A culture of giving creates a virtuous circle of purpose

To bring cheer to residents of MINDSville@Napiri, Mr Patrick Fiat would dress up as Santa Claus during his Christmas visits to the home for individuals with special needs. This is one of the many ways Mr Fiat tries to support communities in need in Singapore. The general manager of Royal Plaza on Scotts often leads the hotel's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and strongly believes companies should collectively do their part for vulnerable groups. One way is through the SHARE programme, a Community Chest initiative that Royal Plaza on Scotts has been part of - and championed - for 20 years. As a SHARE Ambassador, Mr Fiat promotes the programme among his networks, employees, industry partners, family and friends and encourages them to make regular donations towards social service agencies supported by Community Chest. Contributions through SHARE, which currently makes up about one-third of Community Chest's annual donations, creates a reliable and sustainable stream of funds to help social service agencies concentrate on delivering critical services. Every year, Community Chest needs to raise over $50 million to fund more than 100 social service agencies and 200 programmes.

As Community Chest's operating and fundraising costs are covered mainly by Tote Board, 100 per cent of the donations go directly to these programmes that support over 41,000 social service users, ranging from children with special needs to seniors in need of assistance. For instance, $15 can provide one week of befriending services for a senior to be meaningfully engaged, while about $35 can provide one day of job training in a sheltered workshop for an adult with disabilities.

Says Mr Phillip Tan, chairman of Community Chest: "SHARE has been an important pillar for many social service agencies to help them sustain critical services for their service users. This has been particularly crucial during the pandemic, which has affected many service users disproportionately. Today, about 10 per cent of the working population are participating in the SHARE programme, which indicates a huge potential for organisations to encourage regular and sustainable giving amongst their employees. We hope that more corporates and individuals will join us on board this programme to bring about greater impact to those in need."

Creating a meaningful workplace

Ask Mr Fiat why he believes in the power of doing good, and his answer is simple.

"To be a company that truly cares about people, organisations need to start from within. An empathetic employer that prioritises employee welfare creates a compassionate company culture that encourages other acts of caring, such as giving back to society." As many charities and non-profits depend on a constant stream of funds, the SHARE programme gives employees and employers the opportunity to make their contributions count - a $5 donation can snowball into a significant sum when they band together for a common purpose.

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To encourage employee participation in the SHARE programme, Royal Plaza on Scotts provides a dollar-for-dollar matching for every donation given. Today, more than 90 per cent of Royal Plaza on Scotts employees give a yearly average of $46,595. Since 2002, the total amount that the hotel has raised for Community Chest is now over $900,000.

"If we share the same values as an organisation, then all our employees will feel involved, and that they are making a difference. It is also a great opportunity for us to create a culture that is supportive and giving as everyone is willing to lend a helping hand," says Mr Fiat.

Giving contributes to organisational growth As remote working is here to stay, one challenge facing organisations is engaging their employees and instilling a sense of purpose in the absence of physical team-bonding and company events. Over at Prudential Singapore (Prudential), the SHARE programme has allowed the organisation to establish a company-wide culture of corporate citizenship, as well as inspire their employees to rally together for the common good. New hires of Prudential are briefed about the SHARE programme during orientation, where they can sign up to make regular contributions conveniently through their payrolls. Individuals can choose to contribute a minimum of $5 each month as Prudential matches their donations dollar-for-dollar. The company also organised lunchtime talks before the Covid-19 pandemic and sends regular email updates to employees to raise awareness and drive participation for the SHARE programme. These efforts had a positive impact on SHARE contributions. Since 2018, SHARE donations from Prudential have gone towards supporting the Lions Befrienders and Lakeside Family Services. In 2021, the company launched the Prudential Longevity Pledge (PLP), a fundraising programme set up to help vulnerable groups in the community live well for longer. Prudential's SHARE donations are now channelled to the PLP to support beneficiaries such as lower-income households and seniors.

Prudential CEO Mr Dennis Tan is a SHARE Ambassador who believes that corporate philanthropy has the scale and resources to improve the lives of those most impacted. Employers who build a reputation of doing good can also attract talents who are aligned with the company's values. "When employees contribute to a cause, they feel a sense of pride in their company's efforts to be a force for good, and in their own ability to give back to society. This in turn helps to create a workforce that is more motivated and engaged," he says. Spreading kindness sparks a domino effect The SHARE programme not just supports communities in need; it also amplifies contributions and boosts an organisation's CSR efforts. Under the SHARE As One (SAO) initiative, the government provides dollar-matching for new donations that have exceeded the preceding year's amount, up to Financial Year 2023. What's more, the SAO initiative ​​allows companies to claim a portion of the matching grant for CSR initiatives that support social services agencies under the Community Chest, up to a cap of $10,000 a year. Social service agencies have also been able to use the SAO matching grant to enhance their volunteer management capabilities and capacity to better manage and motivate volunteers. This creates a multiplier effect, where impact is doubled via new SHARE donations, and individual donations become a regular and sustained source of funds for social service agencies to provide quality services to communities in need. At DBS, participating in the SHARE programme motivated its employees to become active changemakers in the community. Since 1990, DBS' employees have been making regular donations to the SHARE programme, matched dollar-for-dollar by the bank. They have since stepped up their volunteerism efforts beyond cash donations, and institutionalised two days of volunteer leave for all employees. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, more than 1,600 employees engaged about 1,000 seniors in what is said to be the largest virtual befriending initiative led by volunteers in Singapore so far.

Says Ms Tan Sor Cheng, managing director of Group Human Resources at DBS: "We have actively encouraged our employees to participate in the programme and over the years, they have in turn encouraged their fellow colleagues to do the same. Before the pandemic, one of our staff even took the initiative to dress up as the [Community Chest mascot] Sharity Elephant during one of our roadshows, to encourage colleagues to give back to the community.

"We want to continuously improve and to be better today than we were yesterday. This desire propels us to contribute to a cause that is bigger than ourselves."

Companies interested in joining the SHARE programme to provide sustainable support to communities in need can click here to find out more.