DEVELOPING LOCAL LEADERSHIP Thai Local Philanthropy: Community Foundation

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DEVELOPING LOCAL LEADERSHIP Thai Local
Philanthropy Community Foundation

• Presented at WINGS Forum 2006
• Worldwide Imitative Network of Grant Making
  Support
• 15 November 2006

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Content

• 1. Background of the Project
• 2. Local Giving
• 3. Issues and Concerns for leaders

3
Background

• Feb 05 - Thai Health Promotion Fund (Sor Sor Sor)
  grant 17.5 Million Baht to Community Support
  Foundation to pilot the CF in four provinces and
  one supporting unit
• Mar 05 Sub-granted 6.8 Million to LDI and LDI
  started to pilot the project in Lampang and Udorn
• Apr 05 Sub-granted 6.8 Million to Kenan to
  pilot the project in Bangkok and Rayong
• Mar-Jun 05- Recruited staff members to implement
  the projects
• July 05 Sor Sor Sor visited Lampang to review
  the program and possibility to consider the
  matching grant
• Aug 05 Sor Sor Sor requested the partners to
  review the implementation plan and to re-design
  the plan to have the first stage of the CF
  concept introduction more effective and it can
  create a sustainable mechanism for the future
  development
• Sept 05 - FCF and Kenan except LDI submitted the
  revised plan and it was approved
• Oct-Dec 05 FCF conducted a seminar to formulate
  the CF Strategy for four pilot projects. The
  finding from the Seminar revealed that the
  readiness for the establishment was not enough
  and that unclear understanding on concept,
  process and focus are shown in all community
  leaders. The focus was on fundraising activities,
  but not on the growth of the CF creditability and
  its positioning
• Jan-now -- About 10 groups from different
  provinces are learning and developing their own
  community foundation alike
• Sep The Ministry of Social Welfare and Human
  Security

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Local Giving

• Thai Environment on Local Giving
• Local giving is an essential factors to the
  success of the CF establishment
• Tax incentives in Thailand is not significant
  enough to help build resource mobilization
• Thai philanthropy was viewed as making merit,
  not to support social causes
• Income/capita is not high enough
• CF concept was easily interpreted to be similar
  to social funds, village fund and community
  enterprise fund or even social welfare fund.
• Volunteerism in Thailand is not strong.
• The growth of endowment fund has been emphasize
  despite to the fact that the reputation of the CF
  was not built.
• Foundation status in Thailand takes three years
  for tax exception privilege
• Donations are only made to close friends, well
  recognizable organization

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Stage of Universal CF Development
Development
Sustainability
Introduction
Maturity
Growth
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What are the important qualities of local leaders
in the earlier stages of CF development?

• a) Qualifications Viewed by the Public in the
  Community
• Enthusiastic champion of Community Foundation
  concept
• Time, enthusiasm, and understanding to sell the
  concept to others
• Stature and well respected by all sectors
• Have strong integrity and well respected by all
  sectors
• b) Required Personal Skills
• Positive
• Visionary
• Ability to bridge between groups
• An entrepreneurial and optimistic outlook
• Passionate and enthusiastic
• Highly ethical (clear of his own desires)
• Extremely good community listener
• Very inclusive of all the community points of
  views, needs and visions (Bridging)
• Low profile and team player (inside and outside)

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Roles of CF Leaders by Ms. Avila Kilmurray, North
Ireland Community Foundation

• Catalyst
• Convener
• Campaigner
• Communicator
• Change Maker

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How are these leaders chosen and who chose them?
What is the roles of the support organizations in
the selection of these people?

• How are these leaders chosen and who choose them?
• Appointed under the first year of the CF Thailand
  Projects
• Heard about the CF and become interests
• A supporting organizations plays crucial roles in
  Thailand, Thai Health Promotion Foundation plays
  that roles and now the Ministry of Social Welfare
  and Human Security is trying to establish one
  department to promote the concept.
• Roles of Support Organizations
• Identify the right local leaders one key
  person who will follow on the whole process
• Campaigner localize the concept and identify
  existing resources and derive on it.
• Communicator provide general concept and
  inclusively assist the leaders to develop their
  own CF vision
• Capacity Building -- select right and timely
  series of training.

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What kinds of interventions to the leadership
eoes the support organizations provide to the CF?

• In Thailand, the local giving is very strong,
  therefore, this support organization should
  include following action into their roles.
• Facilitation to assist local leaders to draw the
  CF concept to be in line with their context. A
  good facilitator who has strong knowledge in each
  provinces and should be well accepted to get
  people together.
• Close consultation work closely with local
  leaders in particular at the development stage

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Have there been cases of too much intervention or
influence coming from the support organizations?

• Not in the case of Thailand

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Lessons Learned and Recommendations

• A paradigm shift of local giving -From making
  merit to support good cause
• Emphasis on Early Stage Growth is crucial. Those
  steps are including
• Feasibility Studies and Projection from in-dept
  social and resource mapping research
• building recognition,
• volunteerism
• creditability
• Stakeholder management
• Local leaders needs to know the whole process of
  CF Development prior to registration of the CF
  and any activities
• Right mind and qualification of the local leaders
  is crucial
• Program design- Focus more on stage of
  development, not on end goal development
• Program structure- flexible and adjustable to fit
  flexibly with the stage of development