SINGAPORE - Accountants and finance professionals will soon have a new platform to volunteer their skills for charity. Called the Pro Bono Accountancy Singapore initiative, it is the first of its kind in the accountancy sector here.

CPA Australia and the Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC), which started this initiative, said on Thursday that they aim to reach out to 30,000 accountants and finance professionals here through the platform. They hope to match them to charities and social organisations.

The two groups also signed a memorandum of understanding last month with two partners for a start - Shared Services for Charities, a non-profit group which provides independent review and documentation services for charities; and Empact, a social enterprise that promotes skill-based volunteerism.

CPA Australia and SAC will collaborate to encourage accountants and finance professionals to volunteer, while Shared Services for Charities and Empact will highlight volunteer opportunities as they become available, and act as intermediates to match the supply of volunteers to organisations' relevant needs.

Mr Uantchern Loh, chief executive of SAC, said: "Making a difference to the local community should go beyond monetary donation. This is an area where accountants and finance professionals, armed with their skilled expertise, can demonstrate commitment to serve the public good and increase public trust in the profession."

CPA Australia's Singapore general manager Melvin Yong added: "To encourage our Singapore members to volunteer their skills, CPA Australia will also provide them with free professional indemnity insurance for doing pro bono work."