Shenzhen fair discusses ways to boost philanthropy

The China Charity Fair, aiming to foster information exchange, project cooperation and academic collaboration in philanthropy, launched on Saturday in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province.

This year, 828 organizations signed up for the fair, and visitors can attend more than 60 seminars and salons.

One highlight this year was that the organization committee provided a platform where charity NGOs can find resources they need and social enterprises can select social welfare projects.

About 500 philanthropy projects will be showcased, worth over 2 billion yuan ($325 million).

One seminar saw Innovate Philanthropy for Civil Society Development, scholars and experts from the Internet industry and technology companies discuss how to promote philanthropy with technology.

Li Yuxiao, deputy editor in chief with Tencent Inc, the largest Internet company in China, said that philanthropy can be integrated with online games.

"We have successfully embedded the donation process into our games. This allows players to choose how to purchase a special project or tool for the game, if they are willing to donate 10 yuan for a charity project," says Li, also the deputy secretary-general of Tencent Charity Foundation.

About 10 million players joined the activity and the company is trying to raise more attention for philanthropy in its Weixin platform, he said.

"I hope more Internet companies in China will join us in philanthropy promotion."

A report from China Charity &Donation Information Center shows that about 81.7 billion yuan was donated in 2012 nationwide.

Corporate donors still account for most contributions with 47.4 billion yuan, just under 60 percent of the total. Of these, private enterprises donated 27.5 billion yuan, accounting for about 58 percent.

Zhang Huifeng, head of corporate sustainability with HSBC, said that as the philanthropy sector in China is developing rapidly, companies that are willing to participate should evaluate charity projects before they start.

Some scholars also advocate reform of the current philanthropy system.

Yang Tuan, researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a consultant for Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that a stable legal system is essential for a mature development of philanthropy in China.

"The government should pass legislation on the operation of charity organizations and enforce supervision to achieve transparency, otherwise the credibility of these NGOs will be questioned by the public and the whole philanthropy sector will be jeopardized," she said.

The three-day fair attracted key organizations such as the United Nations Development Program and the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation.

Hosted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the 1st CCF was held in Shenzhen last year, and drew 544 organizations and more than 150,000 visitors.