Innovation usually begins with imitation. Local adaptation and improvement of foreign things are also innovation. As you may know, the full English name of YouChange is China Social Entrepreneur Foundation. We began with imitation when we introduced the foreign concept of social enterprise. Our partnership with Central Compilation and Translation Bureau to publish foreign works and case collections is an example. We regarded YouChange as a foundation to give financial aid when it was established, to imitate the Ford Foundation. However, in the second meeting of Board of Directors in the same year, we decided to change that and make participatory funding as our model of project operation. This meant we were neither an operation-oriented foundation nor a traditional foundation just to give financial aid. This was a decision based on China's conditions as we found, and later it was proved that, more and more foundations, particularly well-financed public ones, joined philanthropy sector, giving money to some well-known star grassroots NGOs. In fact, on the one hand, there are a growing number of foundations giving financial support to mature and capable social or grassroots organizations in China's philanthropy sector; on the other hand, we can only find limited number of outstanding and capable grassroots organizations, an indication that civil society in China is not well-developed. These organizations need money and more importantly guidance on project planning, operational ideas, capacity building and provision of resources.

 

Therefore, participatory funding is not only our judgment on the reality of China's philanthropy sector, but also an introduction of start-up investment in the private sector into the philanthropy sector. In short, I believe that genuine innovation means adaptation to occasions, local conditions and existing resources. It means blazing a path of one’s own and crossing the river by groping the stones in it.

 

The international financial crisis broke out in 2007 and 2008 suddenly destroyed all illusions brought about by economic globalization. Growth-based economic development model that is totally reliant on human selfish nature will not only deny well-being to human beings, but also intensify the tensions between human beings and the environment and human beings themselves. We face a new challenge on this fundamental question.