Japanese Fundraising: A Comparative Study of the United States and Japan

Abstract

The enactment of the Law to Promote Specifi ed Nonprofi t Activities in 1998 has resulted not only in a rapid increase in the number of specifi ed nonprofi t corporations (NPO corporations) but also in an urgent need for effective fundraising in Japan. Despite Japan ' s long and rich tradition of philanthropy and a serious need for fundraising, very little research on Japanese fundraising has been available. With original data collected via surveys and interviews from fundraisers in Japan and the United States, this paper analyzes the application of fundraising techniques by Japanese fundraisers and identifi es their primary practices. Given the differing views on fundraising between the two countries, which the author ascribes to issues of cross-national comparability, the study investigates fundraising current practices in Japan by using the US fundraising model as the baseline. Comparisons of fundraising practices among the Japanese, Japanese Americans, and non-Japanese Americans are also examined to determine whether or not fundraising practices are infl uenced by cultural and societal factors.