Singapore takes a giant stride in philanthropy and volunteerism as one of the world's top three most generous countries: Charities Aid Foundation

A recent survey has found that Singapore has climbed 19 places to become the third most generous country, scoring 61 points in the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)'s World Giving Index, with the country recording its highest-ever scores for donations and philanthropy and achieving the most significant volunteer increase in 2023.

In conjunction with CAF's centenary this year, the foundation, which connects donors to charitable causes worldwide, conducted the most extensive survey among millions of people worldwide from 142 countries since 2009 to learn more about the sentiments in philanthropy and volunteerism.

The survey covered three main questions: helping a needy stranger, giving money, and volunteering for a good cause.

Empowering philanthropy and volunteerism through government initiatives

Not surprisingly, with its highest-ever ranking and its best-ever overall index score of 61 points in 2023, up from 49 points in 2022, the Singapore Government is continuing to send a strong signal that it wishes to continue empowering philanthropy and volunteerism amongst Singaporeans.

For instance, recent research by Singapore's National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) found increased volunteering, attributed to a post-pandemic rebound, particularly among young people.

In addition, recent initiatives to bolster philanthropy, such as Singapore's Corporate Volunteer Scheme, encourage deeper partnerships between charities and businesses through tax relief on employee volunteerism.

"We are heartened by the significant improvement in Singapore's ranking in the 2023 World Giving Index," said Mr Tony Soh, Chief Executive Officer of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC). "The community has also stepped up and found innovative ways to channel resources to a range of causes and charities via structured programmes or ground-up initiatives."

Soh added that since the pandemic, the Singapore Government has provided timely and supportive interventions to enable philanthropy and volunteerism amid shifting trends in donations and volunteering. 

In addition, Singapore operates a generous tax benefit scheme for donations that effectively amounts to a relief rate of 250% – for every dollar donated to a government-approved charity, taxable income is reduced by SGD 2.50.

Community Work on the rise

Community Work has grown in interest over the past few years, encouraged by national efforts, with many more businesses adopting initiatives through partnerships with other organisations to give back to the community.

For instance, Asia's premier cybersecurity provider, Ensign Infosecurity, has partnered with the Association of Information Security Professionals and SIT's Work-Study Degree programme to inspire young women to join the cybersecurity industry. 

In addition, Push Pull Give, a Singaporean social enterprise focused on strength and movement classes and personal training services that reinvest financial returns for a social cause, has partnered with local organisations such as Beyond Social Services and Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) to offer holistic support, as well as provide skills training and social support networks alongside fitness programmes in their mission to create positive social change.

Building on the momentum, NVPC's ultimate mission would be to build on efforts that bring the public, private and people sectors together in nurturing a culture of giving, where every contribution, large or small, in delivering its vision of Singapore as a City of Good.