Chew Sutat on Community Chest evolving with the business of giving back
[SINGAPORE] More companies, family offices and individuals now have clear ideas about the causes they want to support, so the business of giving has become democratised, said Community Chest chairman Chew Sutat.
But this 'democratising' may not lead to the best outcomes for all the causes out there that need help, added the 52-year-old, who formerly held senior executive roles at the Singapore Exchange. This is because donors also have their own views on which causes or agencies to support and why, and how to go about giving that aid.
To meet such changes and society's increasingly complex needs, Community Chest has had to evolve, he said. The organisation was set up in 1983 as a centralised fundraising body for Singapore's social service agencies, and is the philanthropic and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS).
Chew drew a contrast between the situation in the Republic and the far-larger philanthropic market in the US, where 'anybody who has a lot of wealth can set up a foundation'.
There, the wealthy philanthropists are the ones who influence the direction society takes in terms of which causes to support. Inevitably, funding gaps arise because of the lack of centralised information and government organisation.
Over here, the Community Chest on its own cannot support all needs, Chew said. What it can do, however, is 'provide and channel the resources to where the greater needs are because we have the data… We can provide the resources to build the capabilities of organisations'.
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And companies have gone beyond holding charity events and writing cheques to their chosen causes – they now want to give back in more sustainable ways.
'Therefore, we are transitioning our own model at Community Chest, from just fundraising to adopting a long-term resourcing approach for the sector,' Chew said.
More complex innovation, change and transformative solutions are needed in philanthropy now, he added. Programmes such as the 4ST Partnership Fund have sprung up, pooling resources from various sources to enable contributions to larger projects.
For Chew, collaboration between the public, private and people sectors is key. This is so the Community Chest can complement the NCSS as a developer of the social service sector.
He added that the various organisations in the social services ecosystem work together under the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, which was launched in 2024 to help companies measure, monitor and benchmark their efforts in three areas: giving, volunteering, and socially responsible business practices.
Chew Sutat, chairman of Community Chest, says: 'If we ever go down that path where we depend on the government for everything, we must expect taxes to go up. That would affect us as a society in terms of having a sustainable, healthy economy in the long term.' PHOTO: COMMUNITY CHEST
NCSS developed the framework in partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the SG Cares Office.
Chew said there is no need to worry about an overlap between these agencies because 'it is really whole-of-government'. 'This framework creates not just a common language, but also a platform to channel corporate resources to create this innovative transformation mentioned earlier,' he added.
'Doing good is good business'
Community Chest's annual report shows companies how their donations were used and the impact they made.
Chew urged organisations to consider institutionalising the practice of giving back to society, as 'you cannot be certain about the business cycle – whether you are going to be profitable or not – and you do not want to have an argument about the CSR (corporate social responsibility) budget every year'.
Although many social service programmes are funded mainly by the government, budgets are still limited, so people, private and public collaborations remain important, he added.
'If we ever go down that path where we depend on the government for everything, we must expect taxes to go up,' he said. 'That would affect us as a society in terms of having a sustainable, healthy economy in the long term.'
He cited how the private sector does its part for those with special needs. For such children, schools can provide them with support for the 10 to 12 years they are in education – but their paths often become uncertain once they become adults.
Companies such as UOB have stepped up and changed their work arrangements to enable the hiring of these individuals. By working with such partners, Community Chest has moved beyond fundraising to developing transformative programmes that require innovation and multiyear experimentation.
Chew said: 'The Sustainable Philanthropy Framework is therefore essential in that we have a corporate language and platform to guide those who are already established in giving, and bring in new partners who say: 'I do not have the resources of the top 10 STI (Straits Times Index) companies, but I can help in areas such as talent and digitalisation.''
Ultimately, it is about 'working collectively and collaboratively to make this society a better space, and doing good is good business', he said.
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