Philanthropy
Since Biblical times, there have been many stories of the wealthy who decide to follow a life of poverty or frugality and give away all of their worldly assets. Possibly the most striking example is that of Buddha. He was the son of a King and who gave up worldly pleasures to seek enlightenment as a monk.
Today there are many extraordinary people who still follow this course, Buddhist and otherwise. In many of these cases such acts of selflessness and services are not well publicized.
Great satisfaction is derived from the impact of their giving and increasingly many rise to the creative challenge to make their giving more effectual. Many of today’s great institutions are funded through philanthropy. Like many of the national parks systems in the US are financed by the Rockefeller Family. They also fund Rockefeller University, the University of Chicago, and Winrock International.
The sophistication in giving has risen and as a clarion call to a more progressive approach to philanthropy, organizations like Impact Investment Exchange Asia and Impact Partners have come to the fore here in Asia. As opposed to merely writing a cheque, many see great satisfaction in being able to generate greater efficiency and to format their giving in a manner that will allow such efficiencies to be measured, making them sustainable.
SFO can assist in philanthropy activities that you may consider. We are able to guide you whether you are already a seasoned philanthropists or you are starting out to explore the possibilities. We are also proud to be partners with game changers like the Social Entrepreneurial platform and exchange like Impact Partners.
Philanthropy Events
Partnerships
Impact Investment Exchange Asia
IIX (Impact Investment Exchange Asia) is home to Asia’s first private and public platforms for Social Enterprises (SEs) to raise capital efficiently. Launched in March 2011, Impact Partners is Asia's first private platform connecting Impact Investors to promising SEs seeking mission-aligned investment capital. Impact Exchange, launching in 2012, will be a regulated stock exchange (public trading platform) where Impact Investors can invest in and trade shares and bonds issued by SEs in a liquid and transparent environment. This platform will be launched in partnership with an existing regional stock exchange.
IIX's not-for-profit sister entity, Shujog, whose name is taken from the Bengali word for 'opportunity', focuses on capacity-building, research and advocacy work, in the SE and Impact Investment space. Shujog's core service is assessing a SE's social and environmental impact via its Social Impact Assessments work throughout Asia-Pacific.