based insights to maximize private social investment across 18 Asian countries and territories. With extensive experience in research, analysis, and management, she has worked with NGOs, charities, and international organizations globally. Annelotte holds a PhD in Law from the University of Hong Kong, along with Bachelors and Masters degrees in International Relations. Previously an honorary lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, she has also worked for UNICEF Australia and the United Nations Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia.
What we learnt
What we learnt
Annelotte Walsh discussed the significance of partnerships, data collection, and collaborative research for creating tangible impact in philanthropy, social investing, and private capital in Asia. The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) conducts research projects like the Doing Good Index, which examines private funding flows for social good in Asia. CAPS collects data directly from social delivery organizations (SDOs) and collaborates with partner organizations in all 18 economies to gather and disseminate the findings. Their data collection includes surveys covering demographics, financials, and experiences, as well as expert meetings for nuanced and factual information.
Annelotte highlighted the blurred boundaries between philanthropy, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and impact investing in Asia. The labels associated with these activities are not always clearly defined, and there is a growing trend towards impact-focused investments driven by the younger generation and the demand for impact reports. While education and health have traditionally received attention, environmental causes are gaining prominence. Private investments in the environment hold significant potential.
Building trust emerged as a major challenge in philanthropy and social investing. Annelotte emphasized the significance of transparency, accountability, and sharing impact stories to foster trust. Personal relationships and recommendations from fellow philanthropists were noted as guiding factors in giving decisions. In the Asian context, learning from one another and convening philanthropist networks were highlighted as vital.
Annelotte also discussed the lack of collaborative funding efforts and highlighted the focus on personal connections over long-term impact as one of the challenges. To assist philanthropists in identifying suitable organizations, centralized platforms, donor-advised funds, and philanthropy advisors are needed. Annelotte addressed the potential of crowdfunding, technology, government regulation, and support, emphasizing the importance of sharing success stories and promoting learning opportunities. Overall, our conversation provided valuable insights into the complexities of philanthropy and social investing in Asia, emphasizing collaboration, trust-building, and understanding the regional context as crucial elements for success.
If you had a magic wand…
I think it's crucial for organisations to share their stories, make them public, have good websites, and share them with investors and networks. This can be really helpful because people at different levels are learning from each other. Family foundations or new philanthropists are learning from each other, and having these kinds of opportunities for learning is more important than trying to create opportunities for giving. Opportunities for learning how to best do things and how other people are doing impactful programs is something that is really lacking, and I think there's a role for different levels to play here to share stories. Investors should share their stories and success stories should be shared more often.
Key quotes
‘You can't build trust overnight, but regulations, accountability, and transparency, and sharing stories of impact are needed. Everyone has a role to play… Organisations themselves also have a role in maintaining transparency and adhering to those things, but also in sharing their stories to show the impact they have.’
“When they (young Chinese philanthropists) do give, it's usually based on relationships. They give to people or organisations that they know and trust, either in their community where they grew up, where their business is based, where they have relationships, or where their place of influence is.”
“Giving not only comes from the head but also from the heart. The idea is that the feelings around things and the personal connection play a much bigger role. It's not just about "this is where I want to make a difference" and "this is where I want to give my money towards," but it's driven by a much more soft, intangible driver..
‘We have to refer to this thing called comparing regulations to cholesterol is good cholesterol is bad cholesterol. Regulations are good. You have to have them, you have to clear regulations to build accountability, reporting requirements and accountability. But too many will clog the system because it causes undue burden on organisations.’
‘You can see it's also in China. You're seeing a new group of young philanthropists emerge, but they really don't know how to give. They don't mean to sound like it, but they're really looking for help. They need to know how to give and who to give to, and I think there's a lot of opportunity there.’