PHILANTHROPY IN SINGAPORE: THE CONTEXT OF GIVING BEHAVIOURS AMONG MAJOR DONORS

Abstract

Against the backdrop of increasingly complex social needs as well as an evolving philanthropic ecosystem in Singapore since the 1800s, this exploratory research uses Constructivist Grounded Theory approach to examine major donors’ philanthropic giving behaviours in order to encourage more wealthy individuals to give and for existing major donors to continue their contributions. Empirical evidence was from face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 major donors defined as those who gave at least a total of $1,000,000 for a minimum of 5 years. The findings reveal that major donors are committed, highly-engaged, resource-rich businessmen-philanthropists who are sustained by a deeper spiritual meaning of leading a purpose-driven life in the service of others. In attempting to resolve neglected areas of social needs, major donors show tendencies to transfer entrepreneurial skills-set in the form of time, problem-solving skills and social capital derived from “inner circles” or private giving networks for collective philanthropy.