Fundraising in the Chinese Canadian Community – Chinese New Year
By: Frankie Chow
This is an updated version of a post I wrote in 2016 for the AFP Fellowship in Inclusion and Philanthropy. You can access the original post as well as many others by the 3 cohorts of the fellowship program here.
As charities, we tend to see our biggest volume of gifts coming in through Thanksgiving and Christmas. But did you know that many ethnic cultures are most generous when celebrating their cultural holidays? For the Chinese Canadian community, there is no holiday more important and universally celebrated than the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Lunar New Year is the celebration of the arrival of the new year, marking the midpoint of the Winter solstice and Spring equinox. Although it is well known as Chinese New Year, it is celebrated by many Asian communities all across the world such as Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and many others.
It is called Lunar New Year because the dates are based on the Agricultural Calendar, a traditional calendar that is based on the waxing and waning of the moon in comparison to the sun in the Gregorian calendar. Thirty years ago, nobody outside of the Chinese Canadian Community really knew about Chinese New Year. But as businesses begin to realize the potential of the Chinese Canadian market, Chinese New Year commercials are flooding the radios, televisions, newspapers, and online.
Chinese New Year commonly begins around the beginning of February and lasts for approximately 16 days. In 2024, Chinese New Year began on February 10, 2024 and lasts until February 24. A Chinese Animal Zodiac also marks each year of the Lunar New Year Calendar. This follows a 12 year cycle; for this year it is the Dragon.
For comparison, Lunar New Year is like a combination of Western New Year and Thanksgiving. Chinese communities prepare to welcome the new year, to bring good fortune, to wish for good health, and to spend time with family.
For the next few weeks, Chinese Communities are filled with celebrations and events to bring the whole community together. As a part of this Lunar New Year is seen as a time to give back to the community.
If your charity is a part of and/or serves the Canadian Chinese communities, it is important to acknowledge and participate in this community celebration. Here are two of the best ways to engage the community during Chinese New Year: Direct Mail and Events.
Special Events:
The Chinese Community really responds well to special events, and Chinese New Year is the perfect time to put together an event. The purpose of special events during Chinese New Year is to celebrate with the community and join in on high-traffic New Year events. This lets you engage with parts of your community at a deeper level, and find potential donors and supporters in the Chinese Community.
Whether you are launching an event yourself or partnering with an established event, you should create a network of community leaders and volunteers to guide you. Here are some ideas to keep in mind when you participate in a local Chinese New Year Event or host one of your own:
Since Chinese New Year is a multi-day holiday, there are a few different dates that are excellent for events:
New Year Market – The three days before Chinese New Year is when the New Year Market happens. As the name suggests, it is a street market where traditional trinkets, artwork, foods, clothing, and all types of interesting handicrafts are sold at booths.
New Year’s Eve (30th day of the year) – The last day of the night market as well a time for families to celebrate the last day of the year.
New Year’s Day (1st Day of the New Year) – the first day of the Chinese New Year is when families come together to have pray at the temples, sharing a meal with the whole family and celebrate through a lion dance or lighting some fire crackers.
Human Day or “Ren ri” (February 16, 2024) – The seventh day, celebrating all human beings, it is another important day where celebrations and large events would be held through the community. The ideal day for Chinese-style dinners and fundraisers.
Last Day of New Year (February 24, 2024) – The last day of Lunar New Year (the 15th day), after this date people no longer give out money or red pockets marking the end of the 15 day celebrations.
At the Chinese New Year Night Markets, investing in a booth is a very good way to raise awareness and engagement by being visible in the community.
Consider printing red pocket (red envelopes used to hold cash and given out to friends, relatives, and associates) and “Fai Chun” (traditional decorative with phrases of good luck or prosperity printed or written on red paper and posted on doorways) that are branded with the logo/website of your organization and give them out to guests.
Invite local government officials and councillors of Chinese descent, engage officials from the Chinese Embassy and Consulate General Offices, and invite or invest in an advertisement in Chinese media newspapers, radio, television, and online.
Consider partnering with other local Chinese community organizations in hosting Chinese New Year events. This will help reduce the resources needed to be supplied by your organization and open up a new audience for your cause.
Encourage third party or community events in the Chinese community by engaging and developing a board of volunteers made up of Chinese community leaders with lived experience.
Direct Mail:
When using Direct Mail to engage the Chinese community during Chinese New Year, it is very important to make sure you are sending to the right communities as your messaging will be very specific. This means a lot of work will have to go into analyzing your donor and supporter data for your mailing lists to make sure you are actually hitting your local Chinese communities. If your mailing list is lacking, a great way to build your list for next year is to partner with other Chinese non-profit organizations or businesses to feature you in their communications and advertisements. Another great way to build your mailing list is through your special events. Once you have your first list to mail to, here are some tips to spice up your campaign.
The messaging should focus on the themes of Chinese New Year. For example, a hospital can ask donors to give back to the community during this time, providing sick children with a bit of lucky money so they can regain their health, supporting the work of the hospital so grandma can be back home in time for New Year’s Day dinner.
Consider having your english letter translated into traditional or simplified Chinese. This makes your mailing more accessible to readers of either language and helps potential donors feel you have taken the time to speak to them on a more personal level.
Consider adding premium items to your package such as branded Lunar New Year cards, Fai Chun, and red pockets for donors to use. Encourage them to put their gift into the pockets and mail them back or include a few more and ask them to give to their friends.
For all these giveaways, besides using a correct phrase or design that reflects the New Year Zodiac (dragon in 2024) or a phrase that aligns with your cause (e.g. Hospitals can talk about health and prosperity), be sure to include your organization's website so they can visit and give online.
I would also recommend trying out a test package to non-Chinese folks who live in areas with large Chinese communities (e.g. Markham) and include an insert explaining the traditional importance of the premium item during Lunar New Year and how it relates to your cause.
As with all Direct Mail campaigns, never stop testing but more importantly never stop evaluating to see what worked and what didn’t.
I hope these tips will give you a general idea of what your charity can do in the upcoming Lunar New Year when engaging your local Chinese Communities. One very important lesson I have learned is to start small.
Perhaps you can ask some volunteers to help you man a booth at the Chinese New Year Night Market. Or perhaps you can engage with a Chinese board member or long-time supporter to help you set up a lion dance event for your clients and the public. Whatever course it may be, the most important thing is to be respectful and do not be afraid to ask questions and collaborate with your supporters.
Happy Chinese New Year! Gung Hey Fat Choi!