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Social Service Organisations Facing Resource and Fundraising Challenges HKCSS’s “Champions for Good Awards” Commends Outstanding Services and Promotes Co-Creation |
[Press Release, October 23, 2024] The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) has announced details of the inaugural “Champions for Good Awards” and the results of a recent survey on the operational status of social welfare organisations. The survey found that social service organisations are facing challenges related to financial and human resources in the post-pandemic era. HKCSS aims to enhance public awareness and support for social services through the “Champions for Good Awards”, which commends outstanding social service projects.
In mid-October 2024, HKCSS invited agency members to participate in the “Questionnaire on the Operational and Fundraising Status of Social Service Organisations,” receiving responses from 141 organisations, which represents about a quarter of the total membership.
As social issues become increasingly complex and service demands continue to grow, social service organisations are committed to providing quality services to the public. However, they also face numerous developmental challenges. Nearly 86% of the surveyed organisations reported facing human resource challenges in providing social services, while 78% encountered financial resource challenges. Additionally, organisations have to address other developmental needs, including digital transformation, innovation capabilities, cross-sector collaboration, and performance evaluation challenges.
Challenges Faced by Social Service Organisations
In terms of fundraising, 34% of the surveyed organisations reported a decrease in funding and donations for the year 2023-24 compared to the previous year. 44% indicated that their funding and donation amounts remained similar to last year, while only 18% reported an increase. Furthermore, 43% of the surveyed organizations anticipate a decrease in funding and donations for the year 2024-25.
Organisations indicated that they encounter many challenges in fundraising. Other than external factors like changes in the economic environment leading to decreased donations (72%), organisations face numerous capacity-building challenges during the fundraising process, such as a “lack of resources for fundraising” (66%), the “need for continuous innovation” (50%), and “insufficient visibility of organisations” (40%). Over half of the organisations (52%) believe that the collaboration between the social welfare sector and donor organizations is generally moderate, noting that the cooperation model mainly consists of “providing funding support” (78%), with less involvement in “strategic planning” (39%) or “co-creation across stakeholders” (28%).
Mr. Chua Hoi-Wai, Chief Executive of HKCSS: “The scope of services is diverse, encompassing not only welfare services but also various projects in healthcare, housing, cultural development, environmental sustainability. This necessitates broad participation from all sectors of society. In addition to establishing a cross-sector collaboration platform, HKCSS is committed to enhancing the professional capacity of organisations and facilitating mutual learning. This year, we established the “Champions for Good Awards” to commend outstanding projects, encouraging continuous improvement and advancement in social services and promoting cross-sector collaboration.”
“Champions for Good Awards” to Promote Cross-Sector Co-Creation
Ms. Cheung Lai-Wah, Business Director of HKCSS: “The “Champions for Good Awards” broadens and deepens collaboration across different sectors in promoting the development of social services, providing more impactful services through co-creation. In addition to awards in various service categories, there is also a focus on innovation, recognizing projects that excel in innovation, performance, cross-sector collaboration, user co-creation, capacity building, and cost-effective initiatives.”
The 2024-25 “Champions for Good Awards” is now open for application, featuring “Excellence in Service” and “Excellence in Driving Change” categories, with a total of 18 awards. To facilitate co-creation, the award program will invite individuals from government departments, charitable foundations, businesses, and academic institutions to join the vetting panel, promoting learning and exchange between the social service sector and various fields. The award ceremony will be held on May 21, 2025, at the “S+ Summit cum Expo 2025” at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more details, please visit the “Champions for Good Awards” website: https://award.hkcss.org.hk/.
Media Enquiry：
Mr Eddie Tsang, Corporate Communications, HKCSS
Tel: 2864 2982 / Email: [email protected]
About of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
The HKCSS is a statutory body established in 1947. Together with our Agency Members, we uphold social justice and equality in our mission to advance the well-being of the Hong Kong community. The HKCSS is committed to building an impact-oriented, collaborative and innovative social service sector, and co-creating a better society with stakeholders across different sectors. The HKCSS has over 520 Agency Members, with service units throughout Hong Kong, providing high-quality social services to those in need.