Area of Focus: Education/Capacity building for Non-Profit Sector
Partnership agency: National Council of Social Service
Conceptualised & Initiated by Lien Foundation
Leaders have in their hands the power to make, or break, an organisation. And just as private companies have to restructure to be optimise productivity, so too must non-profit organisations – especially when financial and human resources tend to be very limited.
The Lien Foundation recognised the need for strong and effective leaders in the non-profit sector in Singapore, and in 2006, created a new Scholarship for Social Service Leaders – through the National Council for Social Services (NCSS) – for top calibre individuals interested in carving a career in the non-profit sector.
The first-of-its-kind Lien Foundation Scholarship for Social Service Leaders aims to nurture a cadre of outstanding and honourable leaders through its part-and full-time post-graduate scholarship in management and selected specialist areas.
This group will form the backbone for the local social services sector. These leaders are envisioned to be influential change agents, tasked with charting the direction and boosting the performance, and pubic image, of the sector.
The management studies will enable the Lien Scholars to learn, adapt and implement proven management disciplines which will in turn contribute to greater effectiveness in their charity organisations and the sector; the specialist studies will enable them to lead in the development of better and innovative service programmes for users, and share their best practices with other such non profit organisations.
The areas of study will be determined by their direct relevance to the operations of non-profit organisations. Complementing the educational component, NCSS will also engage the scholars in projects and seminars, and involve them in issues pertinent to the sector – issues which may not be included in an academic syllabus.
Better yet, the Lien Foundation Scholarship for Social Service Leaders will catalyse the development of a hitherto non-existent culture within the sector – one which invests in its current and future leadership.
In time, NCSS hopes to grow the programme into a prestigious, flagship scholarship for the social services sector, where a Lien Scholar is immediately recognised as an extraordinary leader of industry – one who is far-sighted in outlook, outstanding in attitude and aptitude, and compassionate and ethical in practice.
Just as profit-driven companies need to constantly invest in the best human resources, the social services sector must also strengthen its leadership recruitment, development and retention. With the Foundation’s renewed thrust in the area of education and professional development, it has assumed the role of catalyst and intermediary to help fill the leadership deficit in the non-profit sector.
In addition, the Lien Foundation has been sponsoring a scholarship programme for entry-level social workers through the NCSS since 2002.
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