FAQ Change History1) How did this initiative start?2) Who is the working group that thought up this initiative? 3) How was the charity to support, in this case HWA, chosen? 4) Who is the official organizer of this charity fund-raising drive? 5) What is HWA ? 6) Has this fund-raising drive received official approval? 7) Can I support other charities during SCSM 06? 8) Can I participate in more than one charity fund-raising drive during SCSM 06? 9) What is the target for this HWA charity fund-raising drive? 10) How will the fund-raising be done? 11) Must I participate in any particular category of SCSM 06 in order to contribute to the HWA SCSM 06 charity fund-raising drive? 12) Are there any incentives or benefits for runners who participate in the HWA charity fund-raising drive? 13) Okay, I am convinced. How do I contribute to the HWA charity fund-raising drive as a runner and fund-raiser? 14) How do I contribute to the HWA charity fund-raising drive, even though I am not running in SCSM 06? 15) How will I know of any further updates on this HWA charity fund-raising drive? 16) Who can I ask if I have any further queries? FAQ Change History- 5 Aug 2006 - First Release
- 13 Aug 2006 -
- 23 Aug 2006 -
- Added NCSS approval reference number to Qn6
- Modified Qn 10
- 10 Sep 2006 -
- Modified Qn 12 on Runner's Pack & bulk discount
1) How did this initiative start?
Many runners in the SGRunners forum will be participating in Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2006 (SCSM 06). Therefore, a few of us mooted the idea of leveraging on this event to raise funds for charity. This idea was first raised in the forum in May 2006 (see the following post http://sgrunners.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1838).
To move things along, a few runners gathered to discuss more on how this could be further explored. The initial intention was for this charity fund-raising drive to be done under the umbrella of the SGRunners forum, and hence TLR was invited to the discussion. As TLR was unable to attend, he appointed several moderators (Balasing, Cosmic Wind & Gentle) to join in the deliberations. With this, we formed an ad-hoc working group to discuss and spearhead this charity drive.
2) Who is in the working group that thought up this initiative?
The ad hoc working group that discussed options and came up with proposals was composed of Aichai, Roentgen, Charlotte, Kickjazz, Nemo, Junie, Balasing, Cosmic Wind & Gentle. TLR was kept up to date on the progress of the project and the proposals.
3) How was the charity to support, in this case HWA, chosen?
The committee reviewed the list of charity organizations and voluntary welfare organizations registered with the National Council of Social Service. Several charity organizations were short-listed based on pre-determined criteria.
The criteria for shortlisting were:
- Universal appeal
The charity must be able to attract and be backed by the general population of donors;
- Secular charity
The group preferred to remain neutral in matters of religion;
- Not backed by big organizations
Charities consistently backed by big organizations were assumed to be well taken care of; and
- Willingness to provide administrative resources
The organization must be able to provide the administrative, operational and logistical support to run this charity drive.
Due to limited resources and a tight timeline to the opening date for SCSM 06 registration, it was not possible to perform a detailed review and site visit of all the charities in the list. By way of voting, the two most popular organizations were selected. To find out more about these charities, the working group went down to their premises to have a look and met up with the people running these organizations to find out more about them (including how much financial reserves they had, their operating costs per year, the programmes they run, how funds collected are distributed, their annual report, their administrative framework, how many people were supported by the charity etc.). From there and after much deliberation, the committee decided to go with HWA.
It is acknowledged that the choice of a charity is very subjective. The criteria were not intended to rank one charity over another, but instead to assist the working group in choosing a suitable charity which would benefit most from the existing resources that we could offer. The aim was to mobilize people to run in the SCSM 06 for a good cause, and in this way, contribute back to society.
4) Who is the official organizer of this charity fund-raising drive?This charity drive will be run solely by HWA and the working group of runners as indicated above.
After careful consideration, and to avoid any unnecessary complications, TLR, the moderators and the working group decided NOT to run this charity event officially under the auspices of SGRunners. The SGRunners forum acts only as a portal for publicizing this event. SGRunners is not the organizer of this fund-raising drive.
5) What is HWA?Details on HWA can be found at the following url
http://www.hwa.org.sg/hwa.html.
In a nutshell, HWA is a non-profit charitable organization committed to enhance the quality of life of people with physical disabilities and integrate them into mainstream society. Examples of activities undertaken by HWA include critical rehabilitation services, transport and training for the handicapped in allowing them to lead fuller lives, and contribute back to society. HWA is a member of the National Council of Social Service but not a beneficiary of the Community Chest.
6) Has this fund-raising drive received official approval?
Yes, HWA has obtained approval from the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) for this charity event. The NCSS Approval Reference Number is: 2006080237.
7) Can I support other charities during SCSM06?
The official charity for SCSM 2006 is the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF).
The organizers of SCSM 06 recognise that other charities may also leverage off the SCSM 06 to raise funds, and therefore, provisions are made for this. This charity fund raising event for HWA is organised by us, a group of running enthusiasts, and is not affiliated to the official charity adopted by SCSM 2006.
Deciding on a charity to support is a personal choice. The organizers of this HWA fund-raising drive do NOT advocate forcing or coercing anyone to raise funds for HWA over another charity organisation.
8) Can I participate in more than one charity fund-raising drive during SCSM06?It is possible to run for more than one charity during SCSM 06. The limitation in such a situation is that you may end up tapping on the same network of family / friends / donors for the same SCSM 06 event.
Therefore, the decision on whether to participate in more than one charity fund-raising drive in SCSM 06 is an individual choice. If you have a large network to tap upon, it may be possible to run for more than one charity.
The organizers cannot speak for the other charities, but as far as this HWA initiative is concerned, all that is needed are runners who are participating in SCSM 06 (any event) and who don't mind helping to raise funds for HWA based on their SCSM 06 participation.
9) What is the target for this HWA charity fund-raising drive?
The aim is to mobilise between 200 to 250 runners to raise funds for HWA by participating in SCSM 2006. The target is to raise at least
SG$50 000 for HWA through participation in SCSM 06.
10) How will the fund-raising be done?Runners who participate in this fund-raising drive will be issued with pledge cards and appeal letters to seek donations via the following means:
Use the
pledge cards to obtain lump sum donations (e.g. $5, $10, $50 etc) from people willing to contribute to HWA. Donations can also be based on the distance covered by the runner (e.g. sponsor to donate $XYZ for every kilometer run during SCSM 06). Therefore, the further you run, the more money you can raise for charity!
Use of
appeal letters to obtain lump sum donations, or donations based on the distance covered. This letter will allow fund-raisers to seek bigger lump sum donations from donors who prefer a more personalised touch.
In order to ensure transparency and accountability, the money raised will go directly to HWA. No separate bank account will be set up by the organizers. The accounts of the fund-raising drive will be audited and submitted to the National Council of Social Service after the event.
11) Must I participate in any particular category of SCSM 06 in order to contribute to the HWA charity fund-raising drive?Participants from any of the running categories (full marathon, half marathon, 10km etc) are welcome to join in the HWA charity fund-raising drive.
12) Are there any incentives or benefits for runners who participate in the HWA charity fund-raising drive?
All participants running for HWA will receive a special HWA runner’s pack! The confirmed items in the HWA runner's pack so far include:
- New Balance Running Top
- New Balance Race Belt
- Running Eye Shades (NOT available in the market yet!!)
Additional negotiations are underway for other useful items in the HWA runner's pack!The discounted bulk registration fee of S$50 per head is only applicable for group registration of 25 runners or more. As the SCSM registration is likely to close very soon due to overwhelming response, it is strongly recommended that you register for SCSM 06 as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
13) Okay, I am convinced. How do I contribute to the HWA charity fund-raising drive as a runner and fund-raiser?- Register for SCSM 06 at www.singaporemarathon.com/en
- Email the following details to hwascsm06@gmail.com
- Full name
- NRIC
- Gender
- Contact number
- Email address
- Preferred T-shirt size
- Which category (750m-Kids Dash, 10km, 21.1km, 42.195km) you signed up for in SCSM 06
- Referred by (e.g. sgrunners forum, trifam, or the nick of person in the forum)
The organisers will contact you with more details subsequently. Your particulars will be kept strictly confidential.
14) How do I contribute to the HWA charity fund-raising drive, even though I am not running in SCSM 06?- Send a cheque payable to "Handicaps Welfare Association" to the following address: Handicaps Welfare Association
16 Whampoa Drive
Singapore 327725
Please indicate "HWA SCSM06" at the back of the cheque.
- Sponsor runners who have registered under this initiative by contributing to their pledge cards or appeal letters. Alternatively, you can also help canvass for donations from people you know using the pledge cards. Please contact us at hwascsm06@gmail.com if you wish to assist in this manner.
15) How will I know of any further updates on this HWA charity fund-raising drive?
More updates will be provided by the working committee in due course on the SGRunners website at
http://www.sgrunners.com/. Email updates will also be sent out to runners who register to be part of this HWA charity fund-raising drive. A thread about this fund-raising initiative can be found at the SGRunners internet forum at the following url
http://sgrunners.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2294. (Please note that you will need to register [at no cost] with SGRunners to view this forum.)
16) Who can I ask if I have any further queries?You can direct any queries via email to
hwascsm06@gmail.com, or send a private message (PM) to any member of the working group (as indicated in the answer to question 2) via the SGRunners.com forum. Thank you very much for considering HWA as a possible charity to support during SCSM 06!
Last Updated on
10 Sep 2006
