CSR growth in Shanghai tracked

In accordance with the ongoing research of the China Philanthropy List, Shanghai Charity Foundation and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences have conducted a survey on the charity industry in China's largest city.

Among the 150 enterprises that replied, 149 had made donations in the past three years.

In addition, the survey also showed: In 2006, 90 of the 150 enterprises made donations to the country, with the average donation of each firm being 206,000 yuan; in 2007, 97 of the 150 firms made donations, and the average amount of donation doubled to 514,000 yuan; in the first three quarters of 2008, the number of donors increased to 137 among the 150 firms, and the average donation was 484,000 yuan.

Lu Hanlong, a professor from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the central government's increasing call for corporate social responsibility (CSR) produced remarkable results in Shanghai, partly due to the city's large number of high-end companies and fast growth of the local economy.

According to the survey, educational programs accounted for over 35 percent of 2008's charitable activities in Shanghai.

About 26 percent of the donations were contributed to reconstruction works in the area affected by the May 12 Sichuan earthquake.

The increasing awareness of CSR among the 150 companies was also evident: 28.7 percent of local enterprises thought the efforts to fulfill CSR would result in a closer relationship between companies and the local community, an increase of 6.2 percent year-on-year.

And 21.3 percent of participating companies agreed that charitable efforts would improve a company's public image.

According to an official from Shanghai Charity Foundation, among 7,499 questionnaires sent out, only 150 came back. "It obviously showed that there was large space for further enhancing the city's public awareness in the charity industry," the official said.

(China Daily 03/23/2009 page10)