SINGAPORE – The total donations collected by more than 2,300 charities here fell by about 5 per cent to $2.95 billion at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many in-person fund-raising activities were disrupted.

The sums raised fell from $3.12 billion in the 2020 financial year (FY) to $2.95 billion in FY2021, according to the Commissioner of Charities (COC) annual report 2022 released in early December 2023.

Only the community and health sectors recorded a rise in donations in FY2021. All other sectors, such as religious, education, and arts and heritage, saw a drop in donations.

The latest figures are compiled based on charities’ annual submissions for their FY that ended in 2021, COC Desmond Chin told The Straits Times.

For example, some charities’ FY2021 started in April 2020 and ended in March 2021, while others started in January 2021 and ended in December 2021.

There were 2,379 charities registered as at end-December 2022, and 45 per cent of them were religious groups such as churches and temples.

Charities in the religious and social and welfare sectors received $1.67 billion, which amounted to more than half of the total donations collected by the entire charity sector in FY2021.

Explaining why the total donations fell, Mr Chin said: “The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the operations and fund-raising activities of the charity sector. 

“With the implementation of the circuit breaker and safe management measures during the pandemic, many charities had to cancel, postpone or scale down physical fund-raising events and activities.”

Mr Anthony Chng, enterprise director at Children-At-Risk Empowerment Association (Care Singapore), said: “This was also likely the period where the economic repercussions arising from the first Covid-19 year would have its accumulated effect on people, who might have seen their income drop or lost their jobs.”

Besides the fall in the number of individual donors, companies also took a more cautious stance on giving to charity, given the economic situation then, Mr Chng added. 

Charities interviewed had mixed experiences in the past few years. Some saw a fall in donations, while others saw donations hold steady or rise.

For example, Food From The Heart collected $9.3 million in 2021, down from $9.9 million in 2020, but this rose to $10 million in 2022.

The SPD, which supports people with disabilities, raised $5.3 million in its financial year that ended in March 2021, and $5.7 million a year after that. It collected $6 million in donations in its financial year that ended in March 2023.

During the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, charities relied mainly on online fund-raising as physical events were largely off limits, given the measures to curb the spread of the virus.

With the end of pandemic restrictions, charities said they have resumed in-person fund-raisers, such as charity dinners and charity walks, since 2022. 

A spokesman for the Kidney Dialysis Foundation (KDF) said the improved social and economic conditions in 2023 have led to “a boost in donor participation and contributions”.

The KDF collected $4.1 million in its financial year that ended in March 2023, up from $3.8 million a year before that. In its financial year that ended in March 2021, it raised $3.5 million.

The COC annual report also outlined how charities no longer have to apply for a permit or licence from the authorities to raise funds in public, such as asking for donations on the streets or organising a charity carnival or dinner. This took effect from Oct 9.

Under the new disclosure regime for public fund-raising appeals, all charities have to do is to provide some details on the Charity Portal, which is the COC’s website, at least seven working days before the fund-raiser starts.

The information required is:

• the purpose, duration, location and method of raising funds;
• contact details for the public to seek clarification on the fund-raiser; and
• the name of a third-party fund-raiser, if relevant. Other details such as the due diligence that has been conducted and expenses incurred also have to be disclosed.

Previously, charities had to apply for a House to House and Street Collections licence from the police or a fund-raising permit from the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) if the charity is an NCSS member. 

The move to scrap the permit or licence is to reduce the administrative burden on charities, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong when announcing the change in 2022.

He added that donors can verify the legitimacy of these campaigns instantly by doing a search on the Charity Portal.

The Office of the COC has also said it will take enforcement action against “improper appeals” or charities that fail to comply with the new disclosure requirements or wilfully provide inaccurate details.