New mentoring initiative to help charity leaders, Charities Act under review

SINGAPORE – Charity leaders will be able to tap experienced mentors for guidance to strengthen their organisations’ leadership and governance under a new initiative launched on Oct 15.

The Charity Elevate mentoring pilot, introduced by the Charity Council, will match board members, human resources leads and chief executives with mentors who can share knowledge and perspectives on running charities effectively.

The Office of the Commissioner of Charities (COC) is also reviewing the Charities Act to ensure Singapore’s regulatory framework remains relevant, with plans to engage charities on possible changes in 2027.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo announced these moves on Oct 15 at the annual Charity Governance Conference, attended by more than 600 charity leaders and board members.

“The inclusion of different leadership roles in this (mentoring) initiative underscores an important point: everyone can play a part in good governance. It is shared responsibility across the charity. When people at every level play a part, our charities become stronger,” he said.

As of December 2024, there were 2,406 registered charities in Singapore, up from 2,398 in 2023.

A study of 540 charities in Singapore published in 2025 found that many of them had room to improve their organisational capabilities, particularly in managing staff and volunteers.

The Charities Life Cycle Landscape Report, commissioned to better understand the organisational maturity and capability needs of charities, found that only 33 per cent of respondents assessed themselves as having reached the stage of maturity in people management.

Another 60 per cent considered themselves to be at the start-up or growth stages in this area.

While many charities assessed themselves as mature in governance and administration, the report identified gaps in management and employee-related capabilities, including volunteer coordination and structured training plans.

Over the next three years, the Office of the COC and the Charity Council will engage charities across different sectors to share the report’s findings and work with them to strengthen their long-term capabilities.

Executive director for the CHIJ Sanctuary for Children Kitson Leonard Lee said every charity is different and may have its own blind spots.

Mentoring lets charities “work with other like-minded people who are better-skilled and who are able to see things from a different perspective”, he said.

“As leaders, the important part is being humble, wanting to learn more, and listening to what others can see that we cannot.”

The mentoring pilot builds on existing efforts to equip charity leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to manage their organisations.

One such effort is the GovernWell: Excellence in Charity Leadership programme, introduced in 2025 by the Office of the COC and the Charity Council in collaboration with five training partners.

It offers training for charity board members and staff in four areas: leadership, ethics, social impact measurement and financial stewardship. More than 1,200 participants have registered for the programme since its launch.

On the review of the Charities Act, Neo said the Government wants to ensure the regulatory framework supports charities’ work while building public trust.

Agencies and partners are being consulted on areas to strengthen the Act, and focus group discussions will be held with charities in 2027 to gather their views.

“Your participation is crucial to help us strike the right balance between empowering charities to do good and enabling intervention should governance concerns arise,” said Neo.

The Charity Council and Singapore University of Social Sciences also published a framework in June to help charities assess their governance and transparency practices.

The PILLAR Framework consolidates existing governance and regulatory requirements into a single reference, helping charities identify areas for improvement.

It will also support assessments for the Champions of Governance and Transparency Award, with participating organisations receiving feedback reports to guide their development.