New books to help charities adapt, boost capabilities
Two sets of books meant to help charities adapt to the changing needs of the community and build up their capabilities were launched by the National University of Singapore yesterday.
The books feature insights from academics, accountants and leaders from non-profit organisations on areas such as capacity- and capability-building and best financial practices.
Charity Council chairman Gerard Ee said it is important for charities to adapt to the changing landscape to remain relevant.
"These two sets of publications are resources for the charities to think about longer-term needs of the community they serve, so that they can make plans to build up their organisations," he said.
The Centre for Social Development Asia from the university's Department of Social Work launched the publications at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House.
The first set consists of two books - Doing Good In Singapore Parts One and Two. They include insights on topics such as the ageing population and the importance of using technology and data.
They also address ways to tackle future challenges by developing organisational capability.
The second set of publications is a series of five booklets aimed at guiding charities on best accounting and financial practices.
The series, Accounting And Finance Handbooks For Charities, was developed in consultation with charities and written by professional accountants.
Both sets of books were produced in collaboration with the Charity Council and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
The chief executive of Sree Narayana Mission (Singapore), Mr S. Devendran, said the resources help charities, big and small, ramp up their capabilities.
"For smaller charities, particularly, these easy-to-understand resources and tool kits help them better understand what the standards required are and identify possible gaps to be addressed," he said, reiterating that "once trust is lost, it takes a long time for people to come around".
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