Empathy, purpose and hope: Giving strengthens society

CHRISTINE Ng took her pet rabbit Dum Dum to the vet for an ad hoc check-up. It was there she learnt about an increase in the number of abandoned pets being brought in for medical attention by animal welfare groups. The staff from TDCX, a business process outsourcing provider, then had the idea of supporting them. Hence, she became actively involved in a campaign to raise funds for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Singapore and Purely Adoptions.

The fundraising campaign had a two-pronged approach. First was an internal auction for hand-knitted, TDCX-branded bears by students from the YMCA's youth programme, which concluded on Nov 17. The customised outfits for the 30 bears featured a hand-sewn TDCX company logo, and the auction via the company's social media pages raised S$5,000, which will be donated to Purely Adoptions.

Secondly, there is a donation drive from Nov 7 to Dec 20, via the Giving.sg platform, and efforts will be amplified during SG Cares Giving Week. This campaign will support SPCA Singapore, and is open to public support.

SG Cares Giving Week is an anchor initiative of the national SG Cares movement held annually from Dec 1 to 7, jointly organised by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, the National Council of Social Service, and the SG Cares Office.

'Support a cause, big or small'

Angie Tay, group chief operating officer and executive vice-president for Singapore and Thailand at TDCX, said: "SG Cares Giving Week reminds us of 2 things - that we all have the ability to support a cause, big or small, and that there are many small charities that need our help. By partnering organisations such as SPCA and YMCA, which support causes that are close to our hearts, we are able to magnify our efforts as our people open their hearts and give generously."

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 12.30 pm

ESG Insights

An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues.

Sign Up

Sign Up

She added that in a recent employee satisfaction survey, the company achieved an overall score of 85 per cent in Singapore, which is higher than the industry average.

"This tells us that our employee engagement programme is well-received among employees and they find it fulfilling to take part in these activities."

Besides TDCX, consumer healthcare company Cordlife and social enterprise Elpis @ Hideout are also on the giving bandwagon.

This year, Cordlife is partnering with Canossaville Children and Community Services to raise funds through their annual donation drive through corporate and partners outreach. It also aims to raise awareness through their CSR video and social media/digital marketing efforts.

In addition, the company is also providing free Eyescreen tests for up to 80 children from Canossaville Preschool during SG Cares Giving Week.

Janice Ong, CEO of Cordlife Singapore, said: "This is particularly crucial and relevant today when paediatric myopia is on the rise due to the induced longer screen usage during home-based online learning activities and stay-at-home strategies to overcome the Covid-19 endemic...

"With Eyescreen - one of Cordlife's core services, we believe that the key to a better life is better sight and hope to bring good vision to all as a starting point."

Having been a participant of SG Cares Giving Week since 2015, Ong said that the company has a strong belief of giving back to the community. "We are aware of our social responsibility and have often attempted to inculcate a vivid sense of community among clients and staff while celebrating the spirit of familial ties over the last 2 decades."

The CEO added that the annual donation drives, as well as charity work, have brought about a sense of purpose in the employees amid their daily work.

Angela Li from the business development team at Cordlife said: "Being in Cordlife, one of the values I appreciate the most is teamwork. Being able to give back to the society through our CSR initiatives makes me feel proud to be part of the company, and it further embodies the familial bond we can have with the community."

People: driving force behind a living world

Elpis is a Greek word for hope. And for Elpis @ Hideout, it is the main motivation behind starting the social enterprise.

Germaine Lim, chief connecting officer of Elpis @ Hideout, said: "Hope inspires change, and change challenges the norm. In this new normal, change is absolutely necessary as it is the enabler for greater adaptability. We hope that whoever we help can embrace change and hope."

The company's current project - A Dollar a Day - is a sustainable fundraising campaign for its client, Dementia Singapore. The initiative was launched in mid-October, and will be the main campaign which will be highlighted during the SG Cares Giving Week, with the grand finale planned for December next year.

Lim said: "We are targeting to fundraise S$1.8 million over the next 15 months for them. A sustainable fundraising campaign is built over a period of time and it supports a series of fundraising events or initiatives to achieve the target set. Many charities, whose main lifeline is fundraising, either do not know how to do this or if they do, they very often do not have the manpower to sustainably drive a long-term campaign, hence we are brought into the picture."

She added that she sees SG Cares Giving Week as a two-way collaboration. "Our collaborating partners are: Ang Mo Kio Grassroot Club, online auction platform Galabid and influencer marketing platform Partipost."

Two art pieces which have been given by artists in support of the campaign will be up for auction on the platforms. "This is where we are very strong in bringing relevant parties together to do good. And of course, the entire campaign on SG Cares Giving Week lends credibility."

When asked about the stigma and challenges that a social enterprise faces, Lim candidly said: "As a social enterprise, the main challenge we face always is that we are expected to do our work pro bono. Somehow, there is this expectation that doing good should be for free".

However, she adds that the firm does have a good mix of charities and organisations with whom it works, and the team works with those who share its vision on what doing good is all about.

All in, said Lim, People are the driving force behind a living world. "If we do not behave like an inclusive society, it will become an imbalanced society, which will eventually come back to bite us. So it should be almost a no-brainer that doing good is an innate DNA in every organisation."

Staff volunteer from TDCX, Ng, concurred and said that such activities exposed her to different causes and one added benefit is the skills that she picked up along the way, such as how a livestreamed auction works.

• Company of Good connects organisations to do good strategically, sustainably and impactfully. Make goodness the business of your organisation at www.companyofgood.sg