Giving Tuesday for Asian American Christians
a Short List for Asian American Christian Nonprofits and more
During the first half of November, I (DJ Chuang) traveled to the East Coast and engaged a handful of conversations about the big idea about philanthropy and generosity of Asian American Christians, discussing the opportunity and need to increase giving. What could these words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” mean for Asian American Christians?
While many agree there’s an opportunity at that intersection, we don’t yet have a consensus for a specific project, program, or nonprofit for what that could or should look like.
A friend in New Jersey, a nonprofit marketing consultant, suggested this: compile a list of Asian American Christian nonprofits for Giving Tuesday. So, voila, here it is, just in time for November 28th, 2023.
Notice there’s 2 sections: [1] nonprofits serving Asian American Christian mental health, and [2] other Asian American Christian nonprofits. (Why 2 sections? Because of my own work for Christian Asian Mental Health.) These lists are by no means comprehensive nor are they listed in a particular order.
Asian American Christian mental health nonprofits
Christian Asian Mental Health (CAMH) camh.network - advancing compassion and care through Asian American faith communities.
Mustard Seed Generation mustardseedgeneration.org - raising awareness around mental health for Korean Americans by educating families, equipping church and community leaders, and empowering mental health professionals.
Lighthouse Counseling Network lighthousecounseling.co - providing accessible Christian counseling services to the greater Northern New Jersey region.
Barnabas & Co. barnabasandco.org - coming alongside Asian American Christian leaders in order to encourage, strengthen, and care for their souls.
Oak Health Foundation oakhealthfoundation.org - providing resources for a comprehensive approach by integrating mental, physical, and spiritual health care.
Center for Asian American Christianity caac.ptsem.edu - advancing theologically rigorous research and relevant ministry tools for Asian American Christians and faith leaders in four areas of focus: race, mental health, discipleship, and leadership.
other Asian American Christian nonprofits
Asian American Christian Collaborative asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com - promoting the empowerment of Asian American Christians through advocacy, community building, and education.
Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary - researching, equipping, and resourcing the Asian American Church
Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity (ISAAC) isaacweb.org - committed to the work of advancing gender equality at the pulpit.
Asian American Christian Fellowship aacf.org - to reach into the university and collegiate community, primarily to those who are Asian Pacific Americans, with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
Epic Movement epicmovement.com - reaching Asian American students and the world with the message of God’s love and forgiveness.
Asian American Ministries of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA - to help InterVarsity honor and reach all Asian American communities on campus with the gospel by developing, discipling, and empowering distinctly Asian American Christian leaders.
The Honor Summit thehonorsummit.com - Equipping and activating Asian American women for the mission of God.
Faith And Community Empowerment (FACE) facela.org - to empower faith community leaders to better serve underserved communities.
Pacific, Asian, and North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry (PANAAWTM) panaawtm.org- contribute to Asian and North American Asian women's theology, mentor female leaders of faith communities, and engage in social transformation for justice.
Know of other pan-Asian Christian nonprofits? Please add a comment and share. Yes, other Asian American Christian nonprofits would include churches (over 9,000 as of 2016), missions organizations, and ethnic-specific Asian nonprofits.
Giving in other ways besides money
I’ve heard donors and givers who are interested in being generous in ways besides money, by giving of their time and talents (skills); that’s a good thing. This book review for Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World noted that: “The paradox at the heart of being an effective philanthropist is that it is not all about the money.”
According to the book, the six practices of world-changing donors are:
advocate for change by lobbying, raising awareness and educating the public,
harness the power of business as an engine of change,
non-profit peer networks should be supported,
view recipients as participants in the problem-solving process,
encourage other key players in the private and public sectors to advance their cause,
evaluation and learning should be used to revise future strategy.
Most pertinent to the topic for this Substack is number 3 on this list. I believe a most valuable opportunity at the nexus of Asian American Christian generosity would be peer networks for nonprofits and donors. What do you think?
About Giving Tuesday
Learn more about the history for how Giving Tuesday became a global movement.