Give2Asia, Education Donor Roundtable & the Ford Foundation Launch Year-long Mentorship Program for Educational Charities in China

BEIJING, June 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Give2Asia, a not-for-profit social enterprise with offices in Beijing and San Francisco, announces a new program aimed at building the capacity and capability of local charitable organizations in China.

Thanks to the generous support of the Ford Foundation, Give2Asia, as one of the core members of the Education Donor Roundtable (EDR), will facilitate 10 mentoring workshops for local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and foundations supporting educational development in China. In July 2013, Give2Asia and EDR will invite education-focused organizations to present on how they can benefit from the year-long workshop series. EDR core members will select one foundation and one NGO to take part in eight public monthly workshops in Beijing.

"The NGO and foundation sectors in China are still young and growing fast," said Xiao Rong, Give2Asia Country Representative for China. "This program will not only benefit the two organizations selected to participate, but by its public nature can improve education-focused programs across the country through access to expertise and the experiences of peer organizations."

Participants must be grassroots non-profit organizations on mainland China, working in the education field for a minimum of 2 to 3 years, and with strong willingness to improve capacity. The program also requires the commitment of organization leaders to participate every mentoring workshop, in order to effectively incorporate suggestions into the organization.

In June 2014, participating organizations will be required to present on what improvements they have implemented based on the program. An evaluation and concluding workshop will be held the next month to determine the efficacy and future of the program.

About Give2Asia

Give2Asia is dedicated to supporting local charitable organizations in 23 countries in Asia. Since its founding in 2001, over one-third of Give2Asia's $200 million in grants has supported projects in China. Give2Asia has demonstrated its ability to service the needs of international philanthropy with its extensive on-the-ground network, knowledge of diverse social and economic conditions, and expert matching of donor interests with innovative and effective charitable groups. With its five-member team in Beijing, Give2Asia's China Office manages an average of over one hundred on-going grants each day.

About Education Donor Roundtable (EDR)

Founded in Beijing late 2008, EDR is composed of a volunteer core membership of executive management and leaders of Chinese funding organizations, grant makers, foundations and commercial enterprises supporting philanthropic programs in education in China. EDR provides Chinese philanthropists and philanthropic entities – especially but not exclusively those with programs supporting education – with a unique high-level, off-the-record, regularly scheduled networking and information exchange. EDR aims to improve philanthropic effectiveness in China, develop and model China-appropriate foundation and donor learning approaches, and provide reliable and effective links to Chinese organizations seeking long-term philanthropic support. Through this venue, the participants can benefit from and contribute to donor organization capacity building, philanthropic program identification, policy and research. Since its establishment, EDR has run over 30 workshops. Give2Asia was invited to join EDR as a core member in 2009.

About The Ford Foundation

Created with gifts and bequests by Edsel and Henry Ford, the foundation is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, with its own board, and is entirely separate from the Ford Motor Company. The trustees of the foundation set policy and delegate authority to the president and senior staff for the foundation's grant making and operations. Program officers in the United States, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America explore opportunities to pursue the foundation's goals, formulate strategies and recommend proposals for funding.