Publications
Publications
- January 2023
- HBS Case Collection
Baofeng's Philanthropic Efforts in China
By: Lauren Cohen, Hao Gao, Bo Li and Zhaoheng Gong
Abstract
Yanbao Dang, President of Baofeng Group and founder of the Yanbao Foundation, Baofeng Group’s philanthropic arm, weighed how the family nonprofit could maximize its impact. On a mission to eliminating poverty through broadening access to educational opportunities in Ningxia, his home region, the foundation wanted to broaden its financially support of 15,000 students, but not all students wanted to accept the assistance. Transitioning from a need-based assistance model to a ‘no difference’ blanket assistance model increased student uptake but also limited the strategy’s scalability – and the nonprofit’s ability to engage in other philanthropic endeavors. With scarce resources, what should the appropriate tradeoff be, and by which metrics could he measure his success? Under what conditions should he deviate from this approach and seek to fulfill his philanthropic ambitions through other avenues?
Keywords
Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Rural Scope; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Issues; Poverty; Resource Allocation; Green Technology Industry; Education Industry; China; Asia
Citation
Cohen, Lauren, Hao Gao, Bo Li, and Zhaoheng Gong. "Baofeng's Philanthropic Efforts in China." Harvard Business School Case 223-067, January 2023.