New nonprofit ImpactSG in S’pore aims to encourage going beyond financial donations – Mothership.SG

A new grassroots initiative, ImpactSG, was launched at the National Gallery Singapore on November 21, 2024.

ImpactSG is a non-profit organization attended by 240 guests and founded by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Their goal is to be a “Gateway to Giving” for people new to giving or new to Singapore.

ImpactSG was founded in June 2022 and emerged in response to a Forward Singapore conversation on social mobility, where one of the ImpactSG founders, Daniel Lim Yew Mao, pointed out two insights he had gained.

“First, most of us find it difficult to give. It’s hard to find the time and we may not know where to start. Second, giving doesn’t just happen. It has to be organized,” he said at the launch event.

ImpactSG currently consists of 75 supporters with 18 partner organizations.

ImpactSG encourages its supporters to go beyond financial donations by volunteering their time, sharing their expertise, or leveraging their professional networks to help those in need.

ImpactSG Chairman Ravi Menon explained at the opening that the organization does not collect donations itself, but rather accompanies potential donors on their “fundraising journey” and connects them with the relevant organizations.

The organization will help deliver on its promises by understanding the causes it cares about, the needs on the ground, and the concrete ways it can contribute to change.

In addition, ImpactSG has also launched or is planning to do so, for example to support local children with cancer.

This is done by funding proton therapy treatment for pediatric cancer patients from Southeast Asia and leveraging existing resources at the National Cancer Center Singapore.

Top photos by Hannah Martens/Mothership