National Council of Social Service seeks to grow its base of regular volunteers

Key Concepts:

• Regular Volunteerism
• Corporate-Community Partnerships
• National Council of Social Services (NCSS)
• Social Service Agencies (SSAs)
• Singapore Volunteer Management Conference
• Scaling Operations
• Blossom Seeds
• Micron

Growing Regular Volunteerism through Corporate-Community Partnerships

The National Council of Social Services (NCSS) aims to expand its pool of regular volunteers by fostering partnerships between corporations and community partners. The target is to have one in two volunteers commit more time to helping others by 2030.

Deputy Prime Minister's Call to Action

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has urged corporations and social service agencies (SSAs) to cultivate and sustain volunteerism. He made this appeal at the Singapore Volunteer Management Conference, where 25 such partnerships were acknowledged.

Benefits of Collaboration

Mr. Heng emphasized that these collaborations can stimulate the exchange of ideas and address community challenges. He stated that "our social service agencies with the familiarity of different groups and communities understand the problems on the ground well and corporates on their parts often have good innovative ideas and a familiarity with how to scale their operations how to amplify their innovations." This highlights the complementary strengths of SSAs and corporations. SSAs possess on-the-ground knowledge of community needs, while corporations bring innovative ideas and expertise in scaling operations.

Case Study: Blossom Seeds and Micron

Blossom Seeds, a social service organization, has partnered with tech company Micron to provide support to the elderly. Micron staff have been actively involved in monthly activities for elderly residents. The collaboration was initiated after the two organizations met Health Minister Ong Ye Kung at an event. This example demonstrates how networking and events can facilitate the formation of impactful partnerships.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The focus is on increasing regular volunteerism through strategic partnerships between corporations and community organizations. The government, through the NCSS and leaders like Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, is actively promoting these collaborations. The partnership between Blossom Seeds and Micron serves as a concrete example of how these collaborations can benefit the community, specifically the elderly, by leveraging the strengths of both the SSA and the corporate partner. The key takeaway is that combining the community knowledge of SSAs with the innovative and scaling capabilities of corporations can effectively address social challenges and foster a culture of sustained volunteerism.