Want to make a difference but not sure where or how to start?
Start Now is an online platform whose mission is to make it as easy as possible for everyone to volunteer.
The first non-governmental volunteerism advocacy social enterprise in Singapore founded by two undergraduates, the platform connects volunteers from schools, corporate organisations, and the public to non-profits that need help. It aims to minimise the searching, coordination and administration time for the various parties involved and hopes to encourage a culture of volunteerism in Singapore.
Volunteers get to create their own profile through which they can coordinate, track and schedule volunteering commitments across different organisations. The system will prompt them with activities that might be available according to their preferred time, location and interest.
Non-profits can also utilise the platform as a volunteer management tool and interact with their volunteers on a more personal basis.
“Singapore’s volunteering rate was one of the lowest in Asia so we wanted to encourage more people to volunteer,” said Gillian Tan, Start Now’s head of Business Development. “Our primary vision is to grow volunteerism through a sustainable business model. With the nonprofits, corporates and eventually schools on board, we can connect all of them into a big ecosystem and grow volunteerism.”
Its founders Ivan Chang and Keith Tan, who are still undergraduates at local universities, are no strangers to volunteerism and entrepreneurial pursuits.
Chang has been an active volunteer at Make a Wish Foundation for the past nine years while Tan had his fair share of experiences in the social sector. Together, they realised they could use these experiences and skills to make a change.
With similar platforms available in Singapore such as SGCares and YouthBank, what sets Start Now apart from the rest?
“Our core focus is using technology to improve the social sector by focusing on helping organisations volunteer more efficiently and effectively,” said Tan.
In just about a year since its inception in February 2012, Start Now has amassed a 45,000-strong volunteer base and has about 180 nonprofit organizations as partners. It is currently in the process of developing a school platform.
“We hope to encourage more people to rethink on volunteerism by creating more meaning in our community activities and incentivise a more proactive and volunteer-driven programme,” said Tan.
This article first appeared as part of the original Be An Idea content platform on social impact. While Be An Idea has evolved into something different, we still respect our roots in social impact and have archived this article under the category Be An Idea Magazine.