ComChest launches SGShare campaign to encourage regular donations to those in need
It is pushing for businesses to adopt a more long-term approach to giving back to the community
COMMUNITY Chest (ComChest), the philanthropic arm of the National Council of Social Services, on Saturday (Jan 18) launched SGShare, a national giving campaign to encourage Singaporeans and residents to regularly donate to communities in need.
In conjunction with SG60, participants can pledge a small donation every month. One-time contributions are also accepted.
ComChest will work with government agencies, businesses, community groups and educational institutions to create more platforms and opportunities for contributions – for example, via national and community events such as the National Day Parade.
Chew Sutat, chairman of Community Chest, said: “Increasingly complex social needs, coupled with growing demand for more effective services, means sustainable funding is required on two fronts: for social service programmes to support those in need; as well as projects and initiatives that help strengthen the social service agencies in areas such as digitalisation, innovation and volunteer management, to enable them to plan and deliver these services more effectively and efficiently.”
SGShare expands on ComChest’s existing Share programme, in which employees donate a small amount of their monthly pay. Established in 1984, it currently has about 260,000 donors and more than 2,000 supporting employers, with contributions of more than S$15 million every year.
He added: “One consistent feedback we have received about Share is its lack of portability, especially when participants switch companies and the new company hasn’t subscribed to the programme.
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“By expanding Share across more platforms and creating more opportunities for the general public to participate directly, we hope to enable Singaporeans to express solidarity in a more accessible and sustainable manner.”
In FY2023, ComChest disbursed more than S$69 million to supported programmes – an increase from S$52 million in FY2022.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, who announced the launch of SGShare, said: “These donations support over 200 critical programmes for more than 82,000 persons each year.”
Corporate participation
ComChest is also encouraging businesses to adopt a more long-term approach to giving back to the community beyond donations, such as by volunteering.
“(ComChest) will collaborate with corporate partners through initiatives such as Change for Charity, where businesses can enable everyday giving from their customers by incorporating a donation mechanism into their business model or platform; and encourage corporate partners to take a longer-term lens to philanthropy by committing to multi-year giving,” Chew said.
Standard Chartered is one such example. The bank will encourage its employees to contribute to SGShare by raising awareness through its internal channels and organising giving campaigns throughout the year.
As part of Futuremakers, the bank’s global youth economic empowerment initiative, it will focus on education, digital inclusion and providing equitable opportunities for all in its activities this year.
Patrick Lee, StanChart’s chief executive, Singapore and Asean, said: “Some of the programmes we will run include digital literacy and fraud awareness workshops, organised in collaboration with the Infocomm Media Development Authority, to empower our seniors to be digitally savvy and safeguard themselves against scams.”
It will also run financial literacy programmes for children from lower-income families over the next 12 months.
StanChart has a four-year collaboration agreement with ComChest to pledge a minimum annual donation of S$300,000 to support Futuremakers-themed initiatives.
Singapore Pools has participated in the Share programme for more than 30 years, raising a total of S$83,496 – including corporate matching – in 2024.
Chin Sau Ho, senior director of community partnerships and communications at Singapore Pools, said: “In FY2023/24, we organised a total of 123 volunteering activities, engaging over 617 unique Singapore Pools staff volunteers.”
It holds volunteering activities every month with longstanding partners, such as befriending beneficiaries at Metta Day Activity Centre for the Intellectually Disabled.
“Through (the iShine Cloud charity) and the Singapore Pools Academy, we equip non-profits with IT solutions and training programmes, helping them thrive so they can better serve their beneficiaries,” he added.
In FY2023/24, 35 non-profit organisations benefited from Singapore Pools Academy’s programmes.
Festive bags
DPM Gan launched SGShare at the annual ComChest Fu Dai event on Saturday, where more than 1,300 corporate and community volunteers packed and distributed more than 9,000 festive bags to seniors and lower-income families around Singapore.
Each bag contains food and household items, such as crackers, canned products and tissues.
Beneficiaries said this initiative reduces their financial burden by providing essential items.
Koh Kwee Choo, one such beneficiary from Allkin Singapore who lives in a rental unit, said: “Other programmes (by ComChest), such as outdoor activities, health talks and festive season celebrations, have enriched my life by keeping me engaged and informed.”
The Fu Dai event is built on “strong corporate and community partnerships”, said ComChest’s Chew.
He added: “By enabling this hands-on experience, Community Chest Fu Dai has also become an important platform for ComChest as an informed, impactful intermediary to engage corporates who may be new to philanthropy or may need guidance on how to structure their giving efforts, by showcasing the impact they can bring to the sector in a tangible way.”
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