Singapore charity portal raises record S$11m in donations in 2013
Was 2013 the year of giving for Singapore?
According to the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), it looks like many people in the city-state have been more charitable last year as compared to previous years.
In a press release, they said that over S$11 million worth of donations were raised through donation portal SG Gives in 2013, with the highest amount raked in during December.
This is a big increase from the S$8 million raised in 2012.
Furthermore, the amount of donations raised in December alone was higher in 2013. A total of S$4 million was raked in as compared to the S$3 million in the previous year.
This increase was attributed to a charity movement called, Giving Tuesday Singapore or #GivingTuesdaySG, which had taken place throughout that festive month.
NVPC's chief executive officer Laurence Lien said, "This year, we ran our first advocacy campaign, #GivingTuesdaySG, that encouraged all in Singapore to give more often. We are thankful to have partners come on board to support us and that contributed to its success."
The number of donors under SG Gives has also increased from 8,083 in 2012 to 10,714 in 2013.
The average donation given by each of SG Gives’ top 10 donors has shot up to S$6,600 per charity. In 2012, it was only S$1,700.
The number of corporate donors in 2013 has increased by 77 per cent. NVPC said there were a total of 99 corporate donors in 2013 as compared to the 56 in 2012.
NVPC's director of philanthropy division, Patsian Low, said, "We see more business donations on SG Gives represented by small to medium enterprises, which is a positive sign that not just large multinationals but also smaller local businesses are developing a giving spirit."
Most of the total donations for 2013 have gone to two popular sectors: social services and health. They were given 57 per cent and 37 per cent of the total donations respectively.
However, within the social services sector, the elderly received the least amount.
The chairman of St. John's Home for Elderly Person, Woon Wee Yim, said, "I hope that more donors and more volunteers will support the elderly sector. It is a growing sector. Our [nursing] Home is receiving more and more enquiries for admission and we will also soon be constructing a new building to house our residents. We must not forget that our older generation has contributed much to make Singapore what it is today."
SG Gives is an initiative of NVPC. It has registered over 300 charities and raised over S$30 million since its inception in February 2010.
