Volunteerism in Singapore Volunteerism is about offering help to others without being forced and also without any expectation

of reward. According to Year Book of Statistics Singapore (2010), 41,547 volunteers were involved in community service in 2009. Furthermore, the number of volunteers has been increasing over the years since 1999 (Government of Singapore, 2010). It appears that volunteering is very common in Singapore; however, does volunteerism benefit both volunteers and beneficiary? This essay will discuss volunteers being able to gain a sense of achievement and become part of a community; the beneficiaries are able to accomplish the event by keeping the budget limit. In addition, the company or organization can gain good reputation too. Firstly, the volunteers will be able to gain a sense of achievement (Association of Woman for Action and Research, 2011) due to several factors. They are able to develop skills and creativity during their assigned activities. It could be something that they had never done before. By volunteering, they gain the opportunity to experience and learn new things. For example, according to the students form Ngee Ann Polytechnic who volunteered in the Youth Olympic Games, they had the opportunity to hone their skills at managing guest relations and handling the operations of a high-profile and largescale international event ( Loh 2010). Students may use their talent to fulfill their tasks as well. Therefore, once they have completed their tasks, they would be able to have a sense of achievement. People who volunteered can get sense of achievements by influencing the policy via social media and campaigns as well (Association of Woman for Action and Research, 2011). Secondly, the volunteers will be able to be part of the community (Association of Woman for Action and Research, 2011). This is essential because it enables the volunteers to meet people who are like minded. Furthermore, they get opportunity to be exposed to discussions and ideas that are useful (Samuel, Shalini 2010). For example, the global interaction experienced by the volunteers in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore will expand their world views (Samuel, Shalini 2010) and also help them to expand their social circles. It is because they become part of the community, they also get a chance to experience personal development. More importantly, the opportunity for leadership is priceless for volunteers (Samuel, Shalini 2010). Such activities are able to mold volunteer into a better person (I-to-I, 2011). Similarly, it is also a positive situation for the beneficiaries. For organization that had their event with enthusiastic participation of volunteers, they are able to keep their budget low within its limit. Its administration can function properly with the help of volunteers as well. In addition, volunteerism helps the committee to achieve the goal of the event too. As a result of good response from the citizens to become volunteers, the Youth Olympic Games was a successful event (The Temasik Review, 2010. Next, the volunteer-related activities such as raising funds for the poor and needy could improve an organizations reputation. In marketing and the promotion process, a good corporate image or reputation is essential to make them efficient (Reputica, 2011). With good reputation the organization can gain trust easily from its clients, enabling the organization to carry out business with good reviews from the public. In other words, it has more business opportunities (Reputica, 2011). If the organizations activity is centered on helping the poor and needy, it can gain much supports from the public to bring its event a success.

In conclusion, the fact that volunteerism has clear benefits to the volunteer and the beneficiaries proves that it is a win-win situation for both parties. That is why such activities has been growing from year to year.

References Association of Woman for Action and Research, (2011). Volunteer Benefits. Retrieved 13th February 2011, from http://www.aware.org.sg/register/volunteer-centre/vol-benefits/ Bussell, Helen, & Forbes, Deborah (2001, May 17). Understanding the volunteer market: The what, where, who and why of volunteering. International Journal of Nonprot and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 7(3), 250. Government of Singapore, (2010, August 19) Community Services. Retrieved 13th February 2011, from http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/yos10/statsT-community.pdf Reputica, (2011). Five Benefits of Good Corporate Image. Retrieved 2011, February 13, from http://reputica.com/pr-firms/online-pr/five-benefits-of-good-corporate-image.htm Samuel, Shalini (2010, September 21). Intangible benefits of the YOG are priceless. Retrieved 2011, February 13, from http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100921-238211.html The Temasik Review, (2010, August 21). IOC President Jacques Rogge: YOG is a resounding success. Retrieved 2011, February 13, from http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/08/21/iocpresident-jacques-rogge-yog-is-a-resounding-success/ Unknown, (2011). Why Do People Volunteer?. Retrieved 2011, February 13th, from http://www.i-toi.com/why-do-people-volunteer.html Loh Y.H. (2010, December 28). An Unforgettable YOG Volunteer Experience . Retrieved 13th February 2011, from http://www.np.edu.sg/ba/happenings/Pages/20101122YOGVolunteer.aspx