Dear John,

As part of my job editing the Chronicle, I am fortunate to hear about amazing philanthropists nearly every day. But the ones that stand out the most are those that don’t just give — but also help nonprofits deal with challenges, like finding new donors or changing how philanthropy works.

That’s why I was so delighted when one of our fundraising reporters, Emily Haynes, brought our subscribers a story about Anna and Raj Asava — and why I hope you’ll sign up now so can meet them at our next webinar on October 21.

They’ll help you learn what it takes to cultivate other donors just like them — especially other Asian Americans who are part of the fastest growing demographic group in the United States.

The Asavas are a Texas couple who have a long tradition of giving to causes around the world, especially in India, where they were born.

But after they retired and had more time to learn about the needs in their Texas community, they also made a major commitment to the North Texas Food Bank. They quickly realized that their Indian American friends had no idea about the extent of hunger in the region, and they decided to build an ambitious effort to spread the word.

The Asavas took action not just to fight hunger but to help nonprofits realize that people of color have plenty of wealth and time to share. And they have succeeded: Their work has become a model for food banks in Houston, New York, and Seattle seeking more diverse donors. They have since founded HungerMitao, which uses the Hindi word for wipe out to rally Indian Americans to support Feeding America and food banks nationwide. (Get a preview of their advice to nonprofits seeking greater diversity among their donors in this article by Lisa Schohl, who is conducting next week’s webinar.)

Along with the Asavas, Lisa will interview Dawn Knickerbocker, vice president of development at Native Americans in Philanthropy, a Native-led membership organization that promotes effective and equitable giving in Native communities.

Our session next week is the third in a series we have produced in recent months to help you refine your approaches to reaching out to donors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. You can buy the other two — Steps to Take to Diversify Your Donors and Diversify Your Donors: How to Attract Hispanic Donors â€” when you sign up to for the webinar featuring Knickerbocker and the Asanas.

We’ll continue to do more to help you attract donors who match the nation’s changing demographics, so keep your eye on your inbox for more invitations. And I hope to see you at next week’s insightful conversation. Register today to save your spot.

Stacy Palmer

Editor
Chronicle of Philanthropy
1255 Twenty-Third St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037

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