The Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC) is an informal network of grant-making philanthropic institutions and organisations that support the growth and development of philanthropy in the Asia Pacific region. Starting in 1994, APPC has gained recognition for its strong and sustained support for the growth of philanthropy in the region.

APPC is not a membership organisation. It is a collaborative programme governed by representatives of organisations dedicated to promoting the flow and effectiveness of philanthropy in the region. APPC’s Governing Council currently consists of members from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. As a member of the Consortium, the PCP remains engaged in regional APPC activities, some of which are organised by representative members at country level. 
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Manila Conference on Governance, Organisational               
Effectiveness  and the Nonprofit Sector                                  

The conference brought together 125 participants from 16 countries in the Asia Pacific in September 2003. The dynamic group, including a five-member delegation from Pakistan, highlighted the rich experience of governance in the nonprofit sector. The conference included discussions on strengthening national level activities on philanthropy, key issues of expanding research and training on resource mobilisation and exploring new sources of philanthropy funds for Asia. The PCP team made presentations on ‘Contested space: The role of civil society’ and the ‘Certification Initiative’.

The Pakistan-PCP team included Mian Ahsan Saleem (PCP Board member), Mr. Irfan Mufti (SAP-PK), Mrs. Meraj Humayun Khan (Sarhad NGO Ittehad), Mr. Farhan Bokhari (Asst. Editor, News), Mr. Ahsan Rana (Certification Coordinator, PCP) and Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali (Executive Director, PCP).                                            
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Multi-Stakeholder Consultations for Promoting Philanthropy   

The APPC biannual conference on  'Governance, Organisational Effectiveness and the Nonprofit Sector' in Manila in September 2003 clearly identified the need for country level activities that facilitate establishment of productive linkages between philanthropists and nonprofit organisations.

In May 2004, the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) invited a group representing the government, civil society, business and media to collectively explore and share ideas on country level activities to improve governance and promote philanthropy.

Participants at the consultation emphasised the need to bring together the three key stakeholders – government; corporate sector; and nonprofit organisations – and facilitate a process of dialogue between them. They also proposed the following activities:
   _____________________________________________
    Activity 1: PCP should facilitate a planning session bringing   
    together these three stakeholders to define an agenda for the 
    subsequent series of dialogues. (August 24, 2004)    
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    Activity 2: PCP should facilitate the first such dialogue between 
    the corporate sector and nonprofit organisations to discuss  
    and explore ways and means to facilitate philanthropy for social 
    development.

Expected outcomes of this stakeholder dialogue could include improved understanding of the giving practices, priorities, motives and barriers to corporate philanthropy in Pakistan; sensitisation of the corporate sector to its philanthropic responsibilities and expectations of the recipient organisations; and bringing out more clearly the need for greater transparency, improved governance and effectiveness in the nonprofit sector to attract greater support from the corporate sector. However, the  agenda would further determine/ identify expected outcomes. 
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Developing Financial Accounting Standard for NPOs          

Across the Asia Pacific region, small nonprofit organisations (NPOs) are increasingly finding it difficult to maintain financial management systems that can be audited annually. The absence of a common set of standards has caused a wide range of financial systems to emerge.

APPC's biannual conference recommended that a set of Financial Accounting Standards (FAS) for NPOs be developed. A draft Regional Accounting and Financial Reporting (RAFR) Standards Manual was prepared by Mr. Sunil Mor of Azim Premji Foundation, Bangalore, India. This manual has been shared with eight countries: China, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. In each country, consultations are underway to develop financial standards for the NGO sector. They will look at the manual already produced and decide what else needs to be done to come up with the recommended standards.            
In this context PCP held workshops in Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore in May and June to undertake a critical review of the RAFR manual with civil society leaders and representatives of national institutions responsible for maintaining accounting standards. 

This critical review will be followed by a regional conference in Bangkok in December 2004, where recommendations emerging from the consultative exercise are to be shared with other APPC partners. 
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Study on High Net-worth Individuals                                        

PCP, in collaboration with APPC has initiated a six-month study to investigate barriers and constraints to charitable giving by high net-worth individuals in Pakistan. APPC is conducting parallel studies in five other countries in Asia including: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Interviews with high net-worth individuals aim to explore several questions: To whom do these philanthropists give, to what causes, through what mechanisms, and why? 

For comparison, the study design features a common framework for analysis and a core set of questions to be used in all the countries. Once the exercise is complete country-specific but summarised and anonymous findings will be disseminated to a broad audience by December 2004.
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APPC website: www.asianphilanthropy.org

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