salt_2008_01_04

No. 24Jan-Apr 2008 For Volunteers, Donors and Non-profits

Flagging SupportAre flag days still relevant?

Lone RangerQuitting our dependancy mentality

Charity QuotientHow charitable are you, truly?

Good Neighbours Introducing NVPC’s new chairman Stanley Tan

Situation Vacant:

Executive DirectorThe charity sector struggles

to find the right leaders

SO1722_SALT Magazine.indd a 4/30/08 9:14:13 PM

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SO1722_SALT Magazine.indd b 4/30/08 9:14:14 PM

SALT SHAKERS AND MOVERS

Good NeighboursIn moving the sector forward, NVPC’s new chairman Stanley Tan is sounding a wake-up call to all Singaporeans that every indi-vidual has a part to build their community.

SALT THOUGHTS

The Charity Quotient: How Charitable are You, TrulyWillie Cheng develops a charity quotient framework that seeks to understand the different dimensions of charity and the kind of giver each of us is.

ON THE COVERThe charity sector is finding it hard to recruit people for top positions. It’s looking for men and women with a wealth of experience – and the experience of wealth would help, too. Andrew Duffy wonders what it would take to tempt top execs.

Page 10

2 LETTER FROM SALT SALT TIPS

4 MAILBAG

6 NEWS BRIEFSA wrap-up of events, programmes and activities in the People Sector.

PEOPLE MOVEMENTSAppointments and new postings in the People Sector.

8 VOLUNTEER PROFILEFormer bad boy Glenn Lim is teaching others how to find their way back from the brink. Leela Schellenberger takes a measure of the man

9 PEOPLE SECTOR PEOPLESakinah Manaff discovers how the passion, idealism and strategic thinking of founding chairman, Raymond Huang is powering Heartware Network’s success.

17 WALK THE TALKMicrosoft Singapore CEO Barney Lau tells June Lee how technology helps everyone realise their full potential.

19 NEW SALTSakinah Manaff charts the mission of the Catholic Social and Community Council.

26 SALT AND PEPPERModern foundations are changing their perspective on giving. Tan Chin Chuan Foundation CEO Eric Teng examines what charities need to do.

28 SCENE AND SEEN

31 CALENDAR

32 A DASH OF SALT

Jan-Apr 2008 S A LT • 1

contents SALT No. 24 Jan-Apr 2008

DEPARTMENTS

20

Long established as a fundraising stalwart, Flag Day brings out the best and worst in people. Michelle Bong reassesses the tradition and wonders if its days as a method of fundraising are numbered.

22

14

30 Do we have what it takes to

get the job done, or are we always looking for backup? Jack Sim says we must quit our dependancy mentality.

SALT KIT

Lone Ranger

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Hola! This is Spanish for “hullo”. I am writing this in Panama, attending the 20th World Volunteer Conference of the International Association of Volunteer Effort (IAVE). IAVE is an international membership organisation

that promotes, strengthens and celebrates volunteering worldwide.When you attend a regional or world gathering like this, you realise how similar

the issues and pathways are and it encourages you that you are not alone in facing your challenges. Similarly, it also affirms that you are doing right. For example, here in Panama, the corporate volunteering report talks of pro bono and skills-based volunteering, something Singapore has been advocating all along, except that we call it volunteering from core competencies. So if you are a legal firm, you offer pro bono legal services; a PR firm, pro bono PR services – you get the drift.

It reminds me of the forests on the different continents I have visited – Muir Woods in California, the New Hampshire forest south of London and, of course, our own verdant tropical forests. They may be of different vegetation, but in the end, they are all forests.

And so as NVPC’s new chairman Stanley Tan propounds, we have to look at and appreciate our own local timber instead of looking abroad for answers all the time; and worse, adulate their practices when we have much to show ourselves. Discover more of his refreshing insights on page 20. It is as Jack Sim says too in his contribution on page 30, let’s have more confidence in our own abilities. If we do not believe in and affirm ourselves in our work, how do we expect our stakeholders to assign value to NPO work here in Singapore?

NPOs have taken a beating of late. Whilst we work on strengthening governance aspects of our work, let’s not let this detract from the significant body of good work that is generated. Just last week, my colleague told me how thankful she was for the work of hospice care agencies in ministering to her father at home. We take much of the good work that NPOs perform for granted.

And so let’s assume a quiet pride as we continue to do our work as serious-minded agencies bent on serving the community with all that we have. It starts with appreciating ourselves.

Tan Chee KoonChief Executive OfficerNational Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre

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2 • S A LT Jan-Apr 2008

SALT is a non-profit magazine with a managed circulation for members of

non-profit organisations, grantmakers and companies in Singapore.

Those interested in receiving a copy, please email [email protected].

We regret that the print run prevents fulfilling all requests.

International readers please email subscriber requests and mailing details.

There will be an annual postage and handling charge for all international subscribers.

MANAGING EDITORTan Chee Koon

DEPUT Y EDITORDaven Wu

CONTRIBUTORSMichelle BongAndrew Duffy

June LeeSakinah Manaff

Leela Schellenberger

PUBLISHING CONSULTANT AND MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE

Epigram

SALT is published quarterly by the National Volunteer

& Philanthropy Centre6 Eu Tong Sen Street #04-88 The Central Singapore 059817

Tel: 6550 9595 Fax: 6221 0625

Website: www.nvpc.org.sgEmail: [email protected]

Copyright is held by the publisher. All rights reserved.

Production in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

The views and opinions expressed or implied in SALT are those of the authors

and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Printed by Fabulous Printers

MICA (P) 153/01/2008 ISSN No. 17933-4478

To advertise, please call Cynthia Tay at tel: 6292 4456

Email: [email protected]

L E T T E R F R O M S A L T


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There’s a need to spend more quality time with your spouse

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“Daddy…why does mummy sayyour work is moreimportant than us?”

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MAILBAG

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE? We welcome your letters, news of upcoming events and pictures. Please send them to SALT, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #04-88 The Central, Singapore 059817; or email [email protected]. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Letters and articles may be edited for space and clarity.

S A L T

T I P SRoyal Flush

Iam very glad that SALT has recognised Jack Sim’s winning spirit. Every issue, I look forward to his column in which he discourses on NPO issues. Although we both deal with very different matters (me with food-input and him with food-

output), we have one thing in common: we are strong believers in the CAN-DO-SPIRIT!In fact, I recently watched the documentary on the National Geographic Channel

and want to congratulate the World Toilet Organisation on its great achievements! Over a very short period, they have managed to not only build up a strong movement in Singapore, but also to hold sanitation summits in various places all over the world. Having lived in Singapore for more than 10 years, I can see and feel the difference this organisation has made in hygiene standards. I just came back from a trip to Europe and I was appalled by the state of some of the public toilets there even when they were chargeable. There seems a lot more work for the World Toilet Organisation to be done!

Thank you Jack and team for your perseverance in an area which not many people would have dared to touch. Keep up the good work. Singapore can be truly proud to have produced a social entrepreneur like you as a different kind of ambassador for Singapore.

Christine Laimer, FounderFood from the Heart

A Salty Issue

Iwant to commend SALT for its regular delivery of useful information to the sector and for consistently taking up very relevant issues such as the article on VWO/NPO reserves in the Jan-Feb issue. We plan to use it as a guide in setting our own

internal policy on reserves.Personally, I’ve always taken the time to read all the articles! It is an excellent

magazine and worth laying hands on by all those working in non-profit organisations – whether as a staff or volunteer.

The magazine is very popular among our board and management, members and copies are usually taken back and read – so we don’t really keep copies. So keep them coming!

I think I need to keep a copy of all the SALT magazines for future reference!

Maureen Fung, Chief Executive Officer AWWA

Editor: You’ll be pleased to know that past issues of SALT are now online.

Show your interest in potential volunteers as individualsWhether it be orientation or screening interview,

set the tone right from your very first meeting

with potential volunteers. If you come across as

unyielding or unapproachable or as an uncom-

promising stickler for rules and regulations, you

definitely have started on the wrong footing.

Volunteer programme managers should be

personable and affable, exude an impression of

being caring and interested in the volunteer’s

wellbeing and in his growth with the organisation.

Brainstorm with existing volunteers on how to recruit new volunteersYou’d be surprised at the creative ideas they have.

Ask them to think about what interests them

personally in volunteering and build on their

views and ideas. Listen and do so attentively!

Right the wrongs before you embark on your

next recruitment exercise.

Use every available media sourceThese include television, newspapers, radio

announcements, cinema trailers, flyers,

personal contacts, advertising with volunteer

centres, and word of mouth among others.

Present your organisation in an honest, positive,

yet enthusiastic manner.

Identify the qualities you think an “ideal” candidate should possessTasks should be clearly defined to minimise confu-

sion about the position’s roles and responsibilities.

Offer all information on your organisation, including available positionsMake it a point to give brochures to visitors.

At every meeting you attend, share information

about your agency and give them something

to take home with them to remember and

reinforce what you have told them verbally.

Business cards are a convenient and inexpensive

alternative to brochures and information kits:

Print major programmes or volunteering

opportunities on the back.

Keep your existing volunteers happyYour volunteers are your unofficial ‘ambassadors’.

Contented volunteers are very effective in

recruiting new people to the organisation

especially when they start to share their happy

or profitable experiences. But remember that

volunteers are more likely to promote the

organisation favourably to other people only

when they themselves have had an enjoyable

and pleasant experience. ✩

MICHAEL LOH, founding chairman of Managing & Organising Volunteer Efforts shares some insights on how

to recruit volunteers.


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B R I E F S

N E W SA W R A P - U P O F H A P P E N I N G S A R O U N D S I N G A P O R E

IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

ARTivate, the Youth Wing of Drama Box

was formed in 2006 to bridge the gap

between community and the arts. Its first

event The Green Man was held at *scape on

20 January and featured thought-provoking

plays about environmental conservation,

a percussion performance by The Flames from

the Andrew & Grace Home, and a mini bazaar

that promoted environmental conservation.

Wheels of FortuneFor over three weeks late last year, 12 cyclists from various agencies in the

Ministry of National Development pedaled their way through New Zealand. Averaging 12km a day, they rode through 42 towns. Their goal: to raise funds for

the programmes of the Association for Persons with Special Needs Chao Yang School and the Singapore Association for Mental Health Oasis Day Centre. By the time the event came to an end, $170,400 had been raised, exceeding the target of $100,000. A simple ceremony marking the occasion was graced by Permanent Secretary for National Development Tan Tee How.

Yvonne and Cheryl maintaining focus as they pedal uphill while Hannah follows closely behind.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

As part of Boys’ Town’s 60th anniversary

celebrations and to support Singapore’s

bid for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games,

1,146 people set a record for the most

number of people being piggy-backed over

six metres. The event – an initiative by four

final-year communications students from

Nanyang Technological University and Boys’

Town – reflected a sense of friendship and

solidarity while celebrating Singapore’s

youth sporting culture. Guest-of-honour

Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary

of Ministry of Community Development,

Youth and Sports, piggy-backed Chua Shan

You, an Assumption English School student

and Boys’ Town home-boarder.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) seen here with Chua Shan You, 14, an Assumption English School student and Boys’ Town home-boarder.

NEW HOME, SWEET HOME

In December, NVPC moved into The Giving Place,

its new home at The Central. A generous gift from

Far East Organization, the new office host attractive

facilities to meet the community’s training, meeting

and seminar needs. To tie in with the move, NVPC

is offering free use of the room facilities for a nominal

booking fee, till end June. NVPC also unveiled an

enhanced website (www.nvpc.org.sg); new features

include an event calendar, listing of group volunteers,

useful links and online copies of SALT.

ARTivator, Liew Jia Yi, in the thought-provoking play “Plasti-city Kills The Cat” written by another

ARTivator, Ho Kian Tong.

Multi-purpose hall at The Giving Place.


UP TO THE TASK

American Express Charity

Task Force members and

volunteers held their year-end

camp on the grounds of its

beneficiary Assisi Hospice.

There were many fun-filled

activities including charades;

a fashion show styled after TV

show Project Runway in which the hospice’s children (many suffering from cancer and

other illnesses) strutted their stuff in creative, self-designed Christmas themed

outfits; and a talent show where the children competed in a song contest. Following the

games and activities, Assisi Hospice hosted a much-enjoyed lunch.


P E O P L E M O V E M E N T S

Rosemary Chng returns to

the corporate world by joining

the Glenn Marine Group of

Companies as of 1 Jan 2008, to

set up and head their corporate

relations and communications

division for the more than 20 companies in the

region. Prior to this, Ms Chng spent three years

helping local charities in their fundraising

endeavours after leaving her previous job as

director of public education and fundraising at

the National Cancer Centre.

After seven years with the

Central Singapore Community

Development Council, Yeo Siew Mui has joined National Comm-

unity Leadership Institute as

Deputy General Manager

(Communications Programmes). Her role sees her

conducting and planning training courses for

grassroots leaders and staff of the People’s Assoc-

iation. Prior to joining the CDC in 2000, she was

with the Toa Payoh Central Constituency Office.

Yong Teck Meng has been

appointed Habitat for Humanity

International’s director for

Chinese Regions. This is in

addition to his role as the

organisation’s National Director.

His new responsibilities include developing

Habitat’s work in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Habitat for Humanity is a Christian charity that

fights poverty by building houses for people of

all race, faith and nationalities.

With effect 10 March, Leo Chen Ian has joined The Centre

for Asian Philanthropy as its

executive director. Launched in

February, the centre brings

together the resources of the

EDB and Charities Aid Foundation International,

and will provide a range of services including

donor funds consultancy on CSR and corporate

capacity building. He remains the president of

the Disabled People’s Association.

Linda Ong has joined the board

of Heartware Network as audit

chairperson. A graduate from

the University of London with a

Bachelor of Science (Economics)

in Management Studies, she has

just completed her Master of Practising Accounting

from Monash University. She was CFO at New

Toyo International Holdings and OVA Healthcare

between 2001 and 2005 and is currently on her

own as Director of BlackInk Corporate Partners.

A TOSS UP

South East Community Development Council threw

15 families a party with a McDonald’s Prosperity

Reunion Lunch. Earlier in the day, the families had

been treated to a tour of the new Terminal 3 at Changi

airport. Ronald McDonald made a special appearance

and performed lunar new year songs on the erhu,

much to the delight of the families and the guest-of-

honour, South East CDC’s Mayor Matthias Yao Chih.

For the first time ever, Ronald McDonald performing Lunar New Year songs on the erhu for the beneficiaries of South East CDC who were later treated to a special Prosperity Reunion Lunch hosted by McDonald’s.

25 and CountingTo mark its 25th anniversary, Epson Singapore cemented its

commitment to the community by giving all employees two annual days to engage in volunteer work. Employees

may spend the time either with a charity of their choice or under-take company-assisted community programmes nurturing children and youths. The first of these company-organised activities took place last 15 December when children from the Lakeside Family Centre were hosted to a day at Snow City. Epson also donated $25,000 to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

HOME DELIVERY

Beneficiaries of

the Boys’ Brigade

Sharity Gift Box began

the year with a welcome

gift. Over 436,000 food

and household items

– worth nearly $4.5

million – were delivered

to nearly 19,000 bene-

ficiaries island-wide.

The event, now in

its 20th run, aims to

benefit over 26,000

beneficiaries from more

than 180 voluntary

welfare organisations

and over 2,400 needy

Singaporeans receiving

public assistance.

Desmond Koh, executive

director of the Boys

Brigade paid tribute

to the “tremendous

support from our

sponsors, especially

American International

Assurance Company

and NTUC Fairprice.”

American Express employees with the children from Assisi Home and Hospice at the year-end camp.

Children from the Lakeside Family Centre enjoying a day of fun at Snow City with Epson Singapore employees.



“Our experiences in life, no matter how painful and unexplainable, are essential

for character-building and helping others who are going through the same struggles. This understanding of human nature is what keeps me going,” says the 36-year-old Glenn Lim who looks almost as young as his teenage charges.

As a young rock musician, Lim was a self-described selfish and rebellious youth, a poster boy for a life deep into gangs, drugs and vice. His life-transforming encounter occurred in 1994 when he came close to a life-sentence and 24 strokes of the cane for importing drugs into Singapore. Lim made a turnaround when his charge was reduced. “I realised the futility of my vain pursuits in life,” he recalls. “Very often life-changing signposts come packaged in the form of a crisis – which is a great time to realign values and priorities, which I fortunately had the opportunity to do.”

Thankful for his second chance, he joined Teen Challenge’s rehabilitation programme and got his act together. He stayed on and got himself trained and equipped as a staff and counselor to other drug addicts in the centre. “I realised that many of my friends and peers were still stuck there,” he says earnestly, “And I wanted to be instrumental in helping them find their way out.”

Lim, however, credits not just the programme at Teen Challenge, but also the volunteers. “I remember one NTU team that would come all the way to the centre in Chua Chu Kang every week to play soccer and just spend time with us. They provided tuition and reignited my passion for reading. It truly meant a lot to me to know there were people out

there who cared about me, and who were willing to make a time commitment and see me every week.”

Lim’s spiritual rebalancing continued. In 1998, he founded Awakening Produc-tions, a non-profit youth outreach events and talent management organisation which organises gigs for youth to express them-selves and realise their potential through performance and music in a positive environment. Reflecting on his own life experiences, Lim believes that “every seemingly negative trait and expression of today’s youth can be potentially harnessed and channeled for positive causes.”

Today, Lim plays an advisory role in

Awakening. The organisation has grown to include a music recording and distri-bution arm, a fashion retail outlet and music studio called Wake Me Up Music (www.wakemeupmusic.com).

Lim’s passion extends to volun-teering at VWOs and community agencies, where he speaks at outreach programmes, appealing to the youth in gangs, and sharing his dramatic life-changing testimony. He also speaks regularly at many correctional institutions and prisons. He regularly conducts life-skills, youth and mentoring workshops for educators, counselors and parents.

As if that’s not enough, Lim also works closely with bodies like the National Arts Council, National Youth Council and Ministry of Education. He has partnered

CARE Net-work and SCORE in national campaigns like the Yellow Ribbon Project (2004 to 2007); and starred in ‘Green Grass’ (2005), a film commissioned by the National Council Against Drug Abuse and Singapore Prison Services, to tell his life story. In early 2007, Glenn published and launched his autobiography Wake Up Call; all proceeds from the sale went to benefit youth outreach programmes of Teen Challenge Singapore.

“The rewards are indescribable,” declares Lim. “Witnessing lives changing and seeing youths regain lost self-esteem and a sense of purpose gives me so much satisfaction. In order to stay relevant to their lives and issues, I do try my best to spend considerable time with them. I also believe in regeneration, which means I do try to pass down skills and values to others so there is an exponential outreach.”

Remembering his own path to this point in time, this ex-malcontent knows there is potential for change in everyone. And while he still can, Glenn Lim is here to show how it’s done. ✩

Paying It ForwardGlenn Lim is a man whose life turned around thanks to a second chance and volunteers

who made him feel accepted and worthwhile. As LEELA SCHELLENBERGER discovers, he is not only giving back to those in the same plight today, but is training others to do likewise.

“Very often life-changing signposts come packaged in the form of a crisis – which is a great time to realign values and priorities.”

V O L U N T E E R P R O F I L E

Glen Lim with his electric guitar.



Raymond Huang has always believed in the power of young people to make a difference to society.

So strong a belief, in fact, that he quit his cushy job as a banker to start Heartware Network in 2000 as a springboard for youth volunteerism.

Of course, his decision was not made overnight. While working in Beijing in the late ‘90s, two epiphanies changed the course of his life. It was in the autumn of 1997 when he first heard then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong speak about ‘heartware’ in his National Day Rally speech. The word quickly became a buzz-word in Singapore, a convenient glyph for building emotional ties that would anchor Singaporeans to Singapore, wherever in the world they chose to live and work.

“If I did not do anything with the idea of ‘heartware’, I knew that it would fade away and just become one of Singapore’s countless clichés,” Huang reveals.

It was also during his time in Beijing that he witnessed a street demonstration by over 150,000 Chinese youths. He realised how important it was to harness the idealism and energy of Singapore’s youth for the greater good. Having volunteered with various youth societies, he felt that an inspirational organisation was required here.

The organisation built a reputation as a can-do youth organi-sation that mobilises young Singaporeans to volunteer reliably by inspiring them from the heart. For instance, the 2008 Chingay Parade involved over 1,200 youths that Heartware mobilised from 35 schools.

To expand its scope beyond Singapore, it has partnered with overseas organisations like the Prince of Wales’ Youth Business International programme to teach local youth life skills through business entrepre-neurship. More significantly, Heartware has created opportunities for meaningful and affordable overseas exchanges for Singapore youths to learn from other cultures and share their skills. Last Nov-ember, over 20 students from Woodlands Ring Secondary School spent a week in a government school in Chiang Mai, engaging the students in Lego robotics and drama, and setting up an English library.

And this January, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the largest charity in Saudi Arabia to develop a youth business programme and foster a closer understanding between the youth of the Middle East and Singapore.

Community and corporate support has been encouraging. For Heartware’s Youth Bank project, Maybank and Micro-

soft have been roped in, with the former donating $500,000 to develop its infrastructure and call centre. On International Volunteers Day, the public gave volunteer pledges to youths from Heartware.

Even Singapore’s movers and shakers have thrown their weight behind the organisation. In January, Linda Ong, former head of regulation at the Singa-pore Exchange became a board member and audit chairperson, while Dr Albert Hong, chairman

of RSP Architects Planners & Engineers, was appointed as chairman of the board of trustees. George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, on their part, are patrons, and S Dhanabalan, Temasek Holdings’ chairman is patron-in-chief.

This potent combination of strong partnerships with the corporate sector, government agencies, overseas organisa-tions and various charities, and ability to inspire passion and rouse support from its various stakeholders has served Heartware well. Eight years on, it has worked with over 24,000 youths, generated 300,000 volunteer hours for the community, and actively helped other charities raise more than $500,000.

When asked about the secret of Heartware’s success, Huang simply says: “We just look at social issues in Singapore, find some gaps and play an active role in touching the hearts of our youths.” And just like that, Huang and his Heartware Network are slowly, but surely, changing the social services landscape in Singapore – one youth at a time. ✩

Heart to HeartA relatively young player in the social services sector, Heartware Network’s success is powered

by the passion, idealism and strategic thinking of its founding chairman, Raymond Huang. By SAKINAH MANAFF

“The youths needed to be inspired, and to see that by helping others, they could make a difference and discover themselves, their talents and more importantly, their soul beyond the 5Cs.”

P E O P L E S E C T O R P E O P L E

A Memorandum of Understanding, witnessed by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, was signed with the largest charity in Saudi Arabia to develop a youth business programme and foster a closer understanding between the youth of the Middle East and Singapore.



The charity sector is finding it hard to recruit people for top positions. It’s looking for men and women with a wealth of experience –

and the experience of wealth would help, too. ANDREW DUFFY gathers some ideas of what would tempt top execs to join.

situation vacant:

executive director



henry Quake has retired three times, but he is not idle. His first career was with the Singapore Armed Forces,

the second in health and education, and the third in semi-conductors. But the third time he retired, he settled on a role – aptly enough – at the head of the new Council for the Third Age (C3A).

Now 58, Quake is typical of a certain type of NPO CEO in Singapore. He has savings, so he doesn’t need a big salary. He has 12 years’ grassroots volunteerism experience, and time and energy to do more. And he brings a wealth of experience (as well as the experi-ence of wealth) from his years in business.

But there is a shortage of such people who are transferring their commercial skills to the non-profit sector. And as the economy booms and there are plenty of well-paid jobs, it is becoming harder for charities to recruit and retain good exec-utive directors.

The first step is to see how much of a problem this is, and the second is to look at a few proposed solutions.

After a successful career in engineering, Alvin Lim took the job as CEO of Bizlink, a company which finds employment for the disabled. Though just in his early 40s, he no longer had to work for money. He was not alone, especially when the NKF debacle brought NPOs into the spotlight. “After NKF, there were quite a few successful commercial people here who thought it would be a good second career to share their leadership knowledge,” he says.

Yet, today there seems to be a short supply of leaders like Quake and Lim as the private sector seems to be mopping them up. For the charity sector, the first

challenge is to change people’s ideas, Quake says. “When you talk about NPOs, the general perception is ‘cheap-and-good’, but life is not about cheap-and-good. So how to change that mindset?”

The NPOs must change first, because they are the ones struggling to get good executive directors. And that means raising the salary level, because good people don’t come cheap (unless they have the financial security of Quake and Lim).

On the other side, the donating public needs to change its mindset, too, and lose the idea that charity has to be voluntary.

It’s a given that charities cannot pay top dollar, but they should be competitive. At the moment, the pay is around half what a good CEO could earn in the private sector.

William Tng, acting executive director of the Association for People with Special Needs, suggests that salaries should be at the lower end of the commercial CEO pay scale. Donors make sacrifices to support a charity, so the staff can be expected to do the same.

To help create some clarity on the pay issue, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) used to have its own suggested pay-scale. But that was outdated

and many charities – notably NKF and other medical non-profits – moved away from it and started paying top executives nearer to market rates. Others are following suit.

However, Tng makes the point that it isn’t just about salaries: the tangible benefits of corporate life – bonuses, perks, company cars – are not there for charity work. “And how do you have profit-related pay when we don’t make a profit?” he asks.

“Dollars and cents are not the whole

picture,” says Ang Bee Lian, CEO of the NCSS. That approach might put off certain candidates, but it also attracts the right person. Ang explains, “In the NPO sector, there are dynamics which vary. In a company, it is clear it is driven by the chief executive, the board sets targets and the lines are clear. But in the social service sector, the lines are not so clear because there are so many variables.”

Yet, strange as it may seem, some are attracted to NPOs by money, or lack of it. Lim remembers that when his job at Bizlink was advertised, 140 people applied.

“it’s a given that charities cannot pay top dollar, but they

should be competitive. at the moment, the pay is around half what a good ceo could earn in

the private sector.”

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The NKF saga was at its peak, and being paid a “peanuts” salary of $600,000, or so they thought, appealed to about half the applicants. Needless to say, they were swiftly weeded out. But it does show that money talks even in the charity sector. “It’s not a bad reflection on someone if he says he needs money,” says Quake. “But if people come in for money, then we are in trouble!”

celebrate the differenceDolly Goh, CEO of SATA (Singapore

Anti-Tuberculosis Association), also makes the point that the NPO sector is different, and that applicants for the top job should embrace that differ-ence instead of pursuing a dream of professionalism that the job cannot afford. Charities should beware of making the same demands as private companies.

“I do see the need for an emphasis on things like governance and regulation, and yet it would be a shame if we became just like the commercial sector,” says Goh. “We need to differentiate, because charity work is all about the passion, the heartware.”

Instead, NPOs should look for three kinds of person. One might have a passion for working for a charity, which can be a general passion or a feeling for a particular cause. Another might have their interest triggered by a personal experience, such as a loved one dying of cancer; while the third kind of person might have a spiritual conviction.

Deirdre Moss, executive officer at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the first kind. She believes passion is the deciding factor, perhaps because she herself started as a volunteer 25 years ago and eventually found herself

in the top post. “You have to have that passion, especially if you are working with animals,” she says.

The current dearth of qualified candidates may be due to the fact that the people who are driven to make money are not usually the people who are driven to give back to society, just as those who have a passion to help the less fortunate are rarely those with a passion for making a million. So the talent pool is self-restricting.

NPO boards face the same problems, trying to attract professionals to advise and offer a guiding hand. The NVPC’s Board Match programme helps. Yet there is little

movement from the NPO boardroom to the CEO’s chair, as those on the boards have the best of both worlds: a well-paid career and the buzz that comes with volunteering.

While no one doubts the great work and invaluable advice a board brings, it is not the same as taking a job with a charity. “They are like the chicken in the story about the bacon and eggs: they’re involved, but not committed,” says Goh. “But being an executive director is like being the bacon.”

passion, careers and rewardsThere are various suggestions as to

how NPOs can help solve the ED shortage: focus on the passion to get the right people; provide a career structure for junior management so they stay and rise up the ranks; offer awards and training that boost the sector generally; and perhaps even combine some NPOs for economies of scale.

The last is the most sensitive, yet Lim, for one, believes there is enough money donated to match the needs out there;

“the current dearth of qualified candidates may be due to the fact that the people who are driven to make

money are not usually the people who are

driven to give back to society, just as those

who have a passion to help the less

fortunate are rarely those with a passion

for making a million.”



but it could be spent more effectively. “The problem is duplication of services,” he suggests.

“Amalgamation is the way to go,” agrees Goh, who has a background in MNCs in the IT industry. “In the commer-cial world we’d call it mergers and acquisi-tions. You need the economies of scale.” Equally, she recognises the difficulties of such mergers as the boards, visions, donors, staff and charters of even similar charities simply may not be compatible.

Instead, she would be open to the idea of CEOs from different charities working together to share their expertise and to help the sector develop that way.

Quake, mean-while, believes in corporate principles, including career paths, to make working for an NPO tempting to new graduates. Ideally, there should be a regular crossover between the charity and private sectors, and skills picked up in one should make a worker attrac-tive in the other.

At C3A, he always keeps a couple of managerial posts open for people to move into. It encourages them to work harder and show they are ready for more. He also allows people to move from one job to another, so they develop different skills and also don’t become stale in their job, a practice shared by Moss at SPCA when possible, as she believes people should learn to multitask.

The other side of increased profession-alism is that NPOs find it hard to get rid of people who under-perform. Lim calls it a “taboo”, but is of the view that expectations of professionalism should not extend only to executive directors and the board.

The carrot works as well as the stick, of course, and if NPO executive directors

are motivated by intangibles such as the old feel-good factor, then it is no surprise that awards to mark their achievements help. The Harvard Singapore Foundation offers a $10,000 scholarship to the executive director of the annual winner of NVPC’s Non-profit Organisation Award to attend Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-profit Management programme.

The Tote Board also hopes to give NPOs a similar shot in the arm with programmes to boost the capabilities of the sector. “We have to be quite targeted

to start off with, and we’re thinking about VWO leaders in the hope that if we start at the top, the values will cascaded down-wards,” says Boon-Ngee Sebastian, director of grant management at the Tote Board.

In a smaller way, Moss at SPCA has recently given out long-service awards to some SPCA board members, because “people need to feel appreciated”.

Another boost to the charity sector’s efforts to recruit talent would be to clear up misconceptions about what life is like in an NPO. “The service sector is a mystery to most people in the private sector and they don’t know what the roles are – they have

heard a lot about corporate governance and that’s all,” says Tng, who is himself leaving his job and is finding it hard to source a replacement. “But if the roles were better understood, then more people would want to join.”

Ang at NCSS agrees, and is hopeful for the future: “Our sector is young. Now people who are good may not give us a thought because they think it needs a skill set they don’t have. But in 10 years, we’ll see three people for each job.”

Good times around the corner means a good succession plan is essential to prepare for them, and many a executive director dreams of a smooth handover.

Perhaps it is his background in the SAF, where renewal is institutionalised, but Quake wants to hand over the reins after five years at C3A, “because no matter what you do, if you can get someone to come in with a good succession plan and a good handover, that person can bring the organisation to a higher level.”

And if that leaves him free to retire and head up another NPO, well, why not? ✩

“but there is a shortage of such people who are

transferring their commercial skills to the non-profit

sector.”


You’ve seen it before: a flock of uniformed students in the distance, earnestly hovering outside shopping

mall entrances and the escalator tops of MRT stations. Armed with a familiar white tin each, their common objective is to wait for the perfect moment before thrusting it out and saying “Would you care to make a donation?”

The Singaporean response to this seemingly innocuous request runs the gamut of good-natured acquiescence, bristly irritation, weak protestation and utter avoidance. “Oh, not again”, some would mutter under their breaths, before walking briskly past and avoiding all eye contact whatsoever. Some stop but end up walking away muttering about a lack of loose change in their wallets, while others take the time to jam a two dollar note (and in rare cases, a cool blue $50 one) or a few coins into many an empty tin bowel.

To the casual observer, the first of the above reactions seems to occur nine times out of ten – with flag sellers being ignored, waved off, or disregarded completely. Some go so far as to whip out their mobiles and pretend to be absorbed in conversations as they sail past.

Are we looking at a subliminal message here? Has the grand dame of fundraising options lost her shine, or, worse still, fallen out of favour?

$PARE A PENNYThe answer, it seems, is no – both

for charity organisations and the general public alike. According to Bernadette Lau, director of corporate services and membership at the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), Flag Day continues to be embraced by most people on the street, and also remains a hotly-bid fund-raising tool among today’s NPOs and VWOs.

This is because while there is the challenge to mobilise large numbers of volunteers to garner donations, the cost of expenditure – involving the ordering of tin cans and the printing of stickers – is low. Judging by the make up of applicants – ranging from the Singapore Red Cross and St Luke’s Hospital to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – hoping to successfully qualify for date slots and the requisite House to House and Street Collection licence, Flag Day fever shows no sign of cooling down.

Now seen as an ubiquitous weekend activity In Singapore, Flag Day has

Long established as a fundraising stalwart, Flag Day brings out the best and worst in people. MICHELLE BONG takes a look at the tradition of the familiar tin-and-sticker and wonders if its days as a method of fundraising are numbered.

FLAGGING$UPPORT

Children of YMCA volunteers in action.

YMCA beneficiaries, volunteers and staff pose

for a group photo.




enjoyed a history of about three decades. Flag selling hours are any time between 9am and 6pm, and on average, about $80,000 to $100,000 may be collected over this period. Popular flag selling spots include Orchard Road, Novena Square and suburban malls in Tampines, Pasir Ris, Jurong and Tiong Bahru.

In 1996, NCSS first established a quota to regulate the number of flag days, 36 at the time. To “make things easier” and reduce competition, this quota was increased to 40 – with still about 70 to 90 applicants balloting for a slot. And to stem the continued crush, NCSS initiated Joint Flag Days in 2003. Explains Lau: “Joint Flag Days were offered to charity organisations for two reasons: to cope with demand for dates and also to make it more feasible for those who have problems getting enough volunteer manpower to pool their resources more effectively.”

In the same year, as part of the balloting criteria, an organisation’s finan-cial reserves were also taken into account. Those that had reserves of at least five times their annual operating costs were not allowed to participate, so as to benefit those with very low or no reserves, and allow them a greater chance of qualification.

WIN-WIN $ITUATION$?Testament to its continued appeal,

Flag Day has been subject to other reviews and changes since then. In 2005, the number of Flag Days was increased to 63; this figure is derived from the addition of 52 (the total number of Saturdays in a year) and 11 (the number of Wednesdays that do not fall within the school holiday period of June, December and September, so that school students would be able to participate). Wednesdays were chosen as Flag Days because they are mid-week days,

and not too close to Saturdays.This year, NCSS has further revised

criteria regulations to level the playing field. Come September, when organisations ballot for 2009 Flag Day slots, another criterion which must be met is that an applicant’s last two Flag Days must have raised at least $50,000 “to ensure that their efforts are cost-effective”.

But while Lau says she has not received any feedback to this new regula-tion, it may add to the list of difficulties that NPOs and VWOs out there already face. Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the SPCA, says that on her list of problems in organising Flag Days, the “biggest bugbear” is the age of the student volun-teers, which she feels has a bearing on the success of their efforts.

She explains: “I’ve been organising Flag Day since 1984 and in those days, flag sellers were more enthusiastic 13- and 14-year olds. Today’s 15- and 16-year olds aren’t really interested in collecting donations, and this is evident in the reduced average of the takings. I don’t want to generalise because there are good flag sellers out there who come back with tins they can hardly carry, but these remain a minority. It’s a shame, because Flag Day is the biggest fund raiser that lets you go island-wide. Yet, I have noticed a drop in our average Flag Day takings.

“I don’t see that as a reflection of the

contributions of Singaporeans who are very generous. However, it doesn’t help that flag selling, for many, has become compul-sory to fulfil students’ CIP (Community Involvement Programme) hours. As much as the authorities are trying to instil a spirit of volunteerism in today’s kids, that’s not the right way. In the early days, it was totally voluntary, which is what it’s all about. I think the attitudes of today’s students could be much better.”

IT consultant Shuling Tay, 33, shares this view. “I can’t help but feel that the kids nowadays don’t take pride in flag selling. In my time, we were standing under the hot sun, approaching people like no tomorrow. In contrast, I see today’s flag sellers with their cans on the table at McDonald’s, chit-chatting away. They know that even if they return with an empty can, their teachers cannot find fault with them. So they just let the hours pass.”

$OLICITING FOR GOODLau believes such incidents as

recounted by Tay are rare, “but parents should realise there are lessons that can be learnt by their children through fund-raising. Perhaps VWOs can provide a more thorough briefing and not just go into how to sell and when to stop for the day. They need to explain the cause behind the effort; don’t just tell volunteers what to do, explain why they are asked to do it – be it to help a sick child, or to letting a peer go to school. Such information is important to motivate the volunteer, letting him or her know that their giving time to Flag Day is value system-building.”

On top of volunteers lacking in a can-do spirit, difficulties also arise in the form of the Herculean logistic efforts behind each Flag Day. Charities have to garner school support (and schools are known

“ I’ve been doing Flag Day since 1984 and in those days, flag sellers were more enthusiastic 13- and 14-year olds. Today’s 15- and 16-year olds aren’t interested and would rather do something else.”

– DEIRDRE MOSS ¢

SAC’s Percussion Band with their improvised drums performing at YMCA Flag Day.

Students from East Spring Secondary School enter-taining the audience with Yo-Yo stunts at YMCA Flag Day.

¢



to turn them down), setting up collection centres, picking a location, verifications in compliance with auditing requirements, briefing the volunteers on a drawn-up master list, counting takings, and submit-ting reports to NCSS. All these for potential takings of as little as a few thousand dollars.

A saturated sector where everyone is chasing the same charity dollar does not help matters. On an average weekend, flag sellers ‘share’ public areas with buskers, arts and crafts peddlers, volunteers canvassing for one-off $10 donations along under-passes and individuals selling packets of tissue paper. Fatigue is inevitable, not just for the fundraisers, but the donors too.

MAKING THE MO$T OF ITWhile it’s very easy to whine that this

feels like a case of too much work for too little returns and that there has to be a better way, Flag Day organisers could do well to think out of the box and be inspired by other successful, and more creative, examples.

The Children’s Cancer Foundation’s Hair for Hope campaign and Citibank’s Youth for Causes initiative come quickly to mind as successful and much more creative fundraising projects that have fattened their respective coffers considerably. But Rosemary Chng, head of Glenn Defense Marine Asia’s Corporate Relations and Communications Division, is of the opinion that while these have been cited as good examples of creative fundraising, the nature of the respective causes is really the root of the success.

She says, “Hair for Hope is a good initiative but oftentimes, it’s the cause that compels people to give. Flag selling also has its plus points – the fundraising is done in a day as compared to a much longer period for Hair for Hope, which creates opportunities for larger numbers of people from all ages to participate. More importantly, it creates a platform for our young children and others to step

out of their comfort zone to stand in public to ask people to donate to a good cause.”

Chng goes on to share the experience of her two young sons as flag sellers for the St Gabriel’s Foundation. At the end of the assignment, they told her they had the most wonderful experience and how very kind people were – some even dropped notes instead of loose change into their tin cans. “As a parent, it was a simple act of saying yes to allowing the boys to have their first taste of fundraising, but the return to the child and the kindness they experi-enced firsthand from the giving public will definitely help to shape their character and go a much longer way,” Chng adds.

FLYING THE FLAG FOR FLAG DAY

And who’s to say that with a little ingenuity and a lot of heart, creativity can’t be incorporated to help this fundraising stalwart get that much needed shot in the arm? Chng, who calls Flag Day “a form of fundraising that’s become somewhat like the staple rice and bread that we eat”, says it definitely still has its relevancy. “Maybe we should just learn to revamp and ‘glamourise’ Flag Day. For instance, we could design more interesting stickers. I am sure our creative youth will certainly be able to come up with even brighter ideas if this challenge was posed to them,” she says.

Many – in particular the VWOs that are already taking matters in their own hands to make their Flag Day more mean-ingful – might well be inclined to agree with Chng. Last December, YMCA’s Flag Day was launched with the busking of special day and evening performances at locations like Jurong Point and outside The Heeren by the likes of Hwa Chong Institution’s String Orchestra and partially-deaf performer Lily Goh, who “signed” three songs.

And in raising funds for the Special Olympics Singapore, 11 salesforce.com employees shared sales techniques, tips on “upselling” and management skills to hundreds of young school volunteers and several Special Olympic athletes. Their efforts raised some $50,000 for the cause, spread awareness of the event and taught the young ones some life skills too.

Says Sivian Look, manager, corporate communications at YMCA: “Innovation plays a part in contributing to Flag Day success. Since ours was held on 19 December last year, which was both a weekday and a school holiday, we rose to the challenge of mobilising student volunteers by tapping on our Lifestyle department and giving them a platform to do their part in community service.”

Look also says a makeover is well overdue. “It’s time to consider a new approach instead of the mundane collection tin and stickers concept that has been around for ages. We could consider empowering schools to come up with inno-vative ideas that support Flag Day. And instead of cold-looking collection tins, we could look into something pretty collection bags, or consider having balloons or small teddy bears to replace the stickers.”

But one thing’s for sure, Flag Day is here to stay – and it presents a challenge for charity organisations and their partner organisations to inject new life into it, to give the rest of us more reasons to dig deep and make an even greater difference. ✩

Lindy Hop Ensemble, YMCA’s Associate in the Arts, performing outside the Heeren.

“ Flag Day organisers could do well to think out of the box and be inspired by other successful, and more creative, examples.” ¢¢

“ A saturated sector where everyone is chasing the same charity dollar does not help matters. Fatigue is inevitable, not just for the fund-raisers, but the donors too.” ¢¢



It’s a case of old world, new technology. Microsoft, the software empire created by Bill Gates, is globally plugged in.

And that’s also the case with the company’s approach to Corporate Social Responsi-bility (CSR) in Singapore.

MD Barney Lau, who joined Microsoft Singapore in 2003, is enthusiastic about how Microsoft’s belief in being a global company translates into worldwide programmes, but with a local presence. “Wherever we are, we want to be an active part of the community. In Singapore, we began the Employee Volunteer Programme in February 2006 – three days paid leave to undertake community work. That translates to 14,400 hours of volunteerism for the Singapore office with over 600 employees, and this does not yet include company sponsored events.”

In other words, while giving money is still important, Microsoft wants its employees to have a larger and more direct role to play in the true spirit of CSR.

Microsoft may have been in Singapore only about 16 years, but the company’s CSR effort speaks volumes about its determi-nation to bring about digital inclusion for the entire community. Says Lau, “As a technology company, we want to get infor-mation technology skills to the people who need it. Technology is a great equaliser and enabler, for everyone from all walks of life.”

With this philosophy, Microsoft Singapore has not shied from donating,

in just the past five years, over $5.5 million in cash and kind to more than 200 Singaporean charities and the community. In 2004, as part of the President’s Challenge, Micro-soft employees built IT centers and taught basic IT skills to help people re-enter the workforce and build self-confidence. The same year, 60 underprivileged youths attended the first Microsoft Harmony in IT Camp, a programme where they built computers from scratch and learnt new innovative IT skills. Executives also lend a helping hand to non-profit organisations in skilled arenas such as marketing, human resources, finance and business management, in order to help them achieve more efficiency.

In 2007, Microsoft’s corporate citi-zenship took a big leap forward with the launch of Realising Potential, a three-year programme that consolidates the company’s CSR efforts into helping the disabled. There are an estimated 150,000 people with some form of disability in Singapore. Microsoft’s plans, Lau explains, is “to make a bigger impact. Amongst six areas of focus, we have a vision to be an advocate for people with disabilities. Microsoft has a lot of technology and resources specifi-cally created for people with disabilities. Microsoft Office, for instance, features speech recognition, a magnifier function for the visually impaired, and text to speech

recognition, all built into the software. How do we use those resources to help in a more meaningful way?”

Part of that answer comes from the public sector. Shortly after the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore announced the Intelligent Nation 2015 masterplan to realise the potential of infocomm, Microsoft realised that here was a platform that was

perfectly in line with what the company wanted to do. Says Lau, “We then started and consolidated our Realising Potential programme with the aim of raising $1 million to benefit the Infocomm Accessi-bility Centre, one of the key programmes.”

While Microsoft employees, partners and customers, including the two full-time staff of its Citizenship Team, got busy raising money through events such as the Gala Dinner in 2007, and a futsal (or indoor football) tournament this coming May, the IT centre has already trained over 400 people over the past one year. Espe-cially gratifying was the fact that two trainees have already found jobs after going through the structured training curriculum.

At the end of the day, this kind of success is what drives Lau and his team. “It is very heartening to feel the results of doing something like this. As the CEO, my job really is to sell the idea, to cajole and lead people into this area. In fact, our employees have been really enthu-siastic about the futsal competition this year, and we had four captains volunteer immediately, each having to raise $4,000 to enter a team. With high awareness through our channels such as online donations on MSN, we may even make futsal our annual event!”

That, in itself, is surely a worthy goal. ✩

Microsoft’s Macro-heartTechnology helps everyone realise their full potential, as Microsoft Singapore

Managing Director Barney Lau tells JUNE LEE.

“While giving money is still important, Microsoft wants its employees to have a larger and more direct role to play in the true spirit of CSR.”

W A L K T H E T A L K

Barney Lau, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore, shopping

with a beneficiary.


AD



With so many Catholic charity organisations in Singapore like the Catholic Welfare Services,

Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Roman Catholic Prison Ministry, you’d be forgiven for sometimes becoming confused about who they cater for and what role each entity plays. That’s where the Catholic Social and Community Council (“the CSCC”) comes in.

Started in late 2006, the CSCC is an enabling organisation and a capacity builder for Catholic charity organisations in Singapore. Unlike its member organisa-tions, it does not provide direct charitable services. Instead, it seeks to build the capacity of its member organisations through training, networking and sharing, and develop an overall community strategy for the Catholic Church to address gaps and resolve overlaps.

“These Catholic charities have evolved over time,” explains Joyce Koh, CSCC’s executive director. “They are doing good work and serving their respective constit-uencies.” But sometimes there is an overlap which is where CSCC comes in to coor-dinate and synergise the work.

CSCC currently has 15 member organisations under its umbrella but collectively, they serve more than 40,000 beneficiaries across all races and religions in Singapore. Some of its work includes helping mobilise Catholic volunteers for

its programmes, and raising a common pool of funds for the Catholic charities so that they can focus on their respective mission.

According to Koh, CSCC’s role is to facilitate Catholics in fulfilling their social mission according to Jesus’ command to love one’s neighbours. “Over the years, the Catholic Church has developed a set of what it calls ‘social teachings’ that takes this concept of loving your neighbour in depth,” she says. These social teachings include respecting the dignity of the human person, the dignity of work, sharing of resources, and so on.

In this way, the CSCC reaches out to Singapore’s Catholic community by raising awareness of its fundamental duty as Christians to be more charitable, a definition which goes beyond merely supporting Catholic charities to embracing the idea of how a Catholic lives his or her daily life.

Despite being a relatively new charity organisation, the CSCC has already made quite an impact on the community. In its first year, it raised more than $4 million and facilitated donations of more

than 300 computers and other goods in kind. It organ-ised volunteer fairs across 20 Catholic parishes and mobilised more than 1,000 volunteers for its member organisations. It has also brought its member organi-sations together on many occasions for networking, shared learning and planning for the future. Currently, it is working with specific member organisations on their organisational issues.

This year, one of its main fundraising projects was the annual Charities Week. Traditionally held during Lent – a period of sacrificial giving – Catholics in Singapore are called upon to pray, fast and give alms. This campaign ties in with the theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s 2008 Lenten message which focused on almsgiving.

If you expect to read more about the CSCC in the future, you may be disap-pointed. The organisation is happy to shun the spotlight and continue with its low-key and behind-the-scenes approach. “The role of our member organisations is to reach out to the rest of the community,” Koh explains. “This could be either through our individual Catholics who may be helping these charities, Catholic or other-wise, or through our Catholic charities helping beneficiaries, regardless of their race, language or religion. Our role however is primarily about building up the capacity of the Catholic community and our member organisations.”

Sounds like a great plan for facili-tating the divine calling. ✩

A Call to MissionFor the first time, a Catholic umbrella organisation, Catholic Social and Community Council,

is co-ordinating, in a very low key manner, the efforts of all Catholic charity organisations in Singapore. By SAKINAH MANAFF

N E W S A L T

“ Our role however is primarily about building up the capacity of the Catholic community and our member organisations.”

Volunteer Fair held at one of the 20 parishes to spread the message of volunteering and help member organisations sign up volunteers from the ground.


S A L T S H A K E R S & M O V E R S

Hiding in his home as a seven-year-old during the 1960s race riots; interacting with older

and younger children at Chen Su Lan Children’s Home and St Andrew Mission Hospital as a 10-year old; and receiving an offer from a friend to help pay for his education when he decided to quit school at 16.

These three separate incidents, experienced during his formative years, helped to shape Stanley Tan’s concept of volunteerism. Now 52, he is one of few Singaporeans who can look back with satisfaction at decades of being a volunteer himself. But his days of philanthropy are far from over – not when he’s taken over from Rear-Admiral (Ret) Kwek Siew Jin as NVPC chairman.

Evidently, the man is fiercely dedi-cated to the importance of social bonds. Throughout the two-hour interview, he heavily peppers our conversation with “neighbourhood”, “coming together”, “community” and “neighbourliness”, all the while carefully contemplating each question and giving thoughtful and insightful replies.

These nuggets of wisdom have, no doubt, been culled from his years as a volunteer which have given him direct exposure to some of society’s most needy people. Tan, a former businessman who was an NVPC board member the two years before assuming chairmanship on 1 November 2007, got his first taste of community service when he was barely a teenager.

He recalls: “I was 10, and a regular visitor at Chen Su Lan Children’s Home along with members of my youth group from Christ Methodist Church. We would go there every other month, and I would be in the company of other children, some older, others younger than I was. I used to struggle to understand how useful the visits were, when all we did was hang out together. But remembering how our very presence brought them such joy, I then realised my ability to uplift people without the need for material resources. That knowledge encouraged me to keep at it.”

And keep at it he did for the next 40-odd years – and counting. Tan has been involved in many community projects for organisations both here and overseas.

He’s done work with the Singapore Red Cross Society and the Red Cross Humanitarian Network; and he is concurrently vice president of the Mainly I Love Kids Fund, and president of Beyond Social Services, an agency that helps youths from difficult backgrounds. And his fervour when it comes to commu-nity building is not subject to geographical boundaries; he is also involved in a number of regional efforts to help the poor and children, in countries such as China, Timor Leste, Nepal and Vietnam.

These efforts followed his decision in 1991 to step down from his daily executive functions and devote his life to what he calls “my interests”. “Very often we live life thinking that [only] at a

particular stage, we will want to devote ourselves to an interest. Society dictates that till then, we can’t pursue those interests because we haven’t reached that certain age,” he explains. He certainly didn’t conform, and said his decision was based on how “I found it more purposeful to serve the needy, and also to spend more time with my children – who were aged three and seven then.”

Now at the helm of NVPC, Tan works with a staff of 30 and a board of 13 members to serve a sector of close to 2000 charities. He says: “The chairman plays a supportive role while providing leadership. A lot of it is reviewing the mission of the centre for my team, so we’re


Good NeighboursIn moving the NPO sector forward, NVPC’s new chairman Stanley Tan is sounding

a trumpet call to Singaporeans that every individual has a part in building the community. MICHELLE BONG answers the call.

Chairman Stanley Tan at NVPC’s new home at The Giving Place.


all on the same page. Once that is estab-lished, everyone makes a difference collec-tively and everyone has a special role.”

His appointment comes at a time when the sector has been a very troubled one, to say the least, with scandal after scandal around the old National Kidney Foundation, the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped, Youth Challenge and most recently, Ren Ci Hospital.

Tan is concerned that the current focus on governance does not set back the NPOs unduly. “There is certainly a current NPO landscape that needs to be addressed. As the sector progresses, there are obviously growing pains involving past governance lapses. Improving governance, however, should not be an excuse to change the ethos of serving. While many NPOs in the past might have been short of good practices, the majority is not short of good people. And that should be appreciated.”

“The development of the sector required a period of reflection and the strengthening of internal controls and capacity building. We need now to get back to the path of healthy growth. Our focus should be on stacking the building blocks of integrity, compassion and value systems. How do we use current experience to improve? How can we careful that the regulatory framework does not come against a vibrant volunteerism spirit? These are some questions that NVPC has to deal with, and come up with proactive solutions for,” he says.

Tan’s strategy is deceptively simple: bring back the good old days. He explains:

“When I was a young boy living in a kampong at Lorong Lew Lian, open-air cinema screenings were a common interest and unifying force! Today, with rising affluence, new tools have to be discovered.

“We feel our priority now is to go back to basics – to encourage a communal spirit among us, encourage communities to be interested again to be an active part of the neighbourhood and be concerned about the welfare of each other. Neigh-bourliness starts with people identifying each other, and asking for a little assistance. I see NVPC as looking for initiatives to help people realise that being a neighbour is a good thing. If we can do that, then things will be healthy again.”

When asked what drives him, Tan says it’s the fact that one has to treasure his community to want to be a part of it. “We are all blessed to be Singaporeans and to be able to contribute towards it. I am honoured to try to participate in designing programmes that will try to add energy to the sector,” he says. “I know I am very fortunate to be Singaporean; when I travel to countries within the region, I wonder what my life would be like if I had been born there. Not to contribute to my coun-try’s welfare and not to show my gratitude is silly. It’s like killing the golden goose.

“We should be fully grateful for the environment we’ve grown up in. I am – so why shouldn’t I give back? Treasuring your environment is a responsibility, and to protect it is a privilege, to see the benefits reaped by future generations. It’s not about the wealth of a country, but how rich its people are in spirit. My hopes for the sector can be summed up in one word – normalcy. Urbanisation has led to isolation to some extent. To bring back the true value of a kampung spirit is almost like being ‘normal’ and relaxed again, something we’ve lost in our efforts to always be efficient and productive.”

Under his stewardship, two initiatives will be rolled out later this year: The Vertical Kampung Programme and the Community

Foundation. The former is a multi-faceted initiative to “encourage neighbourhoods to find a common interest and to build on this to develop strong bonds within the community”; NVPC will seek out partner agencies like the People’s Association and its grassroots groups which he sees as already doing good work in this area, to help bring the kampong spirit to the entire nation. Tan says that be it through finance workshops or bulk purchase programmes, a good starting point would be activities that give Singaporeans value-add reasons to come together.

Meanwhile, the Community Founda-tion of Singapore, to be launched in the later half of the year, will be a one-stop vehicle for individuals with means who want to give significantly with donations starting from $1 million without necessarily setting up their own foundations. Tan believes that this new initiative will grow the charity pie significantly in especially targeting “new money” which in the absence of such an initiative might not have been forthcoming.

Ultimately, Tan simply wants to get the job done – and well. He shares: “I don’t have any illusions that I can make a difference. But I hope my time here contributes towards a collective will to want to take back ownership of being a community – one that allows differences but also values the positive aspects of being part of a neighbourhood.” ✩

“ The development of the sector required a period of reflection and the strengthening of internal controls and capacity building. We need now to get back to the path of healthy growth.“


“ Our priority now is to go back to basics – to encourage a communal spirit among us, encourage communities to be interested again to be an active part of the neighbourhood and be concerned about the welfare of each other.“

Salt24) JanApr 0502.indd 21 5/2/08 6:07:03 PM

It was on the golf fairway that I made a pitch to Ng Kuo Pin, a partner at my former firm, to support a charity

golf tournament. “You realise that many of those who sign up are doing it less out of a sense of charity than for reasons like networking?” he remarked.

Over the next few holes, we discussed Kuo Pin’s skepticism of certain philan-thropic gestures. He questioned whether charities should be celebrating large dona-tions when those donations are small to the donor and come with strings attached. We debated the definition of “generosity” and whether the saying “the color of money is all the same no matter where it comes from” applies to charity.

Our discussion eventually centered on the question: how would you evaluate “charitableness”? While there is common agreement on the positive impressions a person contributing to charity could evoke, it is not clear how one would judge whether such a person is truly charitable or not?

I felt that a large part of the difficulty in answering the question is because there is a visible and invisible aspect of a person’s generosity. In other words, there are two dimensions of charitableness:• External: how charitableness is mani-

fested to charities and the outside world.• Internal: the motivation behind an

individual’s charitable acts.

External ManifestationOften, when we say that a person

is charitable, it is based on what we see, such as when a philanthropist donates a large sum of money to charity.

For example, most of us would regard

Bill Gates as being very generous. He has given away US$30 billion to charity and still has another estimated US$58 billion. He and his wife intend to give 95 percent of their wealth away in their lifetimes. Bill and Melinda Gates have not decided how much will go to their three children but their philosophy is like Warren Buffet’s:

“enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing.” Without in any way dimin-ishing Bill Gates’ largesse, five percent of tens of billions of dollars is, of course, far from small change for most of us. Under-lining this, my son, speculating on how much the Gates would leave their children, cheekily said to me, “Dad, I would fully support you following Bill Gates example – give away all your money to charity, just be sure to also leave a hundred million dollars or so to me.”

Bo Sanchez, a lay preacher and author speaks of how, when he started out as a missionary, he struggled to give 10% of his earnings to charity. Now that he is successfully earning more money through books and talks, he is giving 40% to charity while still living a spartan life. His aim is to earn more so that he can afford to give 90% and more of his wealth to charity.

The relative versus absolute value of a gift from the giver’s standpoint is illustrated in the biblical lesson of the widow’s mite.

In the story, Jesus – on witnessing the apparently large sums donated by rich men at the temple – highlighted how a poor widow donated only two mites. A mite was the least valuable coin of that era, but this was everything she had, while the wealthy only contributed a small portion of their abundance.

In a recent charity collection at my church, one envelope out of the 7,000 donation envelopes returned stood out. The envelope contained $10 and the donor had scribbled on it “I am sorry, but this is all I have”. He should not have apologised as he had, in fact, probably given propor-tionately a lot more than many.

So, the point here is that it is not the absolute sum that measures a person’s generosity, but the relative amount – relative to his capacity.

When we talk about generosity in giving, it is not just in terms of money but also of time. In many ways, especially for the better-off in society, time is more precious and more difficult to give. Nevertheless, the decision reflects our priorities, and even some of the mega-rich are choosing to follow their heart. In 2006, Bill Gates announced his plans to transition out of a day-to-day role with Microsoft, effective middle of 2008 to allow him to devote more time to working with his foundation.

To give totally means giving more than money and time – we can give blood, an organ or any part of our body. That would then be literally giving of oneself.

One example of such an extreme giver is Zell Kravinsky, a mathematician and an American professor. He amassed a


The Charity Quotient:

How Charitable are You, Truly?Does the size of a donation determine the level of generosity of a giver?

WILLIE CHENG develops a charity quotient framework that seeks to understand the different dimensions of charity and the kind of giver each of us is.

S A L T T H O U G H T S

“ ... it is not the absolute sum that measures a person’s generosity, but the relative amount – relative to his capacity.”


US$45 million real estate fortune expressly to give to charity. In 2003, he donated one of his kidneys to a complete stranger. He is said to be looking into other dona-tions: his bone marrow, a lobe of a lung, “anything that someone might need”.

Thus, the external manifestation of charitableness is what we can see. We can tangibly determine what proportion a man gives of his available capacity – his time, his money and himself.

Internal MotivationBut true charity comes from the inside.

It is, of course, hard to peer into a person’s heart or mind when he gives, but motiva-tion must count for an evaluation of how charitable a donor is.

People give to charity for a multitude of reasons. They may give because they want the publicity (visible giving), because of the tax deductions (tax-based giving), because they owe or want a favor from the person who asked (reciprocal giving), or because they were impressed with the sleekness of the event they attended which may have nothing to do with the cause (impulse giving). Many of these reasons are tied to the giver getting something back from his giving.

But to be truly charitable, some would argue that the basis for one’s giving should not be based on any tangible return but be tied to pure feelings of altruism.

For some, especially the religious, pure giving sometimes go beyond any notion of feeling good; rather it is an obligation. A tenet of all great religions – including Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam – is that it is the duty of those who are well-off to aid the less fortunate of society. Christians, for example, are taught that we are mere stewards of God’s creation, that we should take only enough for ourselves and share the rest with those who need it.


“ In many ways, especially for the better-off in society, time is more precious and more difficult to give.”

Of course, there is the counter argu-ment that even altruism confers benefits: feelings of fulfillment and goodness, rewards in the afterlife for the religious.

Whether it is out of duty or simple altruistic feelings, I would argue that moti-vations are pure when there is no intention by the giver of any material, social or political quid pro quo. And in measuring this internal dimension, it is the intention of the giver that is important because often charities may reward the giver with recog-nition, whether he or she seeks it or not.

The Charity Quotient Can we effectively measure and

combine these two dimensions of giving to produce a quotient for charitableness?

On the external aspect, if we are able to measure the level of giving, it would lie somewhere between giving zero to one hundred percent of a person’s capacity – his time, his money and his whole self to others.

On the internal dimension, the scale would range from a totally self-centered attitude to a pure altruistic heart.

Even if measurement is difficult, juxtaposing the two dimensions as shown in the chart above provides a useful conceptual framework to think about charitableness.

On the chart, we have two extremes. At the bottom left hand corner is the “bo chap” (a term taken from Hokkien, meaning, “don’t care”), a person who neither cares nor gives. At the top right hand corner is the “saint”, what mere mortals can only aspire to – giving all one has with no reservations or any expectation of returns.

In between these two extremes, we can identify four broad groups of givers:

Quadrant 1: Little Giver. This group generally believes in the edict that charity begins – and largely stays – at home.

THE “BO CHAP”

THE SAINT

Q2VALUE GIVER

Q1LITTLE GIVER

Q4VIRTUOUS

GIVER

Q3LATENT GIVER

0% . . . . . . . External Manifestation . . . . . . . 100%

ALTRUISM..........

Internal Motivation

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.SELF

INTEREST

THE CHARITY QUOTIENT


They do give but it is usually spare change and even then there should be something given back in return.

Quadrant 2: Value Giver. This group gives most of what they have away, but they believe in some give and take or, more aptly, give to take. They are also serving their enlightened self-interests.

Quadrant 3: Latent Givers. These people have a heart, but they have not yet given fully of their capacity.

Quadrant 4: Virtuous Giver. This group gives all it can for altruistic reasons. It is what ideally all givers should be. When you get into this quadrant, you are a true giver.

Those in Q1 (Little Giver) and Q2 (Value Giver) are motivated primarily by their self-interests. The difference between the two is how much, proportionately, they end up giving of their resources and themselves.

In modern society, where self and achievements are celebrated, many do give out of enlightened self-interest. We give to take something in exchange, even if the take may be less than the give. The take could manifest in tax breaks, special donor privileges, returning a favor or gaining one, etc. In fact, the field of fundraising is replete with techniques to enhance “the power of the ask”, from understanding the motivations (no matter how crass) of the donor to constructing an “ask” with benefits that the potential donor will hopefully agree to.

Even simple recognition – when craved – is part of this give-to-take approach. When Ted Turner started the ball of competitive philanthropy rolling with his US$1 billion pledge to the United Nations, he noted that in his conversations with his fellow mega-rich, they indicated they would give more if there “was a list of who did the giving rather than the having”. His remarks prompted Slate magazine to do just that, which led to greater media coverage and more lists of mega-philanthropic giving.

Being a Value Giver is politically more

acceptable than being a Little Giver as it would be evident that a person is giving away a lot even if you may question his or her motivation.

Few would therefore admit to being a Little Giver. That would mean cele-brating selfishness and caring little for charity. That is, unless you are Ayn Rand, author of “The Virtue of Selfishness”. Her belief is that each man should act in his own rational self-interest, which “does mean that he does not subordinate his life to the welfare of others, that he does not sacrifice himself to their needs, that the relief of their suffering is not his primary concern, that any help he gives is an exception, not a rule.” Altruism would be an “evil” betrayal against one’s own interests. To her, charity is neither a major virtue nor a moral duty.

Q3 (Latent Giver) and Q4 (Virtuous Giver) people believe in altruism.

Some would argue that the Latent Giver (Q3) is an oxymoron. How could you be altruistic but give away very little? Well, Q3 givers can exist if measured at a point in time of a person’s life. When Fortune magazine interviewed Warren Buffett on the historic occasion of his pledge of more than US$30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he was asked why he did not do so earlier. He responded that he had much less to give before then and that “someone who was compounding money at a high rate... was the better party to be taking care of philanthropy that was be done 20 years out”. He also noted that he and his late wife had always intended for his wealth to go back to society and he had previously communicated as much to Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders.

To be in Q4 (Virtuous Giver) suggests that the giver is close to sainthood, where motives are purer. Certainly, Mother

Teresa who gave all of herself would be a paragon of sainted giving.

You could say that those who give much of what they have anonymously – foreclosing (or preempting) any possi-bility of recognition and benefits to themselves – could fall in this quadrant. Businessweek, in its annual philanthropy survey in 2003 ferreted out several major secret givers.

Chief among them was Charles Feeney, who secretly donated his stake in Duty Free Shoppers to set up a chari-table foundation while continuing to live a frugal life. At the time of the story, the foundation assets under his astute management were worth US$3.7 billion while his own personal net worth was only US$1.5 million. It was only with the sale of Duty Free Shoppers in 1997, some 13 years after he gave away his stake that the existence and level of his giving became known.

A key difficulty with using this charity quotient framework lies in deter-mining the internal dimension. Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? A secret giver whom one might place in Q4 (Virtuous Giver) could turn out to be doing so out of a guilt trip, or is simply avoiding the taxman, or worse, the charity fronts a terrorist organisation he supports.

And even if a person’s intentions are pure, a paragon of virtue will eventu-ally not go unnoticed in this connected world; public attention and even adulation such as in the case of Mother Teresa may be inevitable. As Bill Gates Sr noted with regards to the media attention accompanying the philanthropic giving of his son, Bill Gates III, an anonymous donation of that sheer size “was not an option my son had”.

Where Are We?And so, where would you and I be

on this chart?Let us start with the x-axis. Where

do we stand in terms of the external manifestation of giving?

As we discussed earlier, while the quantum of giving is important to the recipient, to determine charitableness, we

“ In modern society, where self and achievements are celebrated, many do give out of enlightened self-interests.”



need to compare the quantum given against the capacity of the individual to give.

A good measure of capacity for giving would conceptually be discretionary time and income. Economists define discretionary income as total income less taxes and less the cost of necessities to maintain a suitable standard of living. Similarly, we can define discretionary time as the waking hours available after time spent at work and essential personal and household activities. However, data on discretionary time and income is not readily available. I have therefore sought to use leisure time and expenditure as a surrogate.

Thus, to measure charitableness in the giving of time, we can see how much time a person spends on volunteering versus leisure activities. And for philan-thropic giving, we can compare donations to leisure expenditure.

The US is often viewed as being one of, if not the most generous countries

“ A good measure of capacity for giving would conceptually be discre-tionary time and income.”

in the world, and the data generally bears this out. For example, in the US, volun-teerism is at a high 44% compared to UK’s 28% and Singapore’s 15%. Individual donations in the US make up 1.63% of its Gross National Income, which is more than twice the UK’s rate and nearly six times Singapore’s 0.28%. Yet even in the US, more can be done in relation to its giving capacity.

In terms of time, based on various data sources, US citizens spend 14 times as much on leisure activities as they do volunteering. In the UK, it is 33 times and in Singapore, it is 55 times.

In terms of money, the ratio of dona-tions to leisure expenditure seems a lot healthier, with only slightly more spent by households on leisure compared to dona-tions in the US and Singapore. It should be noted that the amount of leisure expend-iture is generally understated as it does not include various luxury items that could have been classified by the respective household expenditure surveys under food, transportation and household goods.

Taking time and money together, the average person, no matter the country, would seem to fall on the left hand side of the x-axis, putting us in the category of Little Givers (Q1) or Latent Givers (Q3).

It is more difficult to determine where people would lie on the y-axis – the internal motivation for giving – because this is subjective. Many surveys of volunteers and donors are usually not very useful in this area because they tend to be superficial and ask respondents to tick feel-good boxes such as “giving back to society”, etc. Surveys of fundraisers and in-depth research by experts who study what motivates donors and volunteers provide a more accurate picture and are more useful even if they may not always be very quantitative.

In its study of modern-day donors, nfpSynergy, a UK-based think tank and consultancy for the non-profit sector noted a trend towards “a more demanding, more reward driven and less dutiful generation of donors” and the need for “oven-ready, bite-size, fundraising niches” to succeed. Similarly, nfpSynergy’s analysis of volunteers noted that “while volunteers often cite altruistic motivations (belief in the cause and a desire to make a difference), some volunteer managers point to a worrying swing towards catering for the harder motivations and associated incentives for volunteering”. It identified two key trends as being “the rise of the selfish volunteer” and “the productisation of volunteering”.

A US research of major donors and their motivations identified seven major donor types. The table on the left sorts the authors’ segmentation of donors in sequence of how they might fit on the y-axis of our charity quotient chart.

The first two or three types would likely fall into the top half of the chart, while the rest would be in the lower half. That makes, at most, 38% who are more motivated by selfless reasons and 62% who expect to take, or have taken, some-thing in return.

Even if the research is not conclusive, sad as it may appear, we can tentatively conclude that the majority of us fall into the “Little Giver” quadrant. The good news is that the potential to move up and right is very high.

Meanwhile, where do you think you are on the charity quotient chart? ✩


DONOR TYPE

It is right

It is God’s will

It is a family tradition

Repaying a benefit out of loyalty or obligation

It is fun

It helps with personal tax and estate duty

It makes good business sense and helps the community prosper

Altruists

Devouts

Dynasts

Repayer

Socialites

Investors

Communitarians

9%

21%

8%

10%

11%

15%

26%

PHILOSOPHY %

TYPES OF DONORS

Source: Russ Alan Prince and Karen Maru File, The Seven Faces of Philanthropy.


As I write this, the monsoon is here again and as heavy rain causes flooding in the region, my thoughts

turn to the indigenous orang aslis living in Kampong Peta, deep in Malaysia’s Endau Rompin Nature Reserve.

Following the disastrous flooding in the area a year ago, the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation (‘the Foundation’) partnered with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society to spearhead a rehabilitation and re-training programme, with an emphasis on preventive measures against future floods as well as to provide support for the livelihood of the orang aslis.

Our initiative attracted other Malay-sian companies and individuals to support the cause, and I am assured by the Red Crescent that the orang aslis are better prepared this time round given our help.

The Foundation’s proactive approach is not new. It is one example of family-based philanthropic foundations that are shedding their “traditional” role of donor to become driver and catalyst, where even

outside professionals are roped in to help manage and focus on specific causes.

The Tsao Foundation and Lien Foundation are other examples of such changes. The former has been advocating causes relating to eldercare and ageing. The latter, while focusing on water and sanitation, has been raising public aware-ness of hospice palliative care in Singa-pore. At the Foundation, whilst education and social services remain important areas, the focus today is to enable a better outcome for the deserving in our commu-nity, and help those who help them.

Increasingly, this approach to giving is the trend among philanthropic founda-tions, especially family-based foundations, as we constantly review our method and

manner of giving. They should however not be confused with other “foundations” such the Singapore Heart Foundation and the National Kidney Foundation.

The family-based philanthropic foun-dations have invariably taken upon an added role of “mentor” – where they not only encourage but engage VWOs or NPOs. Given the changing climate in the charity sector in the last two years, these foundations have a proactive and influential role in moulding the charity sector.

But are charities aware that the work of these foundations has changed? What makes foundations give, and what is expected of charities in today’s climate of philanthropy?

Judging from the many appeals foun-dations like ours receive, most charities are still unfamiliar with how foundations work. The most common mistake is that they pitch their appeal on the back of a ‘sob story’. Or, their appeal is too general through mass mailing, in the hope that they will strike the right chord with the foundation. Too few go the extra step, to take time to learn about the philosophy and principles of the foundation in question. Worse, many appeals lack a clearly-written proposal or plan. Other than the


Climate ChangeA well-informed foundation will further a charity’s cause, because foundations

do want to give, but they also want to give well. The Tan Chin Chuan Foundation’s CEO ERIC TENG examines how modern foundations are changing their

perspective on giving, and what charities need to do.

CEOTAN CHIN TUAN FOUNDATION

ERIC TENG

BY

S A L T A N D P E P P E R

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“ But are charities aware that the work of these foundations has changed? What makes foundations give, and what is expected of charities in today’s climate of philanthropy?”



annual reports, financial reports or news-letters submitted for evaluation, they lack a clear statement on how they intend to manage the donations or its outcome.

Invariably, charities pitch the cost rather than the cause. The common weakness in such appeals is that it highlights their need to defray operating costs and losses. It would have more effective to address the more critical issue of convincing the donor on the strength and benefits of their causes.

But even with a good plausible cause, the foundations are still mindful to seek good answers to critical ques-tions. Is the charity well-managed? Does the project have a multiplier effect? Is it duplicated by others? Did the charity attempt to work with other charities to maximise the benefits and minimise the duplication? Would the donation enable the charity to obtain a matching grant or other donations? The answers to these questions assure foundations that the charity has a well-thought plan, that it’s dependable and the project will be sustainable.

Equally important is the question: what is expected of charities in today’s climate of philanthropy?

Charities have to think seriously about being self-sufficient, though not all are capable or have the capacity to do so. In the case of smaller or weaker groups, the role of the council or board of directors must play a more active role. As voluntary leaders, they must not just lend their names but expertise too.

Increasingly, charities are appealing

to foundations to support their overseas causes or collaborate with other overseas charities. However the adage ‘Charity begins at home’ should be remembered. Overseas charities work must not be done at the expense or priorities of local chari-table causes or projects. It is important to stay focused and disciplined once a charity is set up.

Social enterprises have been in the news of late and some charities have been dabbling with social enterprises. This may be with good intentions but may not necessarily end with good results. Judging from their plans and appeals, many non-

profit groups that start up enterprises with the dual bottom line of fulfilling social good and making profits are unsure if their business model should be for the beneficiaries or profes-sionals to run it so that the profit can then benefit the charities and enable

them to be self-reliant. But if they are unsure of something as fundamental as which “business model” to use, rather than jumping onto the bandwagon, there may be other more creative ways of securing long-term employment. Arguably, creating a business need not necessarily equate to creating jobs.

One of the best examples of a successful social enterprise is perhaps one of the oldest in the sector, the YMCA of Singapore. Having sustained itself long enough to celebrate its 105th anniversary in 2007, the YMCA has not only relied on the generosity of donors but developed various means to be self-reliant, for instance through its enterprises in educa-tion, child care and hostel. These are run by professional staff, and the surplus is used to fund operating costs. This ensures that the donations the YMCA receives can be channeled to its community services programmes and beneficiaries. And that is the aim: that, ultimately, whatever the busi-ness model, the charity becomes self-reliant.

At the same time, it augurs well for organisations that make significant efforts to nurture a solid relationship with foun-dations, or indeed, any donor. Charities should not just ‘show up’ when they need funding. This ensures not just one-

time funding but long-term support. For example, the National University of Singapore nurtured a relationship with the Foundation’s late founder Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan since the 1960s. And so, in 2005, when the university needed our support for its expansion plans, we gave $29 million. One third of this helped set up four Centennial Professorships, which were awarded to top academics in their particular field of study. (Of course, there were other reasons backing our gift, such as the obvious multiplier effects – where the best brains can be drawn to Singapore to help nurture our students.)

A well-informed foundation will therefore further a charity’s cause, because foundations do want to give – but to give well. Foundations have the ability and influence to help match-make, refer or recommend a charity to other benefactors which may be better-matched to their needs. Should the foundation discontinue funding or re-direct their support to other causes, these recommendations could be extremely helpful.

There will always be challenges ahead for the charities to ride out the occasional heavy downpour, but so long as one is well prepared to weather the storm, there is always an all-weather friend in a bene-factor to help your cause. ✩

The writer is the CEO of the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, and president of YMCA of Singapore. He is also on the board of NVPC. This article is excerpted from a talk he gave at the National Council of Social Service Members’ Conference.

“ There will always be challenges ahead for the charities to ride out the occasional heavy downpour, but so long as one is well prepared to weather the storm, there is always an all-weather friend in a benefactor to help your cause.”

“ It augurs well for organisations that make significant efforts to nurture a solid relation-ship with foundations, or indeed, any donor. Charities should not just ‘show up’ when they need funding.



SCENE&SEEN

May DayLaunch of revamped Youth Bank, Junction 8, 4 December 2007

In its ongoing campaign to engage youths in volunteerism, Maybank

launched the revamped Youth Bank at Heartware Network’s Junction

8 offices. The occasion – which included the presentation of the

sponsorship cheque to Heartware by Maybank’s chairman, Yang

Berbahagia Tan Sri Mohamed Basir bin Ahmad – was graced by

Foreign Minister George Yeo. The minister congratulated Heartware

and Maybank for playing such a significant role in raising the

level of youth volunteerism in Singapore, adding his hope that

youth volunteers will quickly go beyond Singapore to link up with

youths in other ASEAN countries and help to achieve the vision

of an ASEAN community.

Food for ThoughtFamily of Hearts, National Museum of Singapore, 24 February 2008

Around 2000 registered volunteers came together to celebrate

five years of helping the needy at the inaugural “Family of Hearts”.

Organised by Food from the Heart – the organisation committed

to alleviating hunger and wastage – the event was graced by

guest-of-honour Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community

Development, Youth and Sports. “Food from the Heart’s success is

due to the fact that so many individuals are willing to volunteer

their time and effort so it is only right to celebrate the success by

honouring the family of volunteers who had helped to form the

pillars of our organisation,” enthused co-founder, Christine Laimer.

Red AlertNew Year Celebrations for AWWA residents, Yio Chu Kang CC, 11 January 2008

As part of its lunar new year celebrations, insurance

giant Great Eastern hosted a lunch for 136 residents of

the AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens. Staff

and Life Planners put on performances and distributed

red packets containing $100. The event marked the

launch of Great Eastern’s 2008 community programme.

It also announced its commitment to raise – by August,

when it celebrates its 100th birthday – $1 million for its

four beneficiaries under the GoldenCare and Children-

Care projects of Community Chest.

Mr Michael Wong Pakshong, Chairman of Great Eastern Holdings & Mr Seng Han Thong, Member of Parliament for Yio Chu Kang Constituency, presenting a giant red packet to 96-year-old Mdm Tan Biow, a repre-sentative from AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens.

Guest-of-Honour Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister, Community Development, Youth & Sports, together with FFTH founders, Henry & Christine Laimer, presenting a special recognition award to one of the deserving volunteers, Ng Zi Xuan.

(From left to right) Ms Pollie Sim, Maybank Singapore Country Head; Tan Sri Mohamed Basir bin Ahmad, Maybank Chairman; Foreign Minister George Yeo; Mr Raymond Huang, Heartware Network Chairman.



Going GlobalLaunch of Singaporean chapter of Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, SMU, 29 January 2008

Earlier this year, Singapore

Management University’s Initiatives for Social Enterprises club

welcomed the Singaporean chapter of Students for the Advance-

ment of Global Entrepreneurship. The goal of SAGE, which was

officially launched by Teo Ser Luck, Parliamentary Secretary for the

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, is to help

pre-university students embark on social entrepreneurial projects,

with mentorship and advice from the university and the business

community. SAGE founder and Global Executive Director Dr Curtis

DeBerg delivered the keynote address.

Laying the FoundationRaffles Hotel Wine Food & Arts Experience charity dinner and auction in aid of the Children’s Cancer Foundation, Raffles Hotel ballroom, 30 January 2008

The Raffles Hotel’s charity and auction

black-tie dinner raised around

$120,000 for the Children’s Cancer

Foundation. The proceeds came from

a combination of an auction of eight

paintings and generous donations by

the guests at the glamourous do.

Senior CounselSeniors’ Fair 2008, Toa Payoh HDB Hub, 7-8 March 2008

In a bid to promote active ageing, the Central

Singapore Community Development

Council and NVPC held a very successful

Seniors’ Fair. The Kampung Spirit theme

provided the 4000 guests an exciting array

of programmes and services on active

ageing for seniors including free talks on a

wide range of topics such as how to main-

tain healthy and happy relationships and

financial management. Seniors enjoyed

complimentary haircuts, costume makeovers

and photo taking at a 1960s themed salon.

Guest-of-honour was Zainudin Nordin,

Mayor of Central Singapore District. What a Wonderful World“Welcome To My World”, National University of Singapore, 8 March 2008

As part of the NUS Arts Festival, “Welcome To My World” – the first ever national concert

showcasing the talents of performance artistes with disabilities – was held at the University’s

Cultural Centre Hall. Guest-of-honour Mdm Ho Ching, the executive director and CEO

of Temasek Holdings joined with Very Special Arts

Singapore and the NUS Centre for the Arts for a

special evening of stage performances by volunteers.

Among the highlights were SA DEAF hip hop dancers

and XTOMIC song signers who presented their

debut fusion of song signing with hip hop dance.

Heart to HeartLaunch of Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre’s School Partnership Programme 2008, 2 February 2008

MP for Jurong GRC, Minister Lim Boon Heng officiated the launch

of Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre’s 2008 School Partnership

Programme – an initiative which was started in 2006 to engage

students in Jurong GRC. At the event, the Centre’s chairman Mr Chua

Song Peck elaborated on the programme which includes the Pupil

Breakfast Scheme and the Skills Tuition and Mentoring Programme.

D’Passion wheelchair dance group receives a Certificate of Appreciation from Guest-of-Honour Mdm Ho Ching.

Launch of Central Singapore CDC’s Seniors Self Help Guide portal. From left, Agnes Kwek, General Manager, Central Singapore CDC, Mr Zulkifli Baharudin, Board Member, NVPC, Zainudin Nordin, Mayor, Central Singapore District.

(From right) CCF Chairperson for Community Partnerships & Fund Development, Mr Lance Ng with Mr Robert Logan, General Manager of Raffles Hotel.

(From left): Mr Chua Song Peck, Chairman of Loving Heart, (centre), Mr Lim Boon Heng, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, MP for Jurong GRC, (right) Mr Tan Kian Chew, Group CEO, NTUC FairPrice with representatives from 14 schools receiving Pupil Breakfast vouchers.

(From left) Dr Curtis DeBerg, SAGE Global Founder and Executive Director, Professor Tan Teck Meng, SMU Professor of Accounting and Faculty Adviser for SAGESG, Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, MCYS, Professor Tan Chin Tiong, SMU Deputy President and Provost.


In paternalistic Singapore, whenever we face a social issue, we always think the government should solve it.

We’ve a deep dependancy mentality.Look at the Indian sub-continent

where, under conditions of poor governance and poverty, they produce the greatest number of social entrepreneurs. Despite the difficult circumstances, many ordinary people decide that they can make a differ-ence and they take action to fulfil unserved social needs. The result is many legendary leaders such as the Nobel Laureate Mohd Yunus of Grameen, Fazle Abed of BRAC, Dr Pathak of Sulabh International, and others. These people have become success models and their works now inspire others around the world to follow suit.

Recently, I was asked for advice by a very hard-working chief of a local organi-sation about which VIP should grace their launch of a new initiative. I saw his work was good and interesting by its own merits and asked him why he needed to depend on a VIP to endorse his achievements. He was stunned and pondered for a while. Eventually, he said this was the tradition here, but after some reflection, he felt that he was good enough to meet with the press himself.

This tradition may need a serious review because sometimes it gets carried away and the dependancy mentality may even cause us to lose focus in our mission.

Here is a typical example: Community

events start off with the mission of serving the community. But if you observe the behaviour of the organiser, in some instances, his focus sometimes seems to shift away from serving the participants and the beneficiaries. Instead, the focus mutates into an effort to make a great impression on the VIP. This is particu-larly evident the moment the VIP leaves the scene: the committee suddenly seems to lose all interest in the event. It makes us question whether the event was to serve the residents or the VIP or to enhance the image or profile of the organiser.

Recently, I was interviewing a visually handicapped candidate for the job of a blind guide for “Dialogue in the Dark”, a museum without light, that we are bringing into Singapore soon. I asked him if he felt handicapped. He said there are generally two types of blind people: The dependant type who feels he is incapable to going out alone and needs help all the time; and the independant type who can just hop on a plane and go on a holiday alone.

The interview lasted more than an hour and he apologised that he had to leave soon. When I asked him where he was

going, he replied, “To a dance class!” I was so impressed I told him he got the job. We’ll be sending him for training in Israel in May this year. He told me he knows several other blind candidates who are confident like him. I’m so happy because we need 12 of them to be our guides.

What he said about the blind applies to us, sighted people, too. There are too many of us who thought we are not good enough and therefore can’t make a differ-ence. We wait and depend on something to happen. But self-doubt is useless. It only drains our energy and paralyses us.

The truth is, there’ll always be inad-equacies in each of us. But despite our shortcomings, we are still good enough to take an initiative and act on it. We only have to decide which mission we’d love to serve and start doing it selflessly. We’ll face issues we’ve never faced before, but we’ll solve it each time if we believe we are the one responsible for it.

I am always amazed at how women become super-women once they become mothers. Suddenly, she knows everything about bringing up a child. She has no room for self-doubts and her vision of the future is really clear. Looking at the little baby, the mother can clearly envision the child going through school, building a career, getting married, rearing her grand-children and lots more. She does not need anyone else to tell her she is a great mother. She knows it in her heart and gets fulfilment bringing up the child.

The same thinking applies to our work. We know the human spirit can reach great heights never imagined once we take ownership of the challenge. When you don’t rely on an endorsement from others to feel good about yourself, you know you’ve quit the dependancy mentality. ✩


Lone RangerDo we have what it takes to get the job done, or are we always looking for backup?

JACK SIM says we must quit our dependancy mentality.

“ We know the human spirit can reach great heights never imagined once we take ownership of the challenge.”

S A L T K I T


25 MayThe Epilepsy Care Group (Singapore) Flag DayTime: Shift 1 (8.30am–12.30pm); Shift 2 (noon–4pm); and Shift 3 (3.30–7.30pm)Venue: island-wideThe Epilepsy Care Group’s sixth

Flag Day is an important fundraising

opportunity to meet its operational

and programme needs. To raise the

necessary funds, the organisation

needs at least 500 volunteers to help

sell flags. Bring your family and friends

along for a few hours dedicated to a

worthy cause.

For more information, please

contact Yeo Jia Cheng at 63580566 or

email [email protected].

10 MayRiding for The Disabled Association of Singapore Annual Charity Fund Raising Dinner & DanceTime: 7.30pm–1amVenue: RDA Centre, 5 Jalan MashhorThe Association is pleased to present

‘Hollywood, a night with the Stars’,

its annual charity fundraising dinner

and dance. Put on your dancing shoes

for a glamourous night for spotting

the ‘stars’. Guest will dine on a delicious

five-star menu prepared by chefs

from an award-wining hotel, then

dance the night away accompanied

by a fantastic band.

For more information, or to volunteer,

log on to www.rdasingapore.org.

23 MayACRES Gala Dinner, “Voices of the Wild”Venue: Orchid Country ClubTime: 7pm till lateThe Animal Concerns Research and

Education Society (ACRES) will be

celebrating its 7th anniversary in a

fundraising dinner with aims to raise

funds for its wildlife protection efforts.

Expect a glitzy evening of great enter-

tainment including a special fashion

show featuring Miss Singapore

Universe 2007, Jessica Tan, wacky

show-host, Daryl Epimaco, crazy games,

great musical acts, a delectable 9-

course spread plus, free flow of wine

all night long.

For more information, visit www.

acres.org.sg/voicesofthewild or email

[email protected].

27-29 MaySurvival STEP Camp (Youth Centre)Venue: West Spring Secondary School, 61 Senja RoadTime: Check in at 8.45amNew Life Community Services

Centre is looking for facilitators and

assistant facilitators for its Survival

STEP Camp. Volunteers should be 18

years old and above, be confident

and comfortable engaging youths,

be able to direct, lead and guide

youths with positive influences, and

be energetic and passionate about

working and interacting with youths.

For more information, call

Corrie or Alicia at 68927191, or email

[email protected].

1 JuneWalk the World 2008Venue: D’lawn, Pasir Ris ParkTime: 9.30 am through to 3pmJoin TNT in their global efforts to

fight child hunger by participating

in ‘Walk the World’, a five-kilometre

fundraising walk held annually to

raise funds for the United Nations

World Food Programme. Enjoy a

day of fun comprising magic shows,

games and a mini exhibition.

For more information, register

online at www.fighthunger.org and

make a donation of any amount.

6 JuneMake-A-Wish Foundation Charity Golf TournamentVenue: Sentosa Golf CourseTime: 1pm–10pm (Golf game is followed by dinner and entertainment)Fee: Based on different tiersMake-A-Wish is hosting its 6th annual

charity golf tournament which brings

together people of all walks of life for

a day of fun. All while raising funds

for the mission of granting wishes to

children between the ages of three

and 18 with a life-threatening illness.

For more information, contact

Debbie Seah or Debra Devied at

63349474; email debbieseah@makeawish.

org.sg or [email protected].

16 JuneYMCA Movie Premiere, “Get Smart”Venue: Golden Village Cinemas, VivoCityTime: 8pmThe YMCA of Singapore is looking

for endorsement and support for

its inaugural movie premiere. Funds

raised for its beneficiary, the YMCA-

Lim Kim San Volunteers Programme

Fund will help achieve a higher level

of engagement in volunteerism and

develop better quality volunteers in

service of the less privileged in our

community. His Excellency, President

S R Nathan will grace this event as

the Guest-of-Honour.

If you are interested in volun-

teering, call 65862206/2208 or email

[email protected].

6 JulyHair for Hope 2008Time: Noon–7pmVenue: Velocity@Novena SquareHair for Hope is back. Volunteers

are invited to shave their heads as

a show of support for children with

cancer. Through this symbolic

gesture, the event hopes to raise

awareness of childhood cancer as

well as funds for children and families

affected by this disease.

Registration begins in May. For more

information, visit www.ccf.org.sg.

30 AugustJoint Flag Day for Lions Home for the Elders and Lions Befrienders Service AssociationVenue: Island-wideTime: Shift 1 (9.00am–2.00pm); Shift 2 (1.00pm–6.00pm) and Flexi-hours between 9.00am–6.00pmLions Home for the Elders will be

collaborating with Lions Befrienders

Service Association in a joint flag day

in an effort to raise funds towards

enhancing the welfare of the under-

privileged elderly and aged sick in

our society.

For more information, please

contact Jereen Toh at 63599173 or

email [email protected].


D A T E S T O N O T ECALENDAR

DO YOU HAVE AN EVENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUBLICISE? We welcome your news of upcoming events and pictures. Please send them to SALT, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #04-88 The Central, Singapore 059817; or email [email protected]. Please include your name, the name of your organisation, address and telephone number. SALT reserves the right to edit submissions for space and clarity.

5 JulySPCA Flag DayTime: 9.00am–5.00pm; Shift 1 (9.00am–1.00pm) and Shift 2 (1.00pm–5.00pm)Venue: IslandwideOn its Flag Day, SPCA hopes to raise awareness (and collect donations) of

its homeless and abused animals. As this is its biggest fundraising event

of the year, the association requires hundreds of helpers. Volunteer for a

whole day or just a morning or afternoon.

If you would like to help, please contact SPCA at 62875355 or email

[email protected].



A D A S H O F S A L T

“Giving is a very misunderstood activity. Giving is not an obligation that comes about because of your wealth, giving is an obligation all of us have despite and in spite of where we are in life.”Stanley Tan, Chairman, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre in an interview with the Asian Financial Planning Journal.

“Building volunteers is like planting seeds. If we can’t plant ten today, we’ll plant one first”Poh Hwee Hian, Volunteer.

Wisdom from India: “On the day you die you will not be judged on how much you gave… but rather on how much you held back.”An excerpt from an online post in PhilanTopic, opinion and commentary on the changing world of philanthropy.

“A person’s life doesn’t just comprise family, but also the larger community. And the question is: What difference can you make as a person?”Ms Tan, a retiree, in an interview with The Straits Times, on her planned giving to The Asian Civilisations Museum.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States (1825-1829).

“God gave me my money. I believe the power to make money is a gift from God, to be developed and used to the best of our ability for the good of mankind. Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience.”John D. Rockefeller, American Philanthropist (1839–1937).

“More people are oppressed than free. How can one not be sensitive to their plight? Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.”Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, 10 December 1986.

“Sadly, some people never get beyond the box stage in their creative life...My solution for them: This isn’t working. Free yourself. Get out of this box...and start a new box. But do so with the faith that nothing is lost, that you haven’t put in all this effort for naught.”Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit.

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