Narrow the Gap Community Fund

 

For most of us, if we act alone, charity is the only option.

Addressing a root cause of a social problem requires time, effort and resources. By coming together and uniting local resources; however, we can take on larger and more difficult tasks, such as the social problems that allow inequality to grow and limit the potential our city has to offer. One of the unique ways in which LIN has brought people together is by managing a Community Fund, which we call Narrow the Gap Community Fund.

What is a Community Fund?

A Community Fund plays a vital role in supporting critical needs in and near Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). By engaging people with a shared vision, by pooling available resources and by investing in viable projects that address local needs, a Community Fund is able to offer bigger impact with each intervention and greater potential for long-term effects. A Community Fund not only helps to connect people who care with causes that matter, but also helps make it easier and more rewarding for people to become more strategic with their giving.

 

For local, not-for-profit organizations (NPOs), LIN’s Community Fund provides a level of support that was previously missing in Vietnam:

  • Investing in the capacity of NPOs and their staff – if NPO staff do their jobs better, the people they serve will reap the benefits.
  • Providing a regular source of funding - with grants offered up to three times each year NPOs have time to plan and prepare proposals.
  • Offering transparency in expectations - clear eligibility criteria, reporting guidelines, and consultations to applicants ensures that good ideas can be realized.
  • Connecting NPOs to other donors – By engaging many different people in the process, NPOs have access to a broad network of prospective donors and volunteers.
Meanwhile, LIN’s Community Fund offers unique benefits to philanthropists, whether they wish to contribute money and/or time:
  • Good governance – LIN is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors and Advisors and submits to an annual, external audit by Ernst & Young.
  • Effective management of funds – LIN team monitors and reports on all pooled philanthropic investments.
  • Peer networks – Connect with a community of donors who share a similar vision.
  • Expertise – Donors receive support from a specialist community grantmaker, with deep HCMC expertise.
  • Choices – Donors are offered multiple options and opportunities for contributing.

Join LIN's Community Fund to help Narrow the Gap in HCMC! 

  1. Contribute to the community fund as a donor!  Throughout the year, LIN is accepting cash donations from individuals, companies and organizations for the Narrow the Gap Fund. You can contribute to the fund in any of the following ways:
    • One-time donation - click here for instructions
    • Monthly donation - If you would like to set up a recurring, monthly donation, please contact us at: donor@LINvn.org
    • Annual donation - If you would like to set up a recurring, monthly donation, please contact us at: donor@LINvn.org
    • Restricted donation - For larger contributions (over VND 200 million), donors may restrict use of their funds to one particular cause or beneficiary group (e.g., children's issues, women's issues, environmental protection.), please contact LIN at: donor@LINvn.org
  2. Contribute to the community fund as a volunteer! LIN seeks a number of different types of volunteers to support the Fund and the annual Narrow the Gap community event. For example, we need:
    • Help to promote the fund to your colleagues, friends and family (share on Facebook, Twitter, etc)
    • Volunteers to help organize the annual Narrow the Gap community event (volunteer@LINvn.org)
    • Volunteers to help with logistics during the annual Narrow the Gap community event (volunteer@linvn.org)
  3. Help select grantees and causes!
    • Become a grant application reviewer (volunteer@LINvn.org).
    • Vote online to help select projects that should receive a grant (information coming soon).
    • Attend the annual community event to help: (1) vote for the project you think deserves the largest grant, and (2) select the cause or beneficary the Fund will support the following year (information coming soon).

Resources

Testimonials:

Deaf Community Organization of Ho Chi Minh City (2012 Grantee) - In 2012, the Deaf Community Organization of Ho Chi Minh City (DCOH) applied for LIN’s last grant of the year, Community Grant for Women. In its proposal, DCOH utilized the information it had documented about its female members and their situation with regard to domestic violence, overall presenting a persuasive rationale for their project. After passing the first round and receiving the greatest number of votes at a public event attended by nearly 200 community members, DCOH won the first prize, worth VND 150,000,000 (approximately USD 7,500) the largest one time financial aid in the DCOH’s history. 

Gio Sang (2010 and 2012 Grantee) - “Our organization has ‘grown up’ and is becoming more independent every day… Such professionalization is an aggregate result of LIN grants that helped us implement our ideas and ‘learn-by-doing’, along with the many complementary services, including training, networking and skilled volunteer matching, which LIN has provided to 5 gio sang. When we are transparent, committed to a cause and organize quality activities, people will be happy to make a financial contribution. That’s really one thing we learned from LIN…" 

Sarah Jubb, Charity Cabaret Committee Member (2010-2013 Donor) - "...LIN made the process of grantmaking very simple... we had one point of contact who could help us to ensure that the outcome of our grant was what we expected."

Vu Nhat Tan (2012 Volunteer) - "I’m very happy to have had a chance to work with DRD’s staff members, who are friendly, enthusiastic and devoted. This project is not only an opportunity for me to do some meaningful work to the community but also a way to improve my awareness about social problems which I’ve neglected under pressures of life. I’m really thankful to LIN Center for this opportunity to help others and myself!”

Huynh Hong Nhung (Volunteer) - "During 6 months volunteering at LIN, I could gain a better understanding of non-profits, expand my network and improve my communication skills. And above all, I knew that I was able to use my expertise to contribute to community development."

Civicus Report (2013) - “The concept of community philanthropy has always been with us. Every country and culture has its traditions of giving and mutual support between family, friends and neighbours… the LIN Center, in Vietnam, works to foster giving for small grants to social causes among young middle- class professionals as a strategy for strengthening social cohesion in Ho Chi Minh City.”

Last Update on: 10-09-2011