Tax deductible donations hit $1.1 billion in 2014 amidst steps to promote governance and informed giving

1. Tax deductible donations rose by more than 12% in 2014, to $1.1 billion, compared to $970 million received in 2013. This upward trend in charitable giving reflects strong public support for local charitable causes. This is one of the key findings in the latest annual report released today by the Office of the Commissioner of Charities (COC). Other highlights in the annual report include new measures to enhance the transparency of charities and facilitate informed giving, such as the Charity Transparency Framework which was introduced in June 2015.

2. Mr Low Puk Yeong, the Commissioner of Charities said, “Good governance is a continuous journey that requires commitment from all. We will continue to use a multi-pronged approach to enhance the governance and transparency level in the charity sector and will also continue to step up efforts to promote informed giving and boost public confidence in charities.”

Improving governance in the charity sector

3. In 2014, the COC's Office partnered various agencies to enhance good governance and transparency in the charity sector. The year started with the launch of the inaugural Charity Governance Conference in February, organised by the Charity Council and the COC's Office. Similar seminars on good governance were also organised with Yayasan Mendaki and the Hindu Endowment Board in June and September 2014 respectively. The COC's Office also continued to support the Charity Governance Awards (CGA) in November 2014.

4. Since 2013, the COC's Office has been working with the Charity Council and NUS Business School to develop a 

   Charity Transparency Framework (CTF)

    to help charities improve their disclosure practices. The CTF, which was recently published on the Charity Portal and Charity Council website in June 2015, serves as a public education tool for charities and donors by highlighting key areas of disclosure that will aid in informed giving. The CTF will also be used to recognise charities with exemplary disclosure efforts through the new Charity Transparency Awards (CTA) to be introduced in 2016. The framework is now available at the 

   Charity Portal

   .

Promoting informed giving

5. The COC's Office also stepped up efforts to raise awareness on informed giving among members of the public. In August 2014, the COC's Office started publishing the financial statements of charities for free online viewing via the Charity Portal. The COC's Office also collaborated with the Singapore Police Force and the National Crime Prevention Council to produce an 

   episode on CrimeWatch

   , which showed the public how to recognise and avoid improper fundraising activities. The episode struck a chord with many Singaporeans, and hit a viewership of more than 1.3 million viewers across Channel 5, 8, Suria and Vasantham.

6. To further promote informed giving, the COC's Office will be making available on the Charity Portal the annual reports of all charities and Governance Evaluation Checklists (GEC) of non-IPCs with effect from the third quarter of 2015.

Safeguarding charities against abuse

7. Besides promoting good governance and financial transparency, the annual report also highlighted plans to help charities understand and minimise the risk of being abused for terrorist financing or money laundering. This will include increasing the targeted outreach efforts such as field visits and networking sessions with the charities, to raise their understanding about the importance of “Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing for Terrorism” (AML/CFT) measures. The COC's Office has also been developing publications and guides on related topics. The latest guide, “

   Protecting Your Charity Against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing

   ”, was recently published in June 2015 on the Charity Portal. The guide on AML/CFT will also be distributed to charities during the COC Office's outreach activities.

Looking ahead

8. The COC's Office will continue to work closely with the Charity Council and various partners to promote good governance and transparency as well as enhance competencies and strengthen capabilities of the sector. The COC's Office will also increase outreach efforts to educate the public on informed giving, in order to generate stronger public support for local charitable causes.

9. The 

   latest COC Annual Report

    is available on the 

   Charity Portal

   .

The Office of the Commissioner of Charities 
15 July 2015