Not all who stumble are caught in time. Our skills and the difference we can make.

By contributing writer Evonne Chung Caldwell .

“We live air-conditioned lives.” I heard this said at a dinner once. When it’s hot and humid, the ensuing irritability gets in the way of couch-potato-ing comfortably, causes our IQ to plummet, makes us dysfunctional, hinders the progress of a paradigm-shifting strategy PowerPoint i.e. procrastination. A flick of the AC control and the blast of cool air restores our internal ‘optimal performance’ factory setting.

That isn’t the point, of course. It’s that we live such comfortable lives that it’s easy to forget there are others living very different, and difficult, journeys. Or worse, that we’re aware but apathetic. Maybe next year, I said. Maybe when this project ends and I have a breather. Maybe when I’m travelling less. Maybe I’ll just donate money for now. The kind of apathy brought on by our busy-ness, our easy, though not intended, dismissal of action-right-now, the ‘comfort’ that someone else is surely taking care of tough issues in our community.

Issues such as homelessness, sudden accidents that create insurmountable bills, the burden on caretakers’ well-being and finances, the poor losing their jobs that leads to deeper poverty, sole breadwinners with little sleep who juggle multiple jobs to take care of their families, the stress of wading through paperwork to define one correctly as qualifying for external aid while time ticks away, payment deadlines loom, and loved ones wane.

This is not the everyday for most of us, but it is the everyday for many amongst us.

Photo from Ray of Hope .

2020. Covid cast a stark light on disadvantaged lives. The pandemic laid bare what busy-ness made easy to put aside, “just for a while.” Every day, we read more about the disruption to livelihoods and increasing burdens on many who were already struggling before the pandemic. But we also saw shining examples of our collective spirit in these difficult times, a keener awareness of the disadvantaged in our midst and the willingness to help. We were inspired by the heartfelt work that ground-up groups do such as It’s Raining Raincoats , Willing Hearts and many others. We saw more people stepping up to volunteer and to rally friends and family around a cause. We discovered more ways to help.

One such way is skills-based volunteering. It lets us help those who help others. talenTtrust is an incredible bunch of folks who make that happen.

Photo from talenTtrust .

Not many are aware that contribution can be skills-based, at least not on a structured formal basis. We lend our skills directly to a non-profit when asked by friends or associates in the sector, or through company-led activity. The joy of talenTtrust is that they have done the homework – the research, identification of needs, the networking – and created a platform for constructive matchmaking, linking non-profit organisations to people with the skills they need, so they can continue to do good. You and me? We simply say yes when tapped.

Photo credit: Rachel Hind.

Skills-based is a wonderful way to volunteer. Efficient, engaging, impactful. You leverage skills you already have, you do this with fellow mentors as a team, and you drive your knowledge towards causes that are hugely meaningful. It’s an intuitive way to give back, allowing me and my fellow mentors-now-friends Richie Eu , Peter Bithos , RACHEL HIND to hit the ground running without having to reinvent the wheel, yet providing opportunity to learn from Ray of Hope who, like many such organisations, do so much good with so little, and to learn from the beneficiaries they serve. For a little while each week, we have the chance to step outside of our sometimes sheltered lives and do good in ways big and small.

We’re rarely the same people we were. Sure, fundamental traits may remain but we’re hopefully more evolved at our end than at our beginning, and that’s often reflected in a desire to give more than we take. In professional lives specifically, you start wanting to teach, to impart, to pull others along. You start thinking about clearing paths for the generation that follows, creating ways that lead to their growth, wanting others to do better than you. Outside of work, you start to appreciate that your parents really did know best (my dad will fall off his chair reading this), that what you’d deemed nagging are lessons in values that hold families and communities together, and the glitz and shine of ‘must be, must have, must possess’ blind you less. There’s a persistent voice that says, “Ok, you procrastinating root vegetable on the couch, you can do more.”

The ‘more’ that fellow mentors and I hope will make a difference to Ray of Hope are the same skills you and your teams likely possess and can, and should, pass on. Managing scale and diversification, identifying opportunities for growth, improving a product or process, managing through crisis, operational frameworks, brand and marketing, IT and tech, customer outreach, fundraising, business modelling, pitching an idea to investors, the board, your boss (or spouse!), the ins and outs of running a start-up or a mature business…and much else that leads to doing better and benefitting more.

Photo credit:? Alicia Altorfer-Ong, Ph.D. - At Rindu, The Colours of Life showcase of ceramic works by children of drug offenders, a collaboration between Harun Ghani Education Fund , Ray of Hope and?National Gallery Singapore .

We couldn’t have asked for a better, kinder and smarter non-profit to work with. The team at Ray of Hope show up at every interaction with open minds, humility and excitement to learn. Unafraid to ask questions, undeterred by feedback that requires hard work in response, and unyielding in working through challenges together. They’ve been incredibly welcoming and transparent, keenly collaborative, and follow through on every learning opportunity. A mentor-mentee relationship requires that we step into each other’s shoes to view the same world with dual perspectives, and allow ourselves the freedom to both challenge and agree, and to arrive at objective empathy or empathetic objectivity.

My goal with Ray of Hope was not just to share my skills but also to learn from them. They have been candid and generous with their knowledge share, and I’m now much more aware about societal issues, the gaps in our community many are working hard to close, and the safety nets that non-profits constantly weave to catch those who fall through the cracks, an endeavour that lies at the very heart of Ray of Hope. They run a mean hustle with myriad asks from myriad parties, and because one can’t predict when emergencies strike and when beneficiaries’ needs arise, their minds stay ceaselessly sharp, multi-task is a must and the pressure to not let a ball drop is ever present. Multiple this by ‘day in, day out’, and one then understands it takes nerves of steel, a loving heart and an unwavering commitment to those they serve.

Non-profit organisations invest so much of their time and finances to helping others, and are unwilling to spend on themselves if they can channel what they have to their beneficiaries. Their beneficiaries don’t have the luxury of waiting for a better day. Their needs are often acute and immediate. Our non-profit partners juggle many roles against daunting deadlines.

This is where we can help. talenTtrust is how you can help.

They’ve done the ground work to create a space where ordinary (and not so ordinary) folks can show up as we are, with skills we already have, and give back to our community with ease.?Even if you have one skill, and one skill only, you can volunteer. Trust me. I’ve stretched my limited talent quite far now! The kind folks at talenTtrust and Ray of Hope often thank us mentors for what we do, but the real thanks belong to them – their vision, hard work and indomitable spirit of willingness.

Photo from Ray of Hope .

What non-profit organisations ultimately do is to restore dignity. Helping others to get through tough times, to get back on their feet, to piece together lives that cracked a little, sometimes a lot.

So, go on now and share your skills. ?

For more information about how you can do good with Ray of Hope, get in touch with the inimitable and inspiring Alicia Altorfer-Ong, Ph.D. or visit https://rayofhope.sg/

For more information about how you can use your skills to create real and sustainable change in the community, get in touch with Aren Tang or visit www.talenttrust.org.sg

Evonne Chung Caldwell is a business development strategist with over 20 years in brand & design strategy, marketing, and consumer experience. She is a keen advocate of design thinking for business and culture innovation, and has led initiatives across SEA, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and India. Having headed WPP’s largest brand consultancy as its Managing Director for SEA, she was also APAC lead of its Procter & Gamble multi-brand portfolio, collaborating with clients in research and insights to drive category development, new markets and expanded offers, with responsibility for teams in Singapore, Guangzhou and Tokyo.