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Lianhe Zaobao: More companies and individuals seeking professionals to manage their charitable funds
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Lianhe Zaobao: More companies and individuals seeking professionals to manage their charitable funds

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新加坡社区基金会成立10年来,设立或管理的慈善基金从2008年的两 个增至今年2月的110个,而基金会筹获的善款也已达1亿元,发放的 款项达6000万元,惠及的慈善团体多达400个。

Song Huichun

随着国人对有效行善的意识提高,更多企业和个人善款捐赠者过 去10年来选择与专人合作,协助他们管理和发放善款给希望帮助的机 构或项目。

数据显示,捐赠者透过新加坡社区基金会(Community Foundation of Singapore)设立或管理的慈善基金从2008年的两个 增至2013年3月的47个,到了今年2月已增至110个,10年来增幅超过50 倍。

协助企业或个人捐赠者以可持续、妥善和具透明度的方式管理与 设立行善基金的新加坡社区基金会迈入第10年,多年来,基金会把捐 赠者与他们关注的相关慈善团体妥善配对,制定有效行善策略,让更 多有需要者受惠。

基金会总裁罗佩仪(50岁)接受《联合早报》访问并透露上述数 据时说,基金会成立之初希望做的是通过了解捐赠者关注的课题及行 善动力,协助发展出一套适合捐赠者的有效行善策略。

新加坡社区基金会在本地超过2000个慈善机构中找出适合捐赠 者资助的项目……找出不同群体的需求及捐赠者可提供协助的机会, 让捐赠者可更有效地施予援助,发挥更大影响力。”

罗佩仪说,在为捐赠者与慈善项目或机构进行配对时,捐赠者的 理念、兴趣、愿意承担风险的限度、拨款数额等都会影响基金会所做 的推荐。而基金会发挥的影响力,也随着更多国人了解以有效方式行 善何其重要后,逐年增加。

深入了解慈善机构运作 及善款影响力

基金会提供给本报的数据显示,截至2013年3月,基金会共筹到 5000万元善款,发放的款项约1200万元,惠及130个慈善伙伴。

而到了今年2月,基金会筹获的善款已达1亿元,发放的款项达 6000万元,惠及的慈善团体多达400个。

为了确保善款获得妥善运用,基金会也会深入了解慈善机构的运 作、领导班子、受惠人如何获益、财务状况、个别项目如何进行、有 多少资源、有没有执行能力等。基金会也会为捐赠者跟进汇报善款发 挥的影响力,以及使用后的结果等。

罗佩仪说:“企业一般上会觉得这样的模式很管用,因为他们必 须向股东汇报善款用途。”

她也说,基金会未来会继续透过讲座和活动接触更多群体,让各 方更了解基金会提供的服务。

运输业者发挥“专长” 让派发食物更有效

交通运输企业行善不忘发挥专业,出钱出力出车,协助非盈利组织有效地派发更多食物给有需要的人。

交通运输业者金钟集团(Goldbell Group)自2015年起成立金钟基金会,探讨如何在经营生意的同时尽社会企业责任,选择帮助真正需要帮助的人。

金钟财务服务私人有限公司执行董事蔡满榜(38岁)积极带领金钟集团履行企业社会责任,他受访时说,在和新加坡社区基金会合作行善之前,金钟集团一般都以零星方式回馈社会,有机会就帮忙,没有一个制式的行善结构。

在金钟基金会成立隔年,因刚好有一名新加坡社区基金会成员认识蔡满榜的父亲,从此,金钟集团就透过新加坡社区基金会从旁牵线和指引,确认行善计划和目的,帮助本身关注的群体。

金钟基金会和新加坡社区基金会展开合作初期,计划每年拨出30万元行善,而慈善团体“爱心食品”(Food From The Heart)是金钟基金会资助的团体之一。

蔡满榜说:“与该团体数次接触后,发现我个人的行善理念与他们的管理营运理念不谋而合,尤其是他们去找合作伙伴捐赠食品给他们要帮助的人,而不是花钱购买食品。”

在透过新加坡社区基金会促成更有效的合作之前,金钟集团已免费租借两辆有冷冻设备的卡车给“爱心食品”,方便他们载送易腐食品。

现在,金钟集团允诺资助“爱心食品”三年,支持该组织卡车队的营运和载送食品给有需要者所需的营运费用等。

如此一来,“爱心食品”就能更好地进行预算和营运规划,确保在金钟集团资助期间,有需者可持续获得食品援助。

除了“爱心食品”,金钟集团也资助过不少个别项目,包括绿色生活、援助有需要青年等。

Link to stories: Here and here.

Translation:

More companies and individuals seeking professionals to manage their charitable funds

In the 10 years since the Community Foundation of Singapore was established, the number of charitable funds set up or managed has increased from two in 2008 to 110 in February this year. The donations raised by the foundation have also reached $100 million, with $60 million distributed, benefiting up to 400 charities.
Song Huichun

As awareness of effective charitable giving increases, more corporate and individual donors have spent the past 10 years choosing to collaborate with dedicated professionals to help them manage and distribute charitable funds to the institutions or projects they wish to help.

According to statistics, charitable funds created or managed by donors through the Community Foundation of Singapore increased from two in 2008 to 47 in March 2013 and further increased to 110 in February this year. In 10 years, it has gone up more than 50 folds.

The Community Foundation of Singapore, which assists corporate or individual donors to manage and establish charitable funds in a sustainable, appropriate and transparent manner, is reaching its 10th year. Over the years, the Foundation has properly matched donors with the charities they care about, formulating effective strategies for good practices to benefit more people in need.

When CFS CEO Catherine Loh, 50, accepted the Zaobao interview, she disclosed the data above and added that the Foundation’s initial hope was to help develop a set of donor-friendly products by understanding donors’ concerns and the motivation to do good.

The Community Foundation of Singapore has identified programmes that are suitable for support from more than 2,000 charitable organisations in the country by identifying the needs of different groups to provide opportunities for assistance so that donors can more effectively provide assistance and make greater impact.

Ms Loh said that when pairing donors with charitable projects or institutions, the donor’s ideas, interests, willingness to take risks, the amount of funding, etc. all influence the Foundation’s recommendations. The influence of the Foundation is also gradually increasing as more people understand how important it is to be effective.

Learning more about charity operations and the impact of charitable funds

According to the data provided by the Foundation, as of March 2013, it had raised a total of $50 million in donations, with $12 million grants given out, benefiting 130 charitable partners.

In February this year, the donations raised by the Foundation reached $100 million, with grants amounting to $60 million, benefiting up to 400 charities.

In order to ensure the proper use of donations, the Foundation has an in-depth understanding of charity operations, leadership, impact on beneficiaries, financial status, how individual projects are run, how much resources they have, and whether they have executive capabilities. The Foundation also follow up with donors to report on the impact of charitable donations, as well as the outcomes.

Ms Loh said: “Companies generally feel that this model is very useful, because they must report to shareholders on the use of funds.”

She also said that in the future, the Foundation will continue to reach out to more groups through lectures and events so that all parties can better understand the services provided by the Foundation.

Transport operators use their expertise to make food delivery more effective

Transportation companies have not forgotten their professional role –  using their expertise and money to help non-profit organisations to effectively distribute food to those in need.

Transportation company Goldbell Group established the Goldbell Foundation in 2015 to explore how to conduct social responsibility while running their business and helping those in need.

Alex Chua, 38, Executive Director of Goldbell Financial Services Pte Ltd, actively led the Goldbell Group in fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities. During the interview, he said that prior to collaborating with the Community Foundation of Singapore, the Goldbell Group generally gave back to society in sporadic ways. If there’s an opportunity, they help, there was no structure for doing good.

In the year after the Goldbell Foundation was established, a member of the Community Foundation of Singapore who knew his father William Chua reached out to them. Since then, through guidance provided by the Community Foundation of Singapore, they have a philanthropic plan and goals, helping causes of their choice.

In the early stages of the collaboration between Goldbell Foundation and the Community Foundation of Singapore, it plans to set aside $300,000 a year to support charities, and charity Food from the Heart is one of the groups funded by the Goldbell Foundation.

Mr Chua said: “After several interactions with the organisation, I discovered that my concept of personal goodwill is in line with their management concept. In particular, they approach partners to donate food to the people they want to help, rather than spend money to buy food.”

Prior to promoting more effective collaboration through the Community Foundation of Singapore, the Goldbell Group has already rented two trucks with freezer equipment to Food from the Heart to facilitate the delivery of perishable foods.

Now Goldbell Group has promised to fund Food from the Heart for three years to support the operation of the truck fleet as well as the operating expenses required to transport food to beneficiaries.

As a result, Food from the Heart is able to better budget and plan its operations to ensure that those in need can continue to receive food assistance during the period the Goldbell Group is funding.

In addition to supporting Food from the Heart, Goldbell Group has also funded a number of individual projects, including environment projects, and providing help to young people.

Photo: Lianhe Zaobao

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Stories Of Impact

#MyGivingJourney X Ravina Kirpalani: Taking family philanthropy to new heights

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CFS launched the #MyGivingJourney series, which features extraordinary women in Singapore and their efforts in philanthropy. Our second story features Ravina Kirpalani, Head of Philanthropy at the Enpee Group Foundation, board member of Beyond Social Services and volunteer at HCA Hospice Care. 

Mention hospice and most people picture the atmosphere to be heavy or depressing. Instead, it is the exact opposite, says Ravina Kirpalani. Ravina has been volunteering at HCA Hospice Care for over 11 years and rates it as one of the most rewarding experiences in her giving journey.   

“I have learnt so much from the patients through their positive attitudes, amazing sense of acceptance and loving interactions. They have a zest for life and want to enjoy whatever time they have left,” she says. “The staff are also wonderful and caring and I leave each volunteer session so much fuller and more joyful than I did when I walked in.” 

Spending time with the terminally ill is just one of the many causes Ravina has embraced. As head of philanthropy at the Enpee Group Foundation, she oversees its community work, which stretches from Africa to India and Southeast Asia. The Enpee Group was founded in 1961 by Ravina’s father-in-law in Nigeria and has grown into a $300 million conglomerate.  

The Foundation kicked off in 2001 with community initiatives in Nigeria and India, where the group’s manufacturing plants are located. It also collaborates with charities such as the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation which does extensive work in healthcare, through its Mission for Vision, Mission for Primary Health and Mission for Water programmes in Nigeria. 

In Singapore, the Foundation supports several educational initiatives. It funds scholarships and bursaries at the National University of Singapore in the areas of solar energy research, environmental studies and medicine. It has also begun sponsoring 10 students who are studying for their nursing certificates at the Institute of Technical Education. And in 2021, it set up a scholarship for three students to complete their BSc in Nursing practice. The Foundation also grants aid to outstanding individuals from India and Nigeria to study for a Masters in Public Administration at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP). 

To further deepen their philanthropic giving in Singapore, Ravina and her husband Sanjay set up a Donor-Advised Fund with CFS in 2020. This supports smaller charities including the Reading Odyssey programme by Shine Children and Youth Services, which focuses on children from disadvantaged backgrounds with learning difficulties, the Kids Excel enrichment programme run by Catch them Young at partner schools which targets disengaged primary students from needy families, and the Family Justice Support Scheme by Law Society Pro bono Services. 

“Education and healthcare are our primary focus because of the ripple effect,” says Ravina. Thanks to the Foundation’s assistance, a student who lost his father to brain cancer when he was just five years old was able to go to medical school and become a doctor. The Foundation is also working with one of the six LKYSPP alumni that it has helped to date on an adolescent health initiative in Nigeria. Aside from this, Ravina finds time to contribute to Beyond Social Services, a charity that helps youths from less privileged backgrounds break away from the poverty cycle.  

For Ravina, giving back is an integral part of her family legacy. Growing up in Hong Kong, she saw how her mum volunteered at various charities such as the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital.  Her mum was also an active member of the Hong Kong Indian Women’s Club, where she did welfare work for the elderly and orphans. Ravina, who now lives in Singapore, is building on that tradition and taking the family’s philanthropy to new heights. 

Begin your own journey of giving with CFS. Read more about #MyGivingJourney series here.

This article was written by Sunita Sue Leng, a former financial analyst and journalist, who believes that the written word can be a force for good. She hopes to someday write something worth plagiarising.

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News

S’pore couple plan to leave money to charity after their death in new campaign to promote legacy giving

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SINGAPORE – It was their son’s degenerative eye disease that set ophthalmologist Dr Audrey Looi and her neurosurgeon husband Dr Ang Beng Ti on the path of philanthropy.

The couple were devastated around a decade ago to find out that James, now 19, suffers from Stargardt’s which causes progressive vision loss, when he was in primary school.

To make matters worse, there was a serious lack of programmes then to support children with low vision in their educational and other needs, Dr Ang, 51, said.

In 2011, the couple set up the charity iC2 PrepHouse, which teaches children with low vision the skills to cope with daily life and supports them to remain in mainstream schools.

They now plan to leave $200,000 or more in their wills to set up an endowment fund to support the iC2 PrepHouse’s work and to fund scholarships for needy undergraduates of the Singapore Management University (SMU).

James is now a business undergraduate at the SMU. The Angs have two other children, aged 13 and 21.

Dr Looi, 50, said: “So instead of giving it (our wealth) all to our children, we have started thinking about putting aside a part of it for charity. I think we have to be a little less self-focused and to give back to society.

“We told our children that they can contribute to the fund (in future). And I would like to think that our kids can manage without this sum we are giving to charity.

“Long after we are gone, we have this charity that continues to provide help for children with low vision. iC2 PrepHouse is our family legacy.”

The couple are among the donors fronting the “A Greater Gift” campaign in a three-month drive to promote legacy giving that was launched on Tuesday (Nov 24) morning.

The campaign was started by the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), a charity which promotes philanthropy here.

Legacy giving is broadly defined as future donations to charity, such as in the form of leaving money or property to charitable causes after one’s death.

Ms Catherine Loh, chief executive of the CFS, said the charity has seen more interest in legacy giving in the past few years, by people from different demographic groups including singles and married couples without children.

However, she added that Singaporeans’ interest in legacy giving lags behind Western societies, noting that it is taboo in Asian cultures to talk about death and even writing wills.

She said it is changing though.

“People think that legacy giving is only for the very rich. But we want to tell people, nothing is too small. We want to change this concept that it’s only for the very rich.

“Another thing people think is that if they give a legacy gift, their children will not have anything. We want to say it’s not an either-or (situation) and they can consider leaving a part of it (their wealth) to charity,” added Ms Loh.

While there are the uber rich who are leaving millions to charity after their death, some charities have also received as little as $10,000 from a person’s estate, she said.

The CFS will provide resources to help charities engage their donors on legacy giving, among its efforts to boost this form of philanthropy here.

Besides the Angs, the other donors who are part of the campaign include MP and lawyer Nadia Ahmad Samdin, 30, and venture capitalist Hian Goh, 46.

In their campaign video, Ms Nadia said she went to school with the help of financial assistance and now wants to help at-risk young people, while Mr Goh wants to create opportunities for innovators to reach their full potential.

Mr Goh is a co-founder of the Asian Food Channel, a pay-television channel now known as the Asian Food Network.

Source: The Straits Times

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The competition was organised by City Harvest Community Services Association and received support from FUN! Fund, a Community Impact Fund jointly established by the Community Foundation of Singapore and the Agency for Integrated Care, with the aim of addressing social isolation among the elderly.

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of National Development Mr Tan Kiat How attended the event. He encouraged the elderly to stay physically and mentally well, as well as urging them to participate in community activities and enjoy their golden years together.

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

 

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.

L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛:比赛限时反应要快

现年92岁的胡锦盛是最年长的参赛者。自2017年退休后,他几乎每天都到活跃乐龄中心报到,从此爱上了玩拉密,每次可玩上三个小时,在中心是“常胜将军”。

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Opinion

Charting your legacy

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CFS CEO Catherine Loh giving a speech

I think we can all agree every individual has something unique to give back and offer to society. And yet, when thinking about legacy, how often do we realise that every action we take, however large or small, is actually creating our legacy? Perhaps some of us believe legacy giving is only for wealthier individuals, or that legacy giving can only be defined in financial terms.

It’s important to realise legacy is much more than just financial in nature. Your legacy also includes your personal or business values, the values you have inculcated in your children. It encompasses the giving of your time, expertise and even your resources to empower someone in need. Think about creating a legacy as living a life of generosity, in ways that make meaningful social impact while aligning to your values.

If you’re passionate about a cause, you don’t need to wait until you’re richer, older and retired to start thinking about taking action. Today, with technology, new giving channels and opportunities for collaboration with a wider community are already available and being created each day. As a donor in this exciting era of knowledge-sharing, there are many opportunities to learn about causes you care about and how you can contribute.

For some of you, you might be moving on from ‘success’ to ‘significance’. “How will I be remembered in a hundred years’ time?” “How can I leave a better world for future generations?” As two prominent families shared at our recent CRIB x CFS Legacy and Impact event, leaving a legacy also means preparing your next generation to become responsible stewards of your family’s culture of giving. This often means setting up a framework and sharing your family’s values, so that your children are empowered to continue the good work you have begun.

If you’re wondering how you could start to plan for legacy giving, here are three key ideas to help you along your journey:

Start the conversation
Identify your interests, values and the impact you want to make, so that you can find a focus for your giving.

Consider your structure
Setting up a fund helps to structure your philanthropic activity, improve strategic decision-making and better measure outcomes.

View philanthropy as a journey of learning
Learn more about issues on the ground, what the real needs are, and what are more strategic ways to make a change.

Many of our donors at CFS began from a place where they may not have had extensive histories in giving, but they have embarked on a journey to learn how they could chart their legacy, one action at time. I hope you will discover how philanthropy can be your way of life.

Catherine Loh
CEO
Community Foundation of Singapore

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News

CFS Chairperson receives National Award for COVID-19 – The Public Service Medal

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The Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) is honoured to announce that our Chairperson, Ms. Christine Ong, has received the National Awards (COVID-19) under the category of The Public Service Medal (COVID-19). This award recognises the Chairperson’s leadership and CFS’s efforts to serve the Singapore community during the pandemic.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, CFS has provided assistance to those in need through the distribution of grants to individuals and organisations. Under Christine’s direction, CFS disbursed a total of $57 million from March 2020 to December 2022, with $32 million going to the social & welfare and health sectors.

One of our key initiatives was the Sayang Sayang Fund. Established in February 2020 as an emergency response fund to support frontline healthcare workers, the Sayang Sayang Fund expanded its support to a range of vulnerable groups and launched nine initiatives. With the help of 891 grantee organizations, CFS delivered resources and support to nearly 400,000 beneficiaries with the $9.6 million raised from multiple platforms, including a successful campaign on Giving.sg that collected $1 million in public donations. The Sayang Sayang Fund continued to introduce new initiatives in 2021 to support ground-up groups and the community health sector in Singapore.

Thanks to Christine and the Board, CFS has become a leading grant-maker in the country during a time of increased community needs. The CFS team has risen to the challenge, working together to address complex issues exacerbated by the pandemic. This award recognizes the collective effort and represents a proud moment for everyone at CFS.

CFS remains committed to excellence and will continue to strive for greater impact in serving the community. Further information on the National Awards (COVID-19) and the recipients is available here.

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