The Social Policy Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Social Sciences Academic Press have jointly released the "Blue Book for Philanthropy" in Beijing.
The Blue Book records all major charity events happened in China from 1981 to 2008, including the time and course of the issuance of 19 charity and NGO-related regulations; the holding of 41 charity events; and the establishment, development and achievement of 33 charity organizations.
According to the Blue Book, Chinese organizations received donations totaling CNY107 billion in 2008, which was 3.5 times more than 2007, and donations from individuals exceeded that of enterprises for the first time.
The Blue Book shows that government is still the major driving force for non-government donations, though the media and networks are becoming more important in encouraging public donations. Meanwhile, with the emergence of charity marketing, donations are shifting from traditional in-kind and in-cash donations to service-related donations.
The Blue Book reveals that the change in government polices is the very reason for philanthropy to become a core social issue. However, it points out that there is still a big gap between China and the developed countries in the development of philanthropy. The Blue Book states that China needs to create more philanthropy legislation and make efforts to promote innovation within charities.
According to the Blue Book, by the end of 2008, there were 414,000 registered social entities and NGOs in China. Of these, 1,597 were public and non-public collecting foundations.
