Strong charities, thriving through uncertainty

Ms Theresa Goh, Chairperson of the Charity Council,

Mr David Gerald, Founder, President and CEO of the Securities Investors Association (Singapore),

Professor Robbie Goh, Provost of the Singapore University of Social Sciences,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you again at this year's Charity Governance Conference.

2. This year’s theme, “Strong Charities, Thriving through Uncertainty”, reflects our aspiration for our charities to continue to serve Singaporeans well amidst geopolitical tensions, economic pressures and rapid technological change.

3. This builds on last year’s theme of Leadership for Excellence and Impact, where we spoke about excellence being a journey, and that when our charities do good and do well, we strengthen Singapore’s social compact and better serve our people.

4. And indeed, in current times, the work of our charities matters even more. You support those in need, strengthen our communities, and bring people together to make a difference in uncertain times.

Strong foundations, greater impact, trusted to serve

5. In the work that you do, every relationship you nurture, every community you reach and every life you impact, you build trust.

6. Trust underpins the work of every charity. Donors trust us to use their contributions wisely. Beneficiaries trust us because we treat them with dignity and care. Volunteers trust us because they believe in the cause and the people behind it.

7. Good governance is a key pillar that helps charities earn and sustain this trust. It provides the foundation for charities to serve effectively, make good decisions, and thrive through uncertainty.

8. Good governance enables us to focus on what matters – delivering better outcomes for the communities we serve.

Strengthening leadership to sustain charities' mission

9. Good governance depends on people – board members, management, and staff who have the knowledge, judgement, and confidence to lead their organisations well.

10. That is why the Office of the Commissioner of Charities, together with the Charity Council and sector partners, has introduced several initiatives to strengthen leadership capabilities across the sector.

11. We are investing in people, strengthening organisations and reviewing our governance framework to nurture strong charities that will thrive through uncertainty.

12. One such example is GovernWell: Excellence in Charity Leadership programme, which I spoke about last year.

13. Developed together with partners ISCA, NCSS, Probono SG, SID and The Majurity Trust, it equips charity leaders with practical skills through structured and flexible training in areas such as leadership, ethics, social impact measurement, and financial stewardship. I am glad to note that it has impacted more than 1,200 charity staff and board members since.

14. One such charity is Singapore Cancer Society. A Charity Governance Awards winner in 2023, SCS continues to seek opportunities to strengthen their governance through participating in the programme. We encourage more charity leaders to make use of these opportunities, and to inspire your staff and board members to do the same.

15. Beyond formal training, we are also looking to shape opportunities for us to learn from each other’s experiences through piloting mentoring programs like Charity Council’s ‘Charity Elevate’, which matches board members, Human Resource leads, and CEOs with experienced mentors.

16. The inclusion of different leadership roles in this initiative underscores an important point: everyone can play a part in good governance. It is shared responsibility across the charity. When people at every level plays a part, our charities become stronger.

17. And we will continue this effort to invest in leadership capabilities and in our people. The EY Charities Life Cycle Landscape Report identified Management and Employees as the sector’s least mature area. Only 33% of charities had reached maturity, while 60% remained at the Start-up or Growth stages.

18. Over the next three years, the Office of the Commissioner of Charities and the Charity Council will engage charities across the different sectors to share the findings and work together on areas to strengthen leadership capabilities and invest in our people.

Keeping our regulatory framework fit for purpose

19. Beyond building leadership capabilities and investing in people, we also want to update our regulatory framework to make sure it supports your work and builds public trust.

20. We are reviewing the Charities Act, and your participation is crucial to help us strike the right balance between empowering charities to do good, and enabling intervention should governance concerns arise.

21. We are consulting with relevant agencies and partners on possible areas where we can strengthen the Act. This will be followed by focus group discussions to seek your inputs in 2027, and I invite all of us to take an active role to shape a framework that nurtures strong charities to thrive through uncertainty.

Making good governance clearer & more practical

22. To make it easier for our charities to strengthen their governance, Charity Council and SUSS also published the PILLAR Framework in June this year. It brings together the Code of Governance and key regulatory obligations into a single, coherent reference, giving charity leaders greater clarity about what good governance looks like at different stages of their journey.

23. I encourage all of us to use the PILLAR Framework as a practical tool for self-assessment to understand where each of our charities stand, identify areas for improvement and act on them.

24. The framework will support assessment for the Champions of Governance and Transparency Award, with each participating organisation receiving a feedback report. This provides our charities with a practical opportunity to learn, grow and strengthen good governance.

Conclusion

25. Excellence, and the effort to achieve good governance and nurture strong public trust in the charity sector continues to be our journey. In these uncertain times, let us continue to walk this journey together, united so that we can nurture strong charities that thrive.

26. I want to take this moment to thank everyone in this room for the wonderful work you do in the charity sector and for the communities that we have served. Nowhere has it been more important, and in these uncertain times, that Singapore and Singaporeans benefit from the good work that you do. A big round of applause to everybody.

27. My thanks to the Charity Council, SIAS and SUSS for organising this conference, and to our speakers and panellists for sharing their insights.

28. Thank you all for strengthening our charity sector and serving our communities.

29. I wish you a very fruitful conference. Thank you.