(Reprinted With Permission)

Charles B. Maclean, PhD.

The Chief Committed Listener for
PhilanthropyNow, plugged into
Singapore’s philanthropy and
volunteer scene.

     An expert has been defined as someone who has been in a county less than two weeks or more than 20 years. As a visitor to the Singapore philanthropy and volunteer scene for 10 days, I am among those dangerous experts! In that short time, I have observed and made comparisons with my own country, America and come to certain conclusions that I would like to share. I ask you to be rigorous in reading them and take them with many grains of salt, extracting what may be of value to you.

     An American philanthropist once described philanthropy as "the day-to-day conscious giving of time, talent, encouragement, and dollars, the mix of which changes as the giver's life situation changes. Giving is done in a way that enlivens both the giver and the receiver and has lasting positive impact on both."

     With that definition, we can all be philanthropists every day regardless of our economic status. Spreading that message throughout Singapore and making it part of the culture is a worthy goal.

     Recently, the elderly mother of one of my Singapore colleagues told me, "The family must first be unified, only then can the country be unified."

     I build on that Confucian-based wisdom by encouraging families in Singapore to become more unified by volunteering together and giving their dollars together to build unified neighborhoods and a more unified     Singapore. The family that gives together, I believe, benefits twice. Once, for the good it does their community and again for the good that comes from unifying the family in the act of giving.

     Singapore's economic future largely depends on its creative citizens and recognised finesse in managing information, managing imported materials and managing wealth. If volunteerism is indeed the true wealth of a nation, then managing volunteerism as a priceless asset is worth considering.    

     Most giving in Singapore appears to be "paycheck giving" - giving from one's current disposable income. The next step is to create more incentives for giving from one's "asset base". That means including in individual wills, instructions that nonprofits will receive dollars, real estate, stock, boats, art and so on. Our children should also he consulted and involved in this process. Financial planners, accountants, bankers, stockbrokers and insurance agents must be educated in the financial instruments for giving. In addition, they must become comfortable in discussing client passions, values and criteria of the could-be-donor without steering them to any particular nonprofit.

I've also noticed that some student involvements in giving

"The family that gives together, benefits twice."

and volunteering like Flag Day sales and walking for donated dollars may be backfiring. If kids only volunteer or give to get achievement points and, in some cases, don't show up or get others to do it for them, there may be an undermining of the giving spirit. At some level, kids know that if you have to bribe them to do a good deed, there must be something "off' about it. When children are given opportunities to be self­motivated, the giving of their time and dollars becomes habitual, joyful and self-sustaining

.    To encourage innovation in volunteerism and philanthropy, encourage risk-taking; reward failure (or, not-yet success!) as long as it is ethical, legal, produced by a team and not just a super star, and is consistent with the mission; debrief participants immediately afterwards to understand the mistake(s) and put to work the lessons learnt. To innovate means not always succeeding but being able to fail faster and put new learning to work faster; making quicker mid-course corrections demands grace and forgiveness without shame.

     Finally, nonprofits like families, small businesses, government and corporations have overheads that must he funded for them to do their jobs in an accountable way. Donors, as they mature, will recognize the need to fund nonprofit overhead and not just direct services.

"I have learned much during my short stay in Singapore. I bring back with me to the United States these lessons:"

• Your charity scheme of $2 tax write-off for every $1 of donations

• Your establishment of a National Volunteer & Philanthropy Center with a clear mission, credibility, innovative spirit and committed staff.

• Your commitment to expand the culture of giving across ethnic groups, respecting the giving traditions and values of each.
  
  
• Your innovative national agenda to more deeply instill the values of self-sufficiency and resiliency to engage both government and citizens in creating a culture of giving back to community.
• Your start-up of the Singapore Wealth Management Institute with the intention of including philanthropy advising and socially responsible investing in its offerings.