Transforming the act of regular giving into a sustained force for good

How do companies keep their employees feeling connected and engaged when remote working arrangements remain the norm?

Creating a collective sense of purpose through an organisation's corporate responsibility initiatives is a good way to start. Besides appealing to one's personal values, studies have suggested that acts of altruism - especially during a crisis - can be beneficial to a person's emotional and mental well-being.

"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," says Mr Dennis Tan, CEO of Prudential Singapore.

Prudential Singapore ("Prudential") is no stranger to helping underprivileged groups in Singapore. In 2020, the life insurer gave out nearly S$3.5 million in cash benefits and donations as part of its Covid-19 relief measures. It also pledged S$201,000 to The Courage Fund and The Invictus Fund to support individuals and social service agencies affected by the pandemic. But beyond these measures, Prudential also believes strongly in long-term support for the social service sector.

"These Covid-19 times only call for greater participation, as the pandemic has left many vulnerable groups needing greater assistance. Corporate philanthropy has the scale and resources to improve the lives of those most impacted. This is an important time for organisations and individuals to get involved and give back," adds Mr Tan.

Small ripple, big wave

One way that Prudential has demonstrated this dedication is through its participation in Community Chest's regular giving SHARE programme since 1994.

With contributions made towards SHARE, Community Chest can support five causes, namely children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions as well as families and seniors in need of assistance. 100 per cent of SHARE donations goes towards more than 100 social service agencies and over 200 critical programmes supported by Community Chest. Currently, about 2,000 companies and over 250,000 individuals participate in SHARE.

For Prudential, employees' SHARE donations have supported underprivileged seniors and families through Lions Befrienders and Lakeside Family Services since 2018. In 2021, the Prudential Longevity Pledge was set up to support low-income households and seniors with employees' SHARE donations.

The SHARE donations have sustained critical service delivery for social service users, as evident during Covid-19 challenges. According to Community Chest, S$15 can provide one week of befriending services for a senior to be meaningfully engaged, while about S$35 can provide one day of job training in a sheltered workshop for an adult with disabilities.

Such contributions can snowball into a significant sum, especially when companies and employees band together.

For example, Prudential encourages its employees to contribute a minimum of S$5 every month while the company provides dollar-matching for these donations. To rally participation, new employees are introduced to the SHARE programme during orientation, where they learn how their contributions can support underprivileged communities. Mr Tan, who is a firm believer in "disciplined giving", is a SHARE Ambassador himself, and advocates for the SHARE programme among his networks.

Says Mr Tan: "It doesn't matter if our contributions are small - when we give regularly, even little amounts can add up to a considerable sum. More importantly, recurring donations ensure a programme's sustainability. Social services agencies benefit when employees donate to workplace programmes because some employers match donations, thereby helping them raise twice the amount of funds they need."

The impact of these donations to SHARE is further amplified under the SHARE As One (SAO) initiative launched in 2016, through which the Government provides dollar-matching for any new donations over and above what was made in the preceding year, up to Financial Year 2023, to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a culture of sustained giving.

SHARE As One also enables companies to claim a portion of the SAO matching grant for their own corporate social responsibility initiatives such as volunteering activities, which can further the companies' support of social service agencies under Community Chest.

The benefits of corporate citizenship

Ultimately, such workplace giving programmes have far-reaching benefits for everyone involved, including employers and their employees. Employers who build a reputation of doing good can attract talents who are aligned with the company's values, which in turn translates into organisational growth.

"We want to attract and nurture employees who show empathy and have a strong sense of purpose. By actively championing programmes such as SHARE at Prudential, we want to play our part in building a caring and inclusive society," says Mr Tan.