While nearly eight in 10 companies in Singapore say they have a moral obligation to support broader societal goals, only a smaller group are actually engaging in corporate giving or volunteering, a new national study has found.
A survey of 1,100 firms across nine major industries found that while 79 per cent of companies believe businesses should contribute to the public good, there remains a clear gap between stated intentions and real-world implementation, especially in areas such as community engagement, according to the National Corporate Purpose & Impact Study 2025 by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), released on Friday.
The study found that while every company reported participating in at least one “corporate purpose” initiative, most of this activity is concentrated in internal, employee-focused areas.
The “people” impact area – covering staff well-being, development and inclusion – saw the highest engagement, with 94 per cent of companies investing in these measures. But only 30 per cent participated in the “society” impact area, with 14 per cent engaging in volunteerism and 26 per cent in donating.
NVPC said this makes community support the least prioritised aspect of corporate purpose in Singapore, despite strong moral sentiment among corporate leaders.
Among the companies that do participate in community initiatives, levels of engagement have accelerated rapidly. Median employee volunteerism rose from 50 per cent in 2021 to 70 per cent in 2025, while median donations grew from S$1,000 (US$785) to S$10,000 (US$7,850) over the same period.
NVPC said the trend reflects the growing impact of companies dedicated to social causes, suggesting strong potential for broader adoption of corporate initiatives on volunteering and donations across the corporate sector.
It added that once companies commit to giving back, they tend to invest deeply and for the long term.
Why companies talk purpose but don’t prioritise giving
Although companies frequently cite financial constraints or manpower shortages as barriers to stepping up corporate giving, NVPC’s analysis also found that leadership belief – not resources – is the overwhelming determining factor.
Companies with strong senior management support were significantly more likely to run structured community programmes. Regulatory compliance, meanwhile, was the weakest driver of participation, the study found.
Associate professor David Gomulya of Singapore Management University, an advisor to the study, commented that leadership attitudes create the real divide between active and inactive firms.
“The real barrier isn’t ‘can we afford this?’ but rather ‘do our leaders believe this matters?’” he said.
Companies in construction, financial and insurance services, information and communications, and manufacturing were the most likely to take part in corporate purpose initiatives, including those tied to social impact.
Sectors such as wholesale and retail trade and business services lagged behind, with fewer formal programmes and weaker engagement in community-focused initiatives.
The findings point to growing awareness of corporate responsibility but limited follow-through in giving time or money to the community. NVPC said improving recognition for corporate giving, expanding accessible volunteering programmes and strengthening leadership buy-in could help shift more companies from intention to action.
It organises, for example, the annual President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) which recognises is individuals, organisations, leaders, and cross-sector partnerships that have achieved excellence in giving.
Tony Soh, chief executive of NVPC, noted that with more purpose-driven companies making the shift that empowers them to do well by doing good, the private sector can contribute to Singapore’s vision of a ‘we first’ society, a term used to
On why businesses should prioritise corporate purpose amid an uncertain economic environment, Soh added that business leaders who want to be successful “not just for this quarter, but for the long term” need to stay focused on their social license to operate.
Even if companies need to make short-term adjustments to endure tough economic times, they must “never give up on purpose” and what matters to employees, he said at an event on Friday to launch the study.
The study builds on NVPC’s 2021 Corporate Giving Survey and offers Singapore’s first national benchmark for tracking corporate purpose practices.
