8/9/2019 Susan Long Article
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Source: http://www.geraldtan.com/medaffairs/misc-nkf.html#B1
National Kidney oundation scandal!of first-class flights" golden
taps" $urai and peanuts%
The NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?
By Susan Long
THE article that rovo!ed the la"suit
&ontro'ersy stalks the National Kidney oundation" with
critics lam(asting its fund-raisingmethods" (ra)en self-promotion
and work practices. *s the NK +ust a cutting-edge charity ahead
ofits time" or is there more to those rum(lings,
*$ contractor who wants to (e known only as 0r an used to (e a
National Kidneyoundation !NK% donor until he was hired to install
some (athroom fittings for its new
headuarters at Kim Keat oad in 1223. *nside chief e4ecuti'e ..
$urai5s office suite on the 16thfloor of the 761 million (uilding"
he says he 5lost it5 when he had to install" among other things"
aglass-panelled shower" a pricey 8erman toilet (owl and a
gold-plated tap.
5* started screaming my head off. he gold-plated tap alone cost
at least 71"999. *t was cra)y. *fyou5re Bill 8ates and own your own
multinational" whate'er you want" fine. But you5re a charity"using
donors5 money"5 he huffs. fter his out(urst" he was told to 5+ust
do5 his +o(. he shower stallremained" (ut the taps he e'entually
installed were 5scaled down5 to an upmarket chrome-platedmodel.
o this day" the 3-year-old (elongs to NK5s die-hard detractor
camp" unmo'ed (y its shiningsuccess in social entrepreneurship and
its track record in sa'ing li'es. s he puts it: 5fter that day"not
a cent from me. *5m not going to pay for gold-plated taps.5 sked
for its response to thecontractor5s story" the NK5s pu(lic
relations arm sidestepped the details and said yesterday: 5Sinceyou
can5t gi'e us details of the contractor... it is difficult for us
to gi'e an answer to enlighten yourreaders.5
*n the past fortnight" the NK has hogged the headlines.
;ropitiously" the news of its ama)ing71
8/9/2019 Susan Long Article
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But the NK has made no (ones a(out gunning for the charity
dollar - the more the merrier" +ustlike any other profit-and-loss
(usiness. elentless inno'ation o'er the years has (rought new
waysof fund-raising: greeting cards" li'e charity shows" donations
'ia S0S" consultancy ser'ices" e'enselling its spare telemarketing
capacity to pri'ate companies. *n the social ser'ice sector" the NK
isthe unparalleled paragon of the art of 5heartsell5.
0ost impressi'e of all" notes 0rs an &hee Koon" e4ecuti'e
director of the National Colunteerand ;hilanthropy &entre" is
its a(ility to tap on the health screening it conducts for
heartlanders toensure a 5sustained pool of regular gi'ers5.
Dnlike many charities which rely on large" one-off infusions
from wealthy foundations" NK5s(read and (utter is the 7= to 73
monthly 8iro donations from a(out one million ordinarySingaporeans.
ith such a (ig (ase of small heartland gi'ers - its we(site says
nearly two out ofe'ery three Singaporeans are donors - the pennies
add up.
'ery day" se'en days a week" some 199 5pre'ention e'angelists5
and nurses fan out to companies"army camps" condominiums and
churches islandwide to test the (lood" (ody fat and urine of at
least
1"@99 people daily.
Since 122>" more than one million Singaporeans ha'e undergone
these free health screenings"which are followed typically (y an
impassioned pitch: 5his is something we5re doing for youE isthere
something you5d like to do for us,5
'oluntary sector consultant notes: 5'en old grannies are not
spared the spiel. 0ost are pressuredto do a 8iro contri(ution for a
minimum of si4 months. Nothing they do is illegal" (ut it5s all
'eryaggressi'e. Nothing wrong with that" (ut when they push the
fund-raising en'elope" they tend to (einsensiti'e to the larger
conseuences for the charity sector.5
But the NK5s head of what it calls 5pre'ention marketing5" 0s
Shirley an" makes no apologiesfor the 5heartfelt pleas5 it deli'ers
along with its (asic health checks" which she notes would cost
atleast 7@9 in pri'ate clinics. She says these are 5free-will
offerings5 and the 5e'angelists5 ha'e nofinancial targets to meet
at each 'enue.
#$%NF&L LESS'NS
NK chairman ichard Fong" @=" a former pri'ate (anker who has
(een on the NK (oard for 1
