Amplifying the impact of Giving for a City of Good
Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law at the City of Good Summit 2024
27 February 2024
Introduction
A very good morning to all.
I am happy to be here among friends and partners across
the giving space today.
All of you who have the shared passion for doing good,
coming together, exchanging information, building
networks and talking about the latest in thought
leadership about the spirit of giving.
This is the first-ever City of Good (CTOG) Summit held by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC),
which brings together voices from the People, Public and
Private sectors.
I congratulate NVPC for putting this together.
For always championing and building the spirit of the City
of Good,
And always moving us towards being a better version of
ourselves each time.
This conference takes on an expanded perspective on what it
means to be a City of Good – a city where everyone gives their
best to create a compassionate society with a strong culture of
giving.
The vision of a City of Good aligns well with Forward Singapore,
where everyone comes together to build a future.
And seeing the task of uplifting and helping one another
as one that is not just for you and I to do separately, but
for us to do jointly,
where there is a shared mutual responsibility so that no
one is left behind.
Last week, DPM Lawrence Wong made some announcements
in his budget speech that speak to this aspiration.
First, for donors. Many who have done well and want to
give back, may not know how or where to start.
The Community Foundation of Singapore, in
partnership with MSF and the Community Chest,
will help donors better appreciate the needs of
our society.
They will advise them on how to direct their
resources more effective – financial and non-
financial – to support lower-income families.
Second, for charities. We have extended the Charities
Capability Fund Collaboration Grant for three years till
end-FY2026.
This will support collaborative projects among
charities to enhance their governance, efficiency
and capabilities.
Third, for Singaporeans. We are a generous people, and
many wish to support those affected by humanitarian
crises overseas.
We might not always be able to associate with a
cause or take sides.
And sometimes, natural disasters.
But we can always show sympathy and
compassion.
To that end, we have introduced an Overseas
Humanitarian Assistance Tax Deduction Scheme.
This will provide 100% tax deductions for cash
donations made towards overseas emergency
humanitarian assistance causes through
designated charities.
These measures are intended to further strengthen our giving
spirit in Singapore.
We must keep building the resilience of our nation, which
lies in the strong bonds Singaporeans forge among
ourselves,
and in our collective willingness and desire to take care of
each other.
It is a tapestry of interwoven relationships between individuals
and groups in our diverse society.
Each playing a giving role in the unfolding of our
Singapore story.
A City of Good Vision
Is Singapore a City of Good?
There are many encouraging signs that show we are aspiring to
be so.
A prime example would be how many Singaporeans
stepped forward to give during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Giving.sg, there was a 160 percent increase
in online donations from $35.8 million in 2019 to
$93.4 million in 2020, and $95.5 million in 2021.
Based on NVPC’s 2021 study, there was a 7
percent increase in individual in-kind donations
between 2018 and 20211,
as well as a 13 percent increase for corporate in-
kind donations over the same period 2 .
In the volunteering space, 109 ground-ups registered with
the NVPC in 2020 during the pandemic, compared to just
28 in 2019 3 .
Everyone is doing their part to do good.
Amplifying Impact of Giving
It is apt that today, we have representatives from different
segments of society reimagining what philanthropy is about.
Even as we encourage everyone to contribute and play
their part in building a better home, society and future,
I want to begin by thinking how we can shift giving beyond a
single act of giving, towards sustained, collective action.
On the corporate front, companies can design and structure
their corporate contributions in ways that amplify their impact.
They can go beyond their employees, to include their
vendors and customers in their corporate contribution
efforts.
An example of this is Woh Hup. As a company,
Woh Hup provides construction and civil
engineering services.
But beyond the services they provide as a
company, Woh Hup regularly holds fundraising
initiatives that involve their subcontractors, clients
and consultants to raise funds for charities in
Singapore.
To date, their philanthropic actions have raised
more than $2.3 million for 18 charities.
Unilever and NVPC co-developed the "Purpose for Growth" to
support knowledge transfer from MNCs to SMEs,
to help SMEs level up, and position themselves for future
growth in a way that creates positive societal impact.
Under the programme, Unilever mentored 16 SMEs on
how their businesses can make a longer-term impact on
the community.
I am happy to share that NVPC will be launching another similar
project this year called "Grow with Purpose".
This project will extend the scope to include SME-to-SME
mentorship in an industry-specific context.
This time, ABR Holdings will lead this project, supported
by Saladstop!, with a focus on the F&B sector.
NVPC has also enhanced the Company of Good (COG)
Recognition System to be more inclusive.
The COG is a recognition given to organisations for the
progress in their corporate purpose journey.
The NVPC has now expanded the focus on
Society to other impact areas such as People,
Governance, Environment and Economic.
This increases the radius of consideration for
companies to be recognised.
I strongly encourage those of you here from the
corporate sector to join the COG to shape our
nation’s future for the better.
Community-led Giving
Besides corporate efforts, we are also seeing community-led
initiatives as well. We have seen Singaporeans stepping up to
create solutions with the communities they are helping.
Using their time, talents or treasures to become a force
for good.
I am happy to share that some of them are with us today to
share their perspectives as panelists and speakers.
One of them is Malcolm Chen of the Ageless Bicyclists.
Malcolm worked with teachers from Grace Orchard School to
develop cycling and bicycle-repairing programmes for children
with special needs.
It instills them with confidence and skills for the future.
Through his Ageless Bicyclists group of volunteers,
Malcolm continues to raise awareness and organise
teachings and activities to benefit these children.
Another person going the extra mile is Nabillah Jalal, who is not
only a talented musician, but also an inspiring youth
changemaker active in many parts of society.
She started ArtSee, a non-profit initiative that aims to
provide access to music education for underserved
youths.
Artsee will be collaborating with the Djoko Mangkreng
Performing Arts group for a music mentoring programme
for residents of the Muhammadiyah Welfare Home.
Government Support
The government is committed to supporting companies and
individuals who go the extra mile in giving.
The SHARE As One (SAO) scheme enables employees
to donate monthly through payroll giving.
The Community Chest will be providing a dollar-
for-dollar matching for any additional donations
from companies, employees and individuals.
Community Chest will also allow up to 50 percent of
matching grant for any organisation who wishes to set up
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes for
service users of a Social Service Agency (SSA),
or to enhance the CSR capabilities of the
business.
The rest of the matching grant will go to a fund to
be managed by Community Chest to benefit the
social service sector.
Finally, the Government has provided a 250 percent tax
deduction for corporates and individuals who donate to
an approved Institution of a Public Character (IPC) to
encourage continuous giving.
We hope that these initiatives provide support mechanisms and
incentives that cultivate a culture of giving, fostering a more
philanthropic and compassionate society.
Conclusion
It is through these partnerships across people, communities and
businesses that we continue to create a virtuous ripple effect,
spreading positive growth and collective impact across
the ecosystem,
and further strengthening the bonds of our society.
This fuels the growth of the SG Cares movement, where
through our collective contributions as individuals, as groups, as
organisations – we will be able to continue building a Singapore
that cares. Not only through words, but also through deeds and
actions.