Personal Statement
Program: Non-Profit Management

My present decision to pursue advanced studies in the field of non-profit management stems from three important factors: my personal conviction and philosophy of life; the current condition of the development and the management of China’s non-profit organizations, and my educational background in economics. My philosophy of life is that a person comes into this world not so much for egocentric purposes as for sociocentric purposes. An individual is like a little star which, insignificant as it might be, has its own responsibility to perform—to emit its energy by shining in the darkness. As a graduate (majoring in International Economics) from the College of Economics, Peking University —one of the few most prestigious universities in China, I have decided to relinquish my current job that brings me tangible high income in favor of an advanced degree program that may lead to a career in non-profit management, a career that may materialize my own philosophy of life.

The idea of seeking professional trainings in non-profit management was initially generated when I was a sophomore. Our class had a gather-together with the students in an elementary school in a mountainous region in suburban Beijing. I was shocked at the dire conditions of the school. Located in an impoverished village, the school consisted of mere shacks whose dilapidating windows and doors could resist no wind or rain. The desks and chairs were made of rough boards and the faces of the school children were dirty. But their eyes sparkled with curiosity. To help those children, I became a member of a voluntary program designed to support the local education by teaching during weekends, summer and winter vacations. I also donated books and stationeries. What I did brought me the joy of being altruistic, but I soon found out that my individual efforts only produced limited effects because there were simply too many children in China in need of help. My serious interest in non-profit management came at a donation ceremony for the “Project Hope” –the largest nationwide non-profit program designed to assist children who have discontinued their education to go back to school again—that occurred during my undergraduate internship. On this occasion, I got to know many personnel from Beijing Youth Foundation, volunteers for this program and through them developed some understanding concerning the nature of non-profit management and various aspects of a typical non-profit organization. I came to the conclusion that non-profit management is a cause who serves society, a cause that can best fulfill the value of my life.

Modern economic theories indicate that profit-oriented economic bodies and the behavior of a rational economic person that seeks to maximize personal utilities can produce serious external effects. Many important issues like the equality of distribution and environmental protection cannot be achieved simply by means of economic measures. This creates the necessity for the emergence and existence of non-profit organizations. No longer fettered by economic considerations, non-profit organizations contribute importantly to the healthy development of a society and sometimes play a role far beyond the capacity of a government. In countries with advanced market economy like the United States, non-profit organizations are playing an increasingly important part in social life. In contrast, in China, many non-profit organizations are established only recently and their management needs to be standardized. On the other hand, the management of some traditional non-profit organizations is also problematic. Due to an imperfect management system and misunderstanding of the career objectives on the part of the managers, the management of many such organizations is being seriously undermined by conducts driven by economic interests. Take the “Project Hope” for example. The embezzlement of funds, the practice by profit-driven enterprises to use this project as a means for commercial publicity, and mismanagement frequently occur. My trainings in economics and in management shows me that the root cause underlying those problems is the low transparency of the management of those organizations, lack of a supervision mechanism, and the government interferences in non-profit administration. I believe that only when there is a scientific management mechanism and professionally trained management personnel will China’s non-profit organizations operate healthily. I believe that in this important process I have a major part to play.

As a student of economics, I am irrefutably outstanding among my peers. My scholastic ranking is the top third in my class and every year I have been awarded scholarships and important honors. This is a rather unusual achievement in the highly competitive College of Economics. Keeping in mind the major principle of economics—“do as many things as possible with as little resource as possible”, I tended to examine the world around me from the perspective of economics. I was especially fascinated by two courses International Trade and International Business Administration in that they allowed me to understand that a sound system, whether in trade or in management, can create much more welfare for mankind on the basis of existing resources. After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree, I found employment with Pricewaterhouse Coopers(PWC), the largest accounting firm in the world. I participated in the account examination of China Telecom Corporation and the International Investment and Securities Company of China Bank. At PWC, I have been exposed to advanced management and learned how to best coordinate and communicate. I believe that the differences in the mode of management between Chinese and international enterprises will also be reflected in the management of non-profit organizations.

Although I am assured of an enviable job in China, my philosophy of life has nevertheless dissuaded me from seeking a lifelong career as a financial specialist. Instead, I am resolved to pursue further studies in non-profit management and make it my career objective. Even as an undergraduate, I had been involved in many extracurricular activities for the public good of students. I worked at the Young Volunteers Association of my university and acted as its minister, launching a series of programs that included teaching school children in poor mountain areas and in mentally-retarded institutions, donating money, textbooks and stationeries to the “Project Hope”. Even my thesis, entitled An Analysis of the Relationship Between Environmental Protection, Green Barrier and International Trade, is characterized by a consciousness of public welfare. I believe that I have developed an adequate idea concerning my career objective. My educational background and personal competence, including management skills and team spirits, can fully prepare me for undertaking non-profit management. I expect that I can learn advanced management experiences of non-profit organizations in the United States and introduce those experiences into China whereby non-profit management can become more standardized and rationalized. In this way, non-profit management can benefit China’s general public to the fullest extent.

It is true that the development of a country depends heavily on the creation of wealth by many profit-making organizations. But it is equally true that the social work undertaken by various non-profit organizations constitutes an important part of social progress of that country. If I could contribute my meager efforts to the cause of non-profit management with the knowledge learned at your esteemed university, I would regard that as the greatest joy in my life.