On 15 September 2018, The Givers Network was launched in Bangkok at Centara Grand.  Co-founded by APC member Thippaporn under her DT Families Foundation, with APC, Khon Thai Foundation and Thai Young Philanthropist Network, the event and network aims to encourage everyone from all walks of life to give, in their own ways, as they can. The morning session was truly inspirational – the featured speakers included APC’s very own Stanley Tan, who recounted his own childhood experience when he made the decision to give up taking the bus from school in order to save enough money to donate to…

By Valentina Ko APC members gathered together at *SCAPE on 18 August for the second meeting of the social entrepreneurship member interest group (MIG).  The meeting was held at *SCAPE, a non-profit organisation with its mission and vision rooted in support of youth, talent and leadership development. Members first met at Pope Jai Thai, a food and beverage social enterprise that works with different beneficiary groups.  Owner of Pope Jai Thai, Daniel Teh introduced himself to members and gave an overview of his journey from a previously incarcerated individual to owning his own restaurant now and working with vulnerable communities…

By Valentina Ko & Stacey Choe The idea of collective impact is quite central to APC and our work but what is at stake is figuring out how to make it work effectively.  Given that and with our members in mind, we referred to a recent study conducted by Spark Policy Institute and ORS Impact on 25 such cases, outlining what are the key lessons in making collective impact work; what kind of projects they are good for, what are the critical ingredients; what can be applicable for us. Collective Impact Study: It has been about seven years since John…

By Atikah Amalina At the end of January this year, I took a leap of faith and left the teaching service after four years.  I was ready to explore other options, primarily my longstanding interest in the development sector.  Throughout my time in teaching, I’d remained involved in various work in the non-profit sector on the side, including running programmes with orphanages in Batam, coordinating bake sales to channel funds to charity causes and organising an awareness-raising trip to a refugee camp in Aceh. Soon after leaving, I had the opportunity to work and learn with Asia Philanthropy Circle, a…

By Wei Kong In response to APC member concerns on the rise of cultural and religious intolerance in the region, in collaboration with APC, YTL Foundation hosted the 14th Funders roundtable in Kuala Lumper on the topic of Culture and Faith: why we need more inclusivity.  The roundtable explored how private funders can play a role in promoting tolerance and understanding between different religious and ethnic groups. To set the stage for a well-informed discussion an expert panel outlined the current situation in Malaysia and the region, addressed misconceptions, and explored approaches to tackle them.  The panel consisted of: Rita…