AVPN Member Survey – interim results

Earlier in August, AVPN started to gather feedback for our first members’ survey. The objective of the survey was not only to better understand what our members require of us, but also to realize the opportunities and obstacles faced in building an effective venture philanthropy landscape in Asia. We are following up for more responses, and we hope that all our members will come back to us with their thoughts because these are so important in terms of our future development and the communities that we operate in.Those who did participate in the online survey allowed us insight into the different markets that they are active or interested in. A clear implication from their responses is that it highlighted the need for country and region-specific data, expertise and case studies.Responses to “Which AVPN services are most valuable to your organisation?”Amongst the responses that we collected, our members were quick to point out that the most valuable services that AVPN provides for them include networking with members and other prospects, the upcoming annual conference to be organized in May 2013, and the soon-to-be launched case studies database (Investment Showcase). Some were happy that AVPN has already been pro-actively making introductions amongst our network, but yet many others have requested for specific ‘match-making’ services, not only between funders and projects, but also with professionals who were experienced in venture philanthropy (VP) management and impact investing.In general, many were concerned about and committed to building the VP landscape in Asia, by highlighting the importance of wider education through media and events, and also more specifically, through the forging of a stable base of VP players. Respondents called for more knowledge-sharing and capacity-building opportunities through events and case database. Others had higher levels of expectation and requested AVPN to lobby local governments to establish better legal frameworks and diminish operational barriers.The greatest challenges facing the development of VP in their opinion were mainly funding, lack of suitable projects, recipients and talents, and a misunderstanding of VP. A few pointed out that VP often gets confused with impact investing, corporate social responsibility, and as such, funders are misled with inaccurate expectations. When the reality falls short, they think that VP has failed as a model. Hence, it is imperative to increase awareness of what VP entails.However, with positive indicators like the prevalent entrepreneurial spirit in the community, abundant sources of wealth, and the strong presence of areas of needs to be addressed, Asia remains a region of opportunity for the development of the VP movement. Many point out that VP is conceptually attractive because it is in line with the current development of the social/development sector, which calls for social innovation, financial prudence and collaborative approaches.Responses to “Which are the top 3 priority areas for AVPN to develop over the next 2 years?”The main running theme that was reflected in the feedback could be summed up with a quote from a member, to “provide more global view but local service”. Like all good venture philanthropists, AVPN believes in being fully engaged with our “recipients/funders”, and will make full use of this two-way dialogue to formulate our next steps forward. The future of VP in Asia very much depends on the active engagement of our members, who are key stakeholders – so we look forward to your continued participation!