Fewer than half the volunteers registered have participated

Good intentions ... but few act on them
Hetty Musfirah Today Online 26 Feb 10;

SINGAPORE - At first glance, it appears to be a good start for the online portal tailored to encourage voluntarism among time-pressed Singaporeans.

About 3,400 individuals have signed up to become volunteers with Singapore Cares (SG Cares) since it was launched six months ago, half the number the portal had targeted to reach in its first year.

But more than half of those registered have yet to attend a single volunteering activity since September.

SG Cares helps link non-profit organisations with helping hands by providing updates on the flexible volunteering opportunities out there, and helping busy individuals find areas where they can help out based on interest, skill set and availability.

Those who register must undergo an orientation programme before they can sign up for a volunteering activity.

But only about 1,450 people - 43 per cent of the sign-ups - are active and have participated in the close to 200 projects carried out so far.

So, SG Cares plans to conduct a survey to find out the gaps that may have to be addressed. It will also bump up the types of activities available to make the initiative more appealing.

Said SG Cares director David Fong: "We will be going all-out to do different things - whether it is organising mass skills volunteer events or to get volunteers to come in, and working closely with companies to do more corporate responsibility volunteering. We will also get more partners to create all these opportunities where volunteers can come in to help.

"These are all the things that we will be doing to create more buzz and make it fun, exciting and meaningful for people to do some good in the community."

Still, SG Cares activities so far have drawn in some individuals who remain committed despite their busy schedules.

Close to 80 per cent of their active volunteers are aged 25 to 44. Student Evonne Tay, for instance, has already volunteered "more than 10 times" with SG Cares.

Foreigners make up about 10 per cent of SG Cares' active volunteer pool. Briton Simon Betts, for instance, told MediaCorp: "I am working shifts, my days off change all the time. So I can log on to the portal, look at what is available and then I can do as little or as much as I can." Chinese national Jerry Hu said such volunteering work helps him "integrate in Singapore".

And the non-profit groups appreciate such helping hands. Institute of Mental Health assistant director Catherine Chua said: "Volunteers play a very great role in my hospital here. They are ambassadors for us to destigmatise mental illness."