SINGAPORE- Online donation portal SG Gives collected more that $13 million for the needy in Singapore last year, up from about $11 million in 2013.
Currently, SG Gives has registered over 330 charities across various causes like children, elderly, arts and environment. The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), an independent non-profit organisation which manages the portal, said on Thursday that there has been a steady increase in the total donation amount over the past couple of years.
Typically, donations peaked towards the end of the year, especially in December, it said. It attributed the surge in donation in December to #GivingTuesdaySG, an international campaign adopted by NVPC. In its second year of running, NVPC noticed that Singaporeans were generous when asked to help the less privileged.
NVPC said that "purposed donations" dedicated to celebrating the lives, birthdays and weddings of loved ones are also becoming popular. It gave the example of a father who made a donation to the National Cancer Centre's research fund and left a message for his twins, expressing his hope that they will become responsible adults who care for the society and environment.
Since its inception in February 2010, the portal has raised over $43 million for the charities registered on its site.
NVPC intends to continue to ramp up efforts on getting people to give, be it big or small, on a more regular basis.
Said Ms Melissa Kwee, NVPC chief executive: "Many of us in our day-to-day activities have opportunities to help someone. And we can all help to 'infect' that spirit of giving all year round at wherever we are," .
Donations through the portal can be made at www.sggives.org.
