From Seoul to Chicago: Shane Carlin’s Path to Purposeful Giving

Shane Carlin is the founder, president, and CEO of Asian Student Achievement (ASA). He founded ASA in 2016 to help move Asians and Asian Americans through the pipeline to leadership. Shane focuses on helping young professionals develop the soft skills they need to succeed and rise in the workplace. ASA has three pillars they use to provide services to their audience: (1) one-on-one coaching; (2) speaking engagements at colleges, universities, and student conferences; and (3) a diversity-driven job board in partnership with the National Association for Asian American Professionals.

Shane has over 20 years of experience in higher education administration and has mentored and coached students in international settings. He has been invited to speak about career and soft skills development at universities from coast to coast and across the world. His speaking engagements on soft skills have been held at many student regional and national conferences, universities, Fortune 500 companies, and more.

He shared his fundraising and philanthropic experiences with the Trust, as well as what drives him to give back to the community.

What is your giving philosophy? What motivates your giving?

Shane Carlin: The number one reason why my wife and I started giving was because I got into fundraising for a national nonprofit in 2006. After fundraising for a number of organizations, I finally started up my own nonprofit, Asian Student Achievement. We are now privileged to have the opportunity to have disposable income to give, so I think it’s important to give back to the areas that need that support. My giving philosophy really supports AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

How has your life experience inspired you to give back?

SC: I was born in Seoul, South Korea, abandoned on a street corner when I was less than a year old. I was found by a police officer and lived in an orphanage for six years. Eventually, a family from northern Kentucky adopted me in 1976, and I lived with them all the way until grad school. Growing up, my late mother gave to the church and local organizations. She became my role model for giving back.

In grad school, someone said to me, “Shane, when you’re not with your adopted parents, all people see you as Asian.” That really hit me hard because it showed me that I need to learn more about who I am and what it means to have this Korean face.

That’s why I connected with the Asian American Association at Miami University and when I started really learning and understanding the historical aspects of what every Asian American experiences in their day-to-day lives.

Even though I didn’t grow up with that culture, I have learned a lot about it since grad school to the present. I learned through my interactions with student professional groups, a Korean American church I attended, and even through my wife, who is originally from Hong Kong.

Through my past and current fundraising experiences, I’ve also realized that it’s hard to ask for money when you yourself are not giving. My experiences are why I started ASA and why I’m still very passionate about it.

What drew you to partner with the Trust for your giving? How has the Trust helped you achieve your goals?

SC: The Chicago Community Trust has been a staple institution in the Chicago region. Since the founding of ASA, I’ve gotten to know the folks that are behind the scenes of the Asian Giving Circle, an affinity fund of the Trust, who are truly great colleagues. Being able to connect with them and support them really helps us stay connected to the Asian community in Chicago. 

What is your approach and the impact you hope to achieve through your giving?

SC: As a Korean adoptee and as a professional who works with Asian/Asian American students and entry-level professionals, I felt it was important to have an organization like ASA that could elevate and provide the tools that this population can utilize to move through that pipeline to leadership positions.

The most obvious way to give is financial support. The second one is volunteering, and the third is giving connections and opportunities to expand the donor and volunteer pools for that organization. I’ve come across many opportunities where I was able to give through all three methods and will continue to do so. If I can be there to give an organization the financial or networking support to move their mission forward, then it makes me feel good because I know that I’m helping the cause in many different ways.

What would you say to a friend or someone who wants to make a difference, but needs help figuring out where to start? How would you encourage them, and what first steps would you suggest they take?

SC: I would say that they need to find where their passions are. I’ve been on both sides of the table when it comes to fundraising, and one of the questions that you ask donors, especially the first time you’re meeting them, is “What’s your passion? What gets you excited?” When they outline their passions and what they’re interested in, they’ll realize that there are many organizations who would be great fits for their passion.