The COVID-19 outbreak has undeniably impacted our social organisations – whether through a loss in donations or sales, cancellation of volunteering events, disruption in supplies, or forcing a push to innovate. As a result, non-profits and social enterprises are extremely concerned about their sustainability towards serving their respective communities. In challenging times like these, corporates can definitely play a vital role in supporting these organisations by strengthening their capabilities and capacity through skills-based volunteering. In this webinar, we share specific needs on-the-ground using the results of a Pulse Check conducted with our non-profit organisations and social enterprises. We also present corporate skills-based volunteering opportunities that may effectively contribute to their survival and sustainability.

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EMPACT.SG
COVID-19
Webinar for Corporates
Hosted by Empact Singapore
22 April 2020
Brought to you by:In support of:

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About EMPACT: Empowering greater impact
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Registered as a social
enterprise in 2011,
Empact serves as
capacity builder for the
social sector.
By acting as an
intermediary, connector
and innovator, Empact
relentlessly works to
build the capacity of the
social sector, connecting
social organisations to
skills across the
spectrum to better
support their clients and
increase their impact.
EMPACT.SG
Channel
talents
Upgrade
skills
Stronger
NPOs and
SEs for
greater
impact
Increase
productivity

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EMPACT.SG
Our approach to capacity building
Organisational Development
Individual Development
Skills-based
volunteering
Insights,
frameworks & tools
Outsourcing &
consultancy

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EMPACT.SG
Our approach to capacity building
Skills-based
volunteering
Insights,
frameworks & tools
Outsourcing &
consultancy

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EMPACT.SG
Type of organisations we support
Not for Profit
Organisation
(NPO)
Business
Social
Enterprise
(SE)
Primary objective is to
achieve SOCIAL GOALS
Primary objective is to achieve
FINANCIAL RETURNS
SOCIAL GOALS +
FINANCIAL RETURNS
Charity funding via
grants & donations
Market based
revenue
Profit oriented

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EMPACT.SG
Our impact in year 2019
NPOs and SEs Supported
502 1,536
Volunteers Channelled Cost Saving Generated
$2M

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Our corporate partners
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EMPACT.SG
These are some of our
corporate partners that
we have collaborated
over the years ranging
from the Finance,
Technology, FMCG and
Professional Services
sectors.

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EMPACT.SG
Agenda of COVID-19 Webinar
HOW SKILLS-BASED
VOLUNTEERING IS RELEVANT
What is skills-based
volunteering and how it can
build the capacity of our social
sector
PRESENT NEEDS FROM
THE GROUND
USE SBV TO ADDRESS
NEEDS FROM THE GROUND
The impact COVID-19 has on
organisations and the capacity
support needed
How CSR can respond and
take action to support our
social organisations?

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EMPACT.SG
Needs from the Ground
Peter Yang, Founder and CEO

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EMPACT.SG
The social sector is facing unprecedented challenges too...

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EMPACT.SG
Despite the challenges, help to the community does not stop...
Programmes &
Services
Organisational
Structure
Leadership &
People
Organisation’s Mission and Vision
Intended social impact
Core work of the
organisation
How organisation is
built and run
The essential engine
behind the organisation

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EMPACT.SG
Focus areas for capacity building
Programmes &
Services
Organisational
Structure
Leadership &
People
Organisation’s Mission and Vision
Intended social impact
Core work of the
organisation
How organisation is
built and run
The essential engine
behind the organisation

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EMPACT.SG
Our approach to capacity building
Organisational Development
Individual Development
Skills-based
volunteering
Insights,
frameworks & tools
Outsourcing &
consultancy

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EMPACT.SG
Insights gathered through...
Pulse checks with 151 valid
responses (91% leadership
and management)
COVID-19 Business Clinics
with 8 SEs on immediate needs
(in partnership with raiSE)
NPO leader peer support
group with 17 leaders (in
partnership with Community
Foundation of Singapore)
SE ground up peer support
group with 16 leading social
entrepreneurs
Points of Light / Global
Probono Network fellows
around the world
Regular check-ins with our
existing NPO and SE clients

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EMPACT.SG
NPO: Which areas of work are being impacted the most?
● Clean-up programmes that
typically engage volunteers
have to be suspended
● These programmes were a
key source of revenue
● Staff have to continue the
clean-ups with no additional
funding sources to cover the
expenditures

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EMPACT.SG
NPO: What is the depth of impact on service users?
● Most programmes are suspended as
they can’t be delivered online
● In addition, these programmes are
volunteer-run so it’s difficult to expect
them to deliver HBL
● Even for the programmes that have
migrated online, it is challenging to
reach out to all the kids who used to
be motivated by face to face
interaction with other kids; some
have dropped off the radar

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EMPACT.SG
NPO: What is the depth of impact on funding?
● Sharp decrease of donations due to
suspension of fundraising events
● Exploring “virtual gala dinner” and
facing certain challenges

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EMPACT.SG
NPO: What forms of support are they looking for?

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EMPACT.SG
NPO: What forms of support are they looking for?

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EMPACT.SG
There are similarities and differences between SEs and NPOs
Not for Profit
Organisation
(NPO)
Business
Social
Enterprise
(SE)
Primary objective is to
achieve SOCIAL GOALS
Primary objective is to achieve
FINANCIAL RETURNS
SOCIAL GOALS +
FINANCIAL RETURNS
Charity funding via
grants & donations
Market based
revenue
Profit oriented

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EMPACT.SG
SE: Which areas of work are being impacted the most?
● 50% of the centre’s revenue
comes from training and school
visits, which are suspended
● Cash flow challenge to continue
operation

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EMPACT.SG
SE: Which areas of work are being impacted the most?
● Most of their supplies are from China
and hence supply chain was affected
● Local suppliers would cost more
● Spending too much time managing
backend activities, hence lack of time
and manpower left to think of
alternative sales strategies or if there is
a need to pivot their business

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EMPACT.SG
SE: What forms of support are they looking for?

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EMPACT.SG
Blind spots are worth calling out...
NPOs SEs
Leadership & People ● Take care of the staff through the
change management and avoid
burnout
● Crisis leadership
● Manage difficult conversations
with team
Financial Management ● Reconsider fundraising targets and
consider in-kind donation and talent
available

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EMPACT.SG
There are silver linings which surprised us...
NPOs SEs
Technology and
innovation
● “Forced” to embrace technology
and digitisation
● Diversification of business
model / sales channels
Ecosystem mindset ● Increased willingness to learn from
each other and best practice, start
to see collaboration emerging
● Peer support and
collaboration among the social
entrepreneurs

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EMPACT.SG
What you can do as a corporate?
NPOs SEs
Funds ● Philanthropy dollar for urgent needs
● Invest in innovation in social sector
through and beyond COVID-19
● Be the customer for our SEs !!!
Products ● In-kind support will help defray
costs for the needs of the
organisation and its beneficiaries
Talents and
knowledge
● Implementation support in the area
of technology, digital marketing and
talent management
● Share best practices contextualised
to the social sector
● Skilled volunteers in critical business
areas (finance, sales, business model,
supply chain, etc.)

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EMPACT.SG
Skills-based volunteering
Andrew Ong, Corporate Partnerships Lead

28. Rethinking Corporate Volunteering
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EMPACT.SG

29. What is Skills-based Volunteering?
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EMPACT.SG
“Skills-based volunteering”
(or SBV in short) means
leveraging the specialised skills
and talents of individuals or a
corporate to strengthen the
infrastructure of social
organisations; helping them to
build and sustain their capacity
to successfully achieve their
social missions.

30. Volunteering with skills during COVID-19
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EMPACT.SG
During COVID-19,
there are so much
more we can do to
contribute to our
community and our
social sector. And
skills-based
volunteering is a great
opportunity not just to
engage during this
period, but beyond.
We can support our
social organisations
now to prepare them
to withstand another
pandemic or crisis like
COVID-19.
A creative avenue for social
impact that can be done
virtually or remotely
Engage employees from
home with optimal use of
their skills and expertise
Foster meaningful connections
with Social Organisations
Develop working knowledge of
all areas of business
Encounter new scenarios to
apply and hone professional
skills
Soft-skills development through
liaising with Social
Organisations
Some of its key features:

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EMPACT.SG
SBV is a Win-Win Solution
From a SO perspective:
● Little resources and talents to build a
strong infrastructure (much less than
private / public sector). SBV is viable
option
● The value of skilled volunteer support
for general operations, technology and
professional services can be 500%
greater than the value of other forms
of volunteering
From skilled corporate volunteers
perspective:
● 94% of millenials want to use their
skills for social good
● 91% of Fortune 500 HR managers
believe that skills-based volunteering
can be an effective way to develop
leadership skills

32. SBV case studies during COVID-19
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EMPACT.SG

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EMPACT.SG
Mentoring of Social Entrepreneurs
Linklaters is is a multinational law firm headquartered in
London. The firm’s office in Singapore entered into a formal
partnership to build the capacity of our local social
enterprises towards accelerating their growth.
Sophie Mathur, Mentor / Senior Partner (right)
“I didn’t realise the extent of how I was living in a bubble until
I spoke with Debra and she shared about her journey as a
social entrepreneur and the difficulties of some differently
abled people in Singapore. The conversations with her of -
this is who I am, this is where I’m going - also helped me in
my coaching relationships afterwards. This is really a
reverse-mentoring programme as well.
Win-win
● The Linklaters mentor was able to make time as the
commitment level was 1h sessions monthly, over a
period of 6 to 8 months
● As a senior partner of the firm, the mentor gained
market insights of the sector and gained awareness
on the social cause to champion
● SE mentee who usually feels alone now have
someone to validate their ideas and is also nurtured
for personal and organisational growth
● Mentoring session was able to take place virtually
via Zoom when the circuit breaker was imposed.

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EMPACT.SG
Short-term Consulting for Not-for-Profits
Procter & Gamble, a US multinational consumer goods
corporation has been partnering with us for the past 5
years. Through SBV carried out in a different forms
such a Pro Bono School, and Short-Term Consulting,
they have use their marketing, human resource and
product design expertise to train their community
partners.
Wei San, Sales
“It has been a very interesting journey and experience.
Having been with P&G for almost 9 years, it’s good to
know how the skills I learnt here can be put to use in
other more meaningful ways, so appreciate the
opportunity!”
Win-win
● Due to COVID-19, travelling out of Singapore was
put to a halt. This allowed senior management more
time to lead and volunteer their skills over a period
of 3 to 4 months.
● 4 community partners are working with teams of
dedicated P&G volunteers (5 per team) to solve their
organisational challenges.
● Currently, fortnightly sessions are taking place
virtually via WebEx.

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EMPACT.SG
Pro Bono Business Clinic for Social Enterprises
raiSE is the sector developer for social enterprises in
Singapore. This virtual Pro Bono Business Clinic was
organised to provide support to SEs that were affected by
the COVID-19 outbreak. Participating SEs highlighted top
concerns that ranged from resolving cash flow issues, supply
chain disruptions to creating new sales channels and
innovating to pivot their business models.
Darien Soh, Volunteer.
“For the past 2 months, I did not feel the severity of the
COVID-19 situation and its impact on businesses. After
the Business Clinic with Charlene Chan from Tinkle Arts,
it struck me how this situation has led to many
struggling with business sustainability.”
Win-win
● Based on the needs of the SEs, corporate volunteers
with the relevant skills were paired with them.
● This was during work from home and CSR leads
from companies were looking for employee
engagement
● 8 SEs benefited from the pro bono service and
consultancy during this critical period which would
have otherwise be less accessible
● The entire business clinic took place virtually via
Zoom which allowed break out rooms for 1-to-1
consulting sessions to take place.

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EMPACT.SG
Needs Assessment Workshops for Social Enterprises
DBS Bank champions the growth of social enterprises in Asia as
part of their CSR. Through the bank’s Foundation, Empact was
appointed to conducted a series of Needs Assessment Workshops
for their SE grantees in Singapore, Indonesia, India, Hong Kong,
Taiwan and China.
Ms Maphil Lui, Manager for Group Strategic Marketing
& Communications from Hong Kong (4th from right)
“I recently joined DBS and I feel very privileged to be
working for this bank who is committed in giving back.
This can be observed by the time, resources and efforts
invested (including training and equipping me) in these
social enterprises.”
Win-win
● The workshops supported DBS to better ascertain
the organisational needs of their SE grantees, to
facilitate them in matching and customising capacity
support appropriate to the SEs
● The workshops were meant to be carried out as
physical sessions, with Empact also scheduled to fly
to China to conduct one of those sessions. But when
travelling came to a halt, the workshops were
migrated to a virtual format successfully.
● Total of 45 social enterprises were engaged over 5
workshops.

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EMPACT.SG
Recap why SBV is win-win

38. What are the next steps you can take?
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EMPACT.SG

39. Empact’s belief
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EMPACT.SG
By acting as an
intermediary,
connector and
innovator - Empact
relentlessly works to
build the capacity of
the social sector,
connecting social
organisations to skills
across the spectrum to
better support their
clients and increase
their impact.
Our aim is to create
impact for the social
service sector. In all that
we do and the solutions
that we develop, are to
address real needs.
Because of our unique
position as a linchpin,
we have the ability to be
creative and offer
bespoke solutions.
We understand that the mission
that we’ve embarked cannot be
accomplished alone. We need to to
work with different partners to
create the impact that the social
service sector needs.

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EMPACT.SG
Start planning from the needs
NPOs SEs
Funds ● Philanthropy dollar for urgent needs
● Invest in innovation in social sector
through and beyond COVID-19
● Be the customer for our SEs !!!
Products ● In-kind support will help defray
costs for the needs of the
organisation and its beneficiaries
Talents and
knowledge
● Implementation support in the area
of technology, digital marketing and
talent management
● Share best practices contextualised
to the social sector
● Skilled volunteers in critical business
areas (finance, sales, business model,
supply chain, etc.)

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EMPACT.SG
What you can do as a corporate?
Sharing your talents & knowledge Through these formats
NPO ● Implementation support in the area of
technology, digital marketing and talent
management
● Share best practices contextualised to the
social sector
● Webinar
● Team based consulting
(e.g. short term
consulting)
SE ● Skilled volunteers in critical business areas
(finance, sales, business model, supply chain,
etc.)
● Business clinics
● Mentoring
● Needs assessment

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EMPACT.SG
How you can do it?
Reach out to NPOs and SEs
directly
● Have conversations with your existing NPO and SE
partners on how you / your corporate could offer
relevant talent and knowledge
Work with intermediaries ● Engage the help of an intermediary (e.g. NVPC,
Empact etc) to reach out to NPOs and SEs
● Innovate and co-create initiatives that serve both your
corporate and the social sector’s needs
Join centrally run
programmes
● Participate in programmes run by sector developers
or intermediaries that need specific skills and
knowledge of individual volunteers
1.
2.
3.

43. Upcoming SBV Opportunities with Empact
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EMPACT.SG
These are the
upcoming
immediate SBV
opportunities
that we have
curated and
developed with
various partners
that include
corporates and
sector
developers.
1. COVID-19 Support Page
for NPOs / SEs by Empact
https://www.empact.sg
/covid-19/
PROGRAMME NO. OF SESSIONSFORMAT
2. Webinar for NPOs / SEs
hosted with Empact
1 hours
6 x webinars
• Sharing your domain knowledge (1-to-many)
• Topics range from finance; digital marketing;
digitisation; and business strategy
3. Needs Assessment
Workshop for NPOs / SEs
2 hours
2 x workshops
4, Pro Bono School or Clinics
for NPOs / SEs
5. Mentoring for SEs
June and October• Contribute by pairing with one organisation by
serving as a buddy and observer to identify needs
and priorities
• Mentoring of social entrepreneurs
• Meet regularly to coach on multiple disciplines
and personal growth
• Contribute skills and expertise to consult / train
NPOs or SEs
• Empact will match volunteer with NPO / SE
June to August
May to July
• Contribute your domain expertise for capacity
related support and/or resource for SOs on
Empact’s web page
3 hours
3 x clinics
1 hour per month
6 to 8 months
12 x mentors
WHEN
Open for
submission
June till next
February

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EMPACT.SG
How you can do it?
Reach out to NPOs and SEs
directly
● Have conversations with your existing NPO and SE
partners on how you / your corporate could offer
relevant talent and knowledge
Work with intermediaries ● Engage the help of an intermediary (e.g. NVPC,
Empact etc) to reach out to NPOs and SEs
● Innovate and co-create initiatives that serve both your
corporate and the social sector’s needs
Join centrally run
programmes
● Participate in programmes run by sector developers
or intermediaries that need specific skills and
knowledge of individual volunteers
1.
2.
3.

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EMPACT.SG
Q&A Session & Feedback
https://bit.ly/EmpactWebinar
Please share with us how your experience was today!

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For more information, contact us.
THANK YOU
–
EMPACT.SG
For corporate volunteering opportunities,
contact us at
corpv@empact.sg
Follow us on our social media
@empactsg