Singapore Philanthropy Lessons

Some dear Singaporean friends had their first ever visit to a real farm when they visited us in our home in northwest Georgia in 2018. They were so excited about seeing cows, goats, chickens, ducks, and guineas in a real farm setting. In the summer of 2019, I was in Singapore participating in a conference led by one of my business clients. I arrived several days before the conference in Singapore so that I could have some time visiting with my friends.

My Singaporean friend set up several meetings with his friends and business colleagues to allow me to share the work of our company. I had prepared several presentations related to philanthropy.

As I began to share with Singaporean business people in the first gathering, I realized that when I used the word “philanthropy”, it was either not understood or they were just not interested in listening. To their credit, they were attentive, but I knew that my words were breezing by the ears of the people gathered around the tables. I needed a pause, so I cleared my throat, took a drink of water,  and shifted my emphasis to talking about legacy, generational succession, and transformational giving. There was a remarkable difference in the receptivity of my audiences.

Lessons learned: 1. You can’t assume that because Asians have deep roots in the development of philanthropy that today’s generations enjoy talking about it. 2. You may think just because you have traveled in southeast Asia many times and you have southeast Asian friends that you understand what they are interested in—but you don’t! 3. Don’t cover up the need to change the course of your presentation. Just tell your audience, “I want my presentation to meet your needs, so I am going to change directions.”  

My friend arranged a meeting for me and him with the Executive VP of one of the largest banks in Singapore. The EVP had just been to an international conference, so he talked much about digital currencies. During our 90 minutes meeting, I mentioned DAFs in our conversation a couple of times. Finally, the EVP asked me, “What is a DAF?” Lesson learned: Common business practices in our country may not be so common in other countries.

Another lesson: I moved too quickly into talking about business with the EVP. He clearly wanted to know more about me, and most of all he wanted me to know about his two children. At the right time, he led us to our business discussion.

This experience reminded me that no matter the socio-economic status of people, they all like to talk about their children. I have found that to be true as I have traveled internationally for the past 40 years. You want to see someone smile? Ask them about their children or grandchildren.