1) The document discusses Singaporean culture and perceptions of volunteering and charitable giving. It notes that Singaporeans have traditionally been seen as "selfish" but that attitudes may be shifting towards more community involvement. 2) It analyzes the brand of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and finds that while it coordinates online platforms for volunteering and donating, it suffers from low awareness and an obscure branding that prevents it from being a top-of-mind giving channel for Singaporeans. 3) In summary, the opportunity exists for NVPC to rebrand itself and raise awareness of its platforms to make it easier for Singaporeans to engage in volunteering and philanthropy as a

1. I.D.E.A.S. – Our Unique Thinking Framework INTERROGATE the brand’s context DEFINE the brand’s ambition ENERGIZE the brand’s action AMPLIFY the brand’s ideas SCORE the brand’s outcomes

2. What are the Key Changes in the Context of our Task Today? ChangePoint Opportunity The opportunity change creates – Reappraisal of how Singaporeans and NVPC should engage

3. CULTURE: SINGAPORE CULTURE & BEYOND

4. STINKAPOREANS: A SELFISH LOT Singaporeans – or “ Stinkaporeans ” according to a report by Razor TV – are extremely selfish. The only people who matter to them are themselves. Their ugly behaviour can be seen even in everyday life, when they refuse to give way to others (i.e. standing on both sides of the escalator; not giving up their seat on buses/trains for the elderly or pregnant women). Stinkaporeans are also superficial, have low tolerance for others , indulges in self-pity and lack situational awareness . Source: Low, Kim Cheng Patrick. 2006. Cultural obstacles in growing entrepreneurship: a study in Singapore. Journal of Management Development 25, 2. INTERROGATE: SINGAPOREAN CULTURE

5. EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF Singapore prides itself as a meritocratic society, where talent and hard work are rewarded. With an “every man for himself” mentality, Singaporeans compete fiercely to get ahead in the fast-paced rat race. Singaporeans also believe that the failures of others are caused by laziness or incompetency. They show no compassion at all to those who fall behind in the survival of the fittest and feel that failures should be fully responsible for their own demise. Source: The Online Citizen 2008 INTERROGATE: SINGAPOREAN CULTURE

6. “ HI-BYE” NEIGHBOURS Our busy lives, heavy reliance on the Internet and gated communities have also made it difficult for Singaporeans to get to know or interact with their neighbours . And because Singaporeans find it disgraceful to air their dirty laundry in public , they don’t reach out to their neighbours for help. This mentality has also spawned an antithesis: If you can’t expect help from others , you also do not need to care for others . INTERROGATE: SINGAPOREAN CULTURE

7. *GENERATION ZZZZ Being hardworking also means that Singaporeans are clocking longer hours at work (46.3 hours ), as compared to Hong Kong (45.5 hours) and the Philippines (44.8 hours). Therefore, overworked Singaporeans regard their weekends as a precious commodity which are reserved for catching up on sleep or spending time with their loved ones. Singaporeans will not think of using their free time for the good of others because they are so focused on meeting their own needs first. Source: International Labour Organisation 2008 *Generation ZZZZ is the over-stimulated, burnt out generation of consumers, who are aged 25-45, who are victims of sleep deprivation. CHANGEWORD INTERROGATE: ASIAN CULTURE

8. HOWEVER, EVERYONE IS INHERENTLY BOTH SELFISH & SELFLESS “ There are two sides to every person: selfishness and selflessness . The selfless part is just as strong as the selfish side, we just haven’t admitted that yet. Most businesses are based on selfishness but why can’t we build a business on selflessness? To help others is a joy. We don’t want to abolish capitalism but complete it. Selfishness and selflessness belong equally there.” - Muhammad Yunus, Recipient of Nobel Peace Prize 2006 INTERROGATE: GLOBAL CULTURE

9. THE AGE OF SELFISH ALTRUISM IS RISING The challenge for the 21 st century is the balance between wanting to do what is best for yourself and ensuring that you live up to your ethical and moral standards. Therefore, selfish altruism is the aspiration to benefit yourself , combined with an urge to help others at the same time . One of the clearest manifestations of selfish altruism is “ voluntourism ” which combines a holiday with charitable work done overseas. This same sense of ethics is also emerging in the area of philanthropy, with social media being the enabler. Twestival , an event spanning 202 cities around the world organised over Twitter, allowed like-minded people to rally together and raise more than $25,000 in a single day to fund clean-water projects in Africa. INTERROGATE: GLOBAL CULTURE

10. THE NEW 5Cs Singaporeans – who are no strangers to running on the treadmills of the rat race – are now pursuing the new 5Cs ( care , concern , compassion , communication & contentment ). Now, they are making a conscious effort to slow down their materialistic pursuits, to appreciate the more important things in life – spending more quality time with their loved ones. INTERROGATE: SINGAPOREAN CULTURE

11. DIGITAL KAMPONGS OFFERING NEW HOPE Young, tech-savvy Singaporeans who are moving into new estates are now getting to know one another via neighbourhood community portals such as Punggol.sg , Sengkang.com and MyHomeTown.sg. These digital kampongs have now made it possible for Singaporeans to gain social and emotional support from other like-minded residents. Trusted relationships are formed almost instantly, something which used to take years of interaction to develop. Singaporeans are not just pursuing the new 5Cs with their families, but also within the communities that they live in. INTERROGATE: SINGAPOREAN CULTURE

12. Source: People’s Association 2008 FROM SELFISH STINKAPOREANS TO REVIVAL OF THE “KAMPONG SPIRIT” Until now, overworked Singaporeans have given in to their darker side – selfish Stinkaporeans who are apathetic to the plight of the underprivileged. But there’s a cultural change happening globally, where people – busy as they are with their hectic lives – strive for selfish altruism , by looking for little emotional rewards to give meaning to the everyday things that they do. From this, there’s an opportunity to revive the traditional “kampong spirit” (a sense of camaraderie amongst neighbours living in a community) in a modern context, where the sharing and caring attitude can be nurtured almost effortlessly in a close-knitted society. INTERROGATE: CULTURE SUMMARY

13. CATEGORY: PHILANTHROPY & CHARITABLE GIVING

14. SMELLY DUTY There are negative perceptions surrounding the act of volunteering at the homes for the elderly or the mentally-ill. For e.g., the place is smelly, and that you can get ill from just visiting. The required fulfillment to clock 6 hours of Community Involvement Programme (CIP) further diminishes Singaporeans desire to help the underprivileged, and worse, makes it an obligation . “ Activities like flag days are quite useless for first-time volunteers. There's nothing like seeing and experiencing what the beneficiaries go through to make me want to help them more.” - Li Jiayi, regular volunteer, 18 INTERROGATE: CATEGORY

15. HUGE COMMITMENT Many non-profit organisations look for volunteers who can turn up on the same day, same time, every week, for the next three years. Hence, commitment-phobic volunteers who have hectic lives will be afraid to commit. To encourage busy Singaporeans to do their part for the community, they should be given the flexibility of episodic volunteering , i.e. ad-hoc programmes. Episodic volunteering allows Singaporeans to choose from a myriad of activities with flexible time frames, hence making the experience of volunteering more enriching . INTERROGATE: CATEGORY

16. I WANT TO HELP, BUT NOT BY MYSELF Net Generation is interested in social causes , but are less likely to volunteer on their own. A survey conducted by the National University of Singapore found that more than 7 in 10 undergraduates surveyed would take part in volunteering opportunities if more friends took part too . Some Net Gen organisations are already integrating corporate volunteering programmes into their workplace culture. Volunteering as a group also makes a good team-building activity, and boosts morale. E.g. Capitaland staff has 3 days of paid volunteering leave, and if they use all of them up, they get to donate $500 to a charity of their choice. INTERROGATE: CATEGORY

17. DONORS’ WARY OF BIG CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS The scandals surrounding the National Kidney Foundation, Ren Ci Charity & Parkway Healthcare have caused donations to drop drastically. For e.g., Ren Ci Charity only managed to collect $1.1 million in 2008, down from a massive $9.3 million that came in over the same period in 2007. Donors have also become wary of charitable organisations and cite transparency as an important criterion in making a donation. " Some people can be skeptical and are worried that the money may not be going to the right people ,” – Mr Daryl Chan, volunteer, Touch Community Services. NKF’s signboard in front of its HQ at Kim Keat Road was vandalised after the scandal broke out on June 2005. Venerable Shi Ming Yi, CEO, Ren Ci Hospital investigated for misappropriating funds on November 2007. Stephanie Chee , general manager, Parkway Healthcare found guilty of making false reimbursement claims on March 2010. INTERROGATE: CATEGORY

19. FROM MEANINGLESS OBLIGATION TO MEANINGFUL SHARING OF TALENT The very wrong concept everyone has is that charity means money. But the truth is, charity comes in many forms – feelings, time, skills, talent, ideas, leadership - all of which do not cost money. According to Gerard Ee, (former president, National Council of Social Service), the way to inspire youths to volunteer is “to appeal to [the volunteers’] interests and have them share their interests with others”. Recipients of the help are also more likely to pay it forward , and those who volunteer are more likely to donate more. Singapore cartoonist, Peter Draw, drew 952 caricatures in 24 hours to raise money for charity. INTERROGATE: CATEGORY SUMMARY

20. BRAND: NVPC (NATIONAL VOLUNTEER & PHILANTHROPY CENTRE)

21. NVPC (National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre) The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) is the national body that promotes and develops volunteerism and philanthropy across all sectors to foster the giving spirit in Singapore – be it time, money or in kind. SG Cares is NVPC’s online portal for volunteers who seek volunteering opportunities that match their interest, availability and location through its calendar of events. SG Gives , on the other hand, allows Singaporeans to donate to a local charity of their choice through a seamless online transaction. INTERROGATE: BRAND

22. OBSCURE ACRONYM Based on their individual sites, NVPC, SG Cares and SG Gives look like three separate entities , only united by the corporate colours: dark blue and orange. Although NVPC has direct hyperlinks to its two different portals – SG Cares and SG Gives – NVPC’s branding is not strong in either product, i.e. no NVPC logo , no direct hyperlinks to parent site NVPC from either portal. There is also no single point of contact , making it difficult for new volunteers, donors and corporate sponsors to know about NVPC’s mission, much less make use of their online platforms to engage in charitable giving. INTERROGATE: BRAND

23. LACK OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SINGAPOREANS Do you know what is NVPC? No. Do you know that there is an online portal that allows you to donate to a charity (based in Singapore) of your choice? No. I don’t know. Really? Do you know that there is an online portal that gives you the schedule for ad-hoc volunteering projects for charities (based in Singapore)? No, I had no idea. What portal is that? Kristie Thong, journalist, ProcurementAsia Candy Lum, production editor, Wiley Do you know what is NVPC? No. Do you know that there is an online portal that allows you to donate to a charity (based in Singapore) of your choice? No. You mean to any kind of charity that I want? A whole listing? And I can do it there? Do you know that there is an online portal that gives you the schedule for ad-hoc volunteering projects for charities (based in Singapore)? No. I guess I can do a Google search but I am not even sure if it shows up – because I’ve tried searching before INTERROGATE: BRAND

24. FROM OBSCURE ACRONYM TO TOP-OF-MIND GIVING CHANNEL NVPC provides a convenient service to busy Singaporeans who are generous in giving their time and money. But with little awareness , can be ineffective. Therefore, if the brand reestablishes themselves as the top-of-mind giving channel , its aim to transform Singapore into a giving nation can be a reality. INTERROGATE: BRAND SUMMARY

25. What are the Key Changes in the Context of our Task Today? ChangePoint Opportunity Leverage on selfish altruism to help Singaporeans realise that giving to others is a gift to themselves.

26. I.D.E.A.S. – Our Unique Thinking Framework INTERROGATE the brand’s context DEFINE the brand’s ambition ENERGIZE the brand’s action AMPLIFY the brand’s ideas SCORE the brand’s outcomes “ Leverage on selfish altruism to help Singaporeans realise that giving to others is a gift to themselves.”