Experiential Philanthropy in China

Experiential philanthropy is a form of service-learning where students are provided with money (generally from a foundation) to distribute to nonprofit organizations. The pedagogy is intended to teach students not only about philanthropy but also about how to evaluate philanthropic responses to social issues. In recent years, scholars have begun to explore how an experiential approach to the philanthropic process could result in a more philanthropically engaged and committed citizenry. This research has provided promising evidence of the efficacy of experiential philanthropy as a pedagogic strategy – particularly within higher education. Despite its effectiveness, research on experiential philanthropy has focused primarily on the US. As such, we have no knowledge of the effectiveness of this pedagogic strategy in other regions of the world – especially in emerging philanthropic regions such as China. Therefore, using three semesters of original pre- and postcourse survey data (including quantitative and qualitative responses) obtained from students enrolled in an Introduction to Nonprofit Management course at a university in northeast China, this study addresses the following question: To what extent does experiential philanthropy enhance Chinese students’ understanding of, and commitment to, philanthropy?