Government introduces new plan to foster CSR

A corporate giving program has been announced in parliament to train firms in the art of skills-based volunteerism and social responsibility

As the Committee for Supply Debate continued yesterday (14 April), a new government initiative was unveiled to promote corporate volunteerism.
 
Named the Company of Good program, the scheme will focus on the oft-overlooked area of CSR, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Sim Ann said.
 
“We regularly speak of corporate transformation in terms of productivity and innovation. It is just as important that businesses in our future economy are civic-minded and play active roles in our communities.”
 
The program will be launched in June and is organised by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in partnership with the Singapore Business Federation.
 
Over the next two years, the NVPC will train 200 companies in corporate giving, Sim Ann said. This will cover topics such as establishing corporate giving programs, engaging staff and promoting skills-based volunteerism.
 
Training fees for these courses will be subsidised by the NVPC, she added.
 
She continued saying that employers will also be able to take an online quiz assessing their corporate giving programs. Those with qualifying results can then display a government-approved “Company of Good” logo on all corporate materials.
 
More details of this initiative will be provided next month, she said.
 
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