NCSS conducts public consultation on sustainable philanthropy framework
27 March 2024
The National Council of Social Service (“NCSS”) has conducted a consultation with the business community on the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework and Metrics (“Framework”), which is targeted to be launched in 2024. The consultation closed on 27 March 2024.
Announced by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli at the Social Service Summit 2023, the Framework was developed to encourage businesses to adopt a longer-term approach to give back to the community in which they operate and strengthen Singapore’s social compact.
The proposed Framework comprises a set of metrics that will help businesses measure, monitor, and benchmark themselves on the societal impact of their philanthropic efforts, and how well they are doing in the “S” aspect of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.
The Framework details three ways on how businesses can contribute:
- Giving: To ascertain businesses’ financial commitment and impact towards philanthropic efforts.
- Volunteering: To help businesses measure overall engagement of employee volunteerism with the aim of deepening their commitment and contribution to the community.
- Socially responsible business practices: To encourage businesses to go beyond profit maximisation and play a larger role in the society to drive positive impact on the ecosystem.
The Framework will also comprise a set of “core” and “expanded” metrics, designed to drive adoption across different stages of philanthropic expression, guide businesses towards sustained philanthropic practices, while considering ease of implementation and meaningful measurable impact.
The Framework will be supported by a playbook, which aims to guide businesses at different stages of their philanthropic journey to deepen their commitment in their giving journey by embracing shared value.
Reference materials
The following materials are available on the NCSS website www.ncss.gov.sg and REACH website www.reach.gov.sg: