SINCE May last year, 103 digital tablets have been set up across all Q & M Dental Group clinics in Singapore. As customers make payment at the clinic's checkout counter, a quick scan of a QR code in these tablets will allow them to make donations directly to Community Chest.

These tablets are among the many touch points available across Singapore as part of Community Chest's Change for Charity (CFC) initiative. Around 200 companies have participated in the initiative that enables businesses to incorporate a donation mechanism into their payment platforms, so that it is easier for customers to make donations.

The full sum of their donations will be channelled to support more than 200 critical programmes that empower children with special needs, youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions, and families and seniors in need of assistance. With the Government matching $0.50 for every dollar donated via the CFC initiative, every dollar collected through participating businesses is multiplied.

While Q & M Dental has set up dedicated donation tablets, AXS has incorporated into their systems an option for users to donate directly to Community Chest, or by rounding up when paying their bills.

AXS' participation through its AXS stations makes up 650 CFC donation touch points across Singapore. These machines are used by more than one million users monthly.

Community Chest chairman Chew Sutat says the collective participation of these corporates through CFC will "broaden everyday giving in Singapore, helping to enable sustainable resourcing of the social service sector to meet current and future challenges".

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"When donation opportunities are readily available, giving becomes easy and convenient. Over time, it has the effect of 'enabling giving as a part of our daily lives'. This is part of our social compact so that no Singaporean is left behind," he explains.

Leveraging expertise to give back creatively

Community Chest hopes to rally a wide range of companies across different sectors to come on board the CFC initiative so that customers will have access to more donation opportunities in their day-to-day transactions. It will also continue to engage its corporate partners to come up with creative ways to leverage their business models to do good through CFC.

These include donating a portion of a company's sales to Community Chest, or allowing customers to convert loyalty points or rewards into donations.

Visa is another company that is supporting CFC, though in a different way.

The digital payment network has seen how the rapid pace of digitalisation has led to more opportunities for online payments to change the mode of donations - such as through digital wallets, contactless payments, digital cards and more. However, organisations such as small businesses and social service agencies may not be equipped with the know-how or resources to tap these opportunities.

"Small businesses and social service agencies have different digitalisation needs and opportunities as compared to large companies," says Ms Patsian Low, vice-president of Inclusive Impact & Sustainability at Visa Asia Pacific.

By providing targeted resources, guides and workshops for small businesses, Visa hopes to provide everyday businesses with the digital capabilities to rally donations for Community Chest. It will also work directly with social service agencies to enhance their donation platforms.

Ms Low says: "There are exciting opportunities for charities to deploy more innovative means of digital fundraising, like tap-to-phone technology that accepts payments from donors' cards or mobile phones. Businesses - large and small - can also engage customers digitally to integrate giving opportunities into the shopping experience."

Such opportunities, Ms Low says, will make giving to charitable causes a more seamless experience among consumers, and as simple and secure as paying for other everyday purchases that they are already accustomed to.

Helping communities in a more sustained way

In the business world, there are growing expectations that corporates have clear Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives and adhere to ESG reporting. Research has also found that companies with strong corporate purpose do better at talent attraction and retention, while those that fold ESG considerations into their business models often see better financial performance.

Initiatives like CFC not only complement and boost the existing corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts of companies as part of their wider ESG strategies, but also help them to articulate clear corporate purposes.

Such commitment from the top typically trickles downwards, and shapes the behaviour and attitudes of employees within the organisation, resulting in a more caring and cohesive corporate culture. Q & M Dental says the time and money spent in setting up its CFC project has helped inculcate a culture of generosity among its staff.

"By incorporating this spirit of giving into the company framework, the company is also aligning the mindsets of our employees to embrace this spirit in all aspects of their lives," says Dr Raymond Ang, chief operating officer of Q & M Dental Group.

While implementing the system involved time and initial cost, Dr Ang says the company recognises "the importance of community engagement and believes that continuous charitable giving is one of the ways to contribute meaningfully to the community that [they] are operating in".

Likewise, AXS, by taking part in the CFC initiative, has been able to further promote the spirit of generosity among its employees and users.

The company collaborates with organisations to host their donation applications on its platforms, raising funds for victims of natural disasters and various other causes. AXS itself also participates in charity events such as the Boys' Brigade Share-a-Gift.

"Through this partnership with Community Chest, we hope users will see AXS as more than just a bill payment platform as we raise the awareness of charitable giving and cultivate a behaviour of giving back to society," adds a company spokesperson.

Community Chest hopes that more companies will come onboard the CFC initiative to promote a culture of giving among Singaporeans.

Chew says: "When companies' business models generate value for society, they provide opportunities for those in need to uplift themselves, while complementing the Government and community's support efforts. In the long run, we will collectively be able to empower individuals, families and communities in need to achieve their fullest potential, despite the challenges they face in life."

Find out how your business can empower the lives of those in need through Community Chest's Change for Charity initiative.