2021: Here is what your capacity-building strategy should look like
Not only can capacity building improve your social organisation’s productivity and service delivery, but it also builds resilience in an environment characterised by continual change. In this article, we share tips on how you could make good use of capacity development opportunities today. You’re welcome!
#1 Tech for good
Video analytic and facial recognition programmes. AI robots. Intelligent monitoring sensors. Yes, they exist and will help you overcome your manpower challenges amid an ageing population and shrinking workforce. Furthermore, the usage of data analytics could boost the effectiveness of your operations and volunteer engagement efforts. Unveiled at the Social Service Summit in 2019, the Tech Booster and Project Back-to-Basics initiatives will offer ready technologies and innovative solutions at attractive subsidies to alleviate manpower challenges in the sector. Various technologies are up for adoption by agencies, and you can obtain subsidies of between 90 and 98 per cent, based on the funding tiers available. According to the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), the utilisation of information technology solutions can lower up to 30% of time spent by care workers. This multi-year project will run till March 2023, so what are you waiting for?
#2: Upskill your staff
Another way for you to build capacity is to broaden or deepen your staff’s competencies and knowledge. This way, they could better respond to the emerging demands of the sector and improve the lives of your beneficiaries and vulnerable communities. Designing relevant training and upskilling initiatives for your employees is hard work, but the good news is that you need not start from scratch. You could draw reference from the Government’s Skills Framework for Social Service. The framework, which provides clear training and career pathways for various occupations in the social sector, highlights key interdisciplinary skills that your professionals should possess to remain future-ready and drive a bigger impact for the community. Alternatively, the Talent Handbook by the NCSS will equip you with everything that you need to know about meeting your team’s training needs and helping the latter reach their fullest potential. With concrete training programmes in place for your employees, you will be able to boost service quality, make more informed plans for succession and maintain a strong talent pipeline.
#3 Leverage flexible talent
According to a Hays survey, 44% of organisations in Singapore actively endorse flexible working as part of their business culture. Indeed, social service organisations are no exception. An NCSS guidebook on work-life practices uncovered that the likes of Rainbow Centre and Metta Welfare Association have implemented part-time conversion and flexible work opportunities for their full-time employers. However, we note that smaller organisations may reap a smaller net dollar return per employee when it comes to the adoption of flexi-work. To minimise your costs, do consider engaging the services of volunteer-matching initiatives such as Skills For Good. Skills For Good provides a cost-free and one-stop platform where volunteers with relevant expertise and experiences are best matched to projects with social organisations. From collateral design to strategic planning, you can always trust the youth-led initiative to build your capacity without additional cost and leverage available talent to surpass your operational and strategic goals. Find out more about how we can best meet your needs here.
About Skills for Good
Skills for Good, a local volunteer-matching organisation, with a base of eclectic volunteers with skills ranging from marketing and communications to information technology to fundraising. We seek to empower volunteers through convenient and meaningful skills-based volunteering opportunities that help social organisations to achieve their mission. Volunteer with us today and wake up tomorrow with the warm and fuzzy sensation of ‘volunesia’.
Author: Lim Jia Ying
