More than 130 participants attended the Annual Co-operative Leaders’ Conference (ACLC) in Penang, Malaysia this year.

These are individuals from 26 unique co-operatives, stakeholders from the Singapore Co-operative Movement comprising the Registry of Co-operative Societies, or RCS, the Central Co-operative Fund Committee, or CCFC, as well as representatives from the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF).

Themed “Doing the right things | Doing things right”, ACLC 2024 tips hat to the foresight past co-operative leaders had in driving co-operativism in Singapore and encourages co-operative leaders of today to be cognisant of the modern challenges and adapt to meet new needs in society. 

“30 years ago, SNCF held our first co-operative leaders conference in York hotel in Singapore,” said Mr Tng Ah Yiam, Chairperson for SNCF.

Then, Minister without portfolio Mr Lim Boon Heng highlighted the roles co-operatives play in the late 20th century and early 21st century, against the backdrop of Singapore’s rapid development, he added. 

As co-operative leaders came together to discuss findings following a strategic review for the Movement at the first conference, Mr Lim said: “Each age has its own problems, so it is necessary from time to time to examine how the principles of cooperation and mutual self-help can be used to solve these problems.”

Urging co-operatives to continue doing good and doing well, Mr Tng, who had attended the inaugural conference in 1994, said: “The decision we make today will shape the legacy of the future generations.”

“The next century of the Singapore Co-operative Movement hinges on the leaders we develop, the decisions we make, and the values we uphold.”

Co-ops are not the only players doing good today

In today’s social good landscape, no single organisation can meet every need. Instead, diverse players like co-operatives, social enterprises, or charities each offers unique solutions to address society's complex challenges.  

“You must offer something unique to the members you serve,” said Dr Wilson Chew, a representative from the Singapore Institute of Directors. “If two or more organisations offer similar services or products to the same segment of society, it is often the cheaper alternative that will survive.”

The veteran business consultant quipped: “But price, inevitably, is a function of competition in any space, for-profit or not.” Co-operatives, already structured with strong governance practices and a commitment to social missions, can still stand out. The key, he said, is to first build continuity and resilience. 

In his keynote sharing, Dr Chew, who is also managing partner of growth advisory firm J.P. Wilson, proposed that co-operatives consider putting in play institutional practices within their organisations. Not a newfangled concept, it entails businesses embedding certain practices and norms within their organisations to ensure success.  

A simple analogy: on a playground, children can enjoy their time as long as there are a few basic rules—take turns, be fair, play safe. Similarly, in business, institutionalisation creates a set of rules or guidelines that everyone can follow to keep things running smoothly, even as new people join or leave.

Beyond having good governance and succession planning, healthy engagement with employees and members, access to capital and funding sources, and having yardsticks for growth are some of the many key elements of institutionalisation.  

To ensure business continuity, Dr Chew encouraged co-operatives to constantly explore prospective markets to tap into. “We should not be shy about generating money, especially when we are doing good with it,” he said, noting that co-operatives, like any business, need to be financially sustainable to thrive. “If your social impact is high, you should generate more money to magnify the impact in more ways over time.” By identifying and addressing unmet needs in society, co-operatives can achieve both impact and stability, securing resources to continue their mission.

The Government is committed to support co-operatives

Ms Crystal Du, Registrar from the Registry of Co-operative Societies (RCS), has affirmed the Government’s commitment to support co-operatives. The Registrar shared that in 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, through RCS, has launched a series of initiatives which reflected its multi-faceted approach to nurturing a vibrant, sustainable and socially responsible co-operative sector. 

These included the amendments to the Co-operative Societies Act 1979 which led to a series of changes to the by-law amendments and issuance of guidelines of payment of dividends and honoraria from reserves, as well as working with SNCF and CCFC to implement the Sustainability Grant and Progressive Workplace Grant (Lite). In May, some credit co-operatives have attended the customised Audit Committee Course to sharpen their audit committee members’ knowledge on topics in risk management, internal controls, audits and financial reporting. 

Next year, a $1 million Empowering Communities Fund will be established to fund meaningful projects by co-operatives for the vulnerable communities in Singapore.

“Good governance is the collective responsibility of the Committee of Management and key officers,” she said, nudging co-operatives to stay agile, competitive, competent and committed to protect the interests of their members.  

The Registrar also stressed on the other aspects for co-operative leaders to do well and good. These include considering outsourcing if the co-operative does not have internal expertise; merging to reap synergies and pool resources; leveraging external expertise and inducting experts into co-operatives’ Committee of Management.

Furthermore, exchange and immersion programmes would benefit co-operatives significantly. The exchange partners could be non-co-operatives such as Temasek entities or charities. 

Initiatives, such as mentorship and coaching, co-learning with other co-operatives, rotating leadership, as well as attending training to upskill, are great ways for co-operative leaders to do well and do good. 

To reach new audience, use social media

In a highly digital world, businesses are increasingly turning to social media to strengthen their marketing strategies and boost brand awareness. Yet, not all are able to jump on the bandwagon and keep up with it all.

Joining leagues of traditional or small businesses, some local co-operatives are also struggling to navigate the social media space effectively. Communications strategist and media trainer Ms Ginny-Ann Oh observed that the dearth of social media presence amongst co-operatives may be due to a lack of technical know-hows, resources, and inertia.

The proliferation of vertical, short form content across different forms of social media has changed the way the public consume news and receive information. Co-operatives looking to amplify their brand awareness and reach out to new target markets must leverage various digital strategies, including Search Engine Optimisation, traditional media outreach and social media campaigns, to do so, explained Ms Oh.

Citing case studies to illustrate how other organisations use the social media space, Ms Oh shared how Singapore’s ruling political party, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has embraced a myriad of social media strategies to engage youths and spotlight helpful initiatives. These include having Ministers collaborate with some influencers (Friends of PAP), trend jacking viral soundtracks (Wes Anderson), or using relevant memes to bring across strategically crafted messages.

She added: “The digital playground, as we call it, is fast-paced and exciting. But one area we could and should get started on, is to use means like social media to target new personas and engage our audience.

“In other words, (co-operatives) must not solely rely on traditional media outreach, like newspapers features or radio interviews, today,” said Ms Oh, who has also taught selected co-operators at a pilot masterclass on public relations and media engagement last year. “Remember it’s never about going viral. It’s about meaning something.”

To drive action back home, the public relations and communications specialist offered attendees an eight-step guide to creating content on social media. Some of these steps include leveraging the right content pillars to create content and choosing the right social media platforms to broadcast the right content.  

How ANGAKASA is empowering the Malaysian Co-operative Movement

Representatives from ANGKASA, the apex organisation for co-operatives in Malaysia, also attended ACLC 2024. Dr Noraini Mohamad, General Manager of International Affairs at ANGKASA, gave insights on how the Malaysia Co-operative Movement is attracting and retaining talent.

These include running scouting and retaining young talents through a slew of programmes, such as Co-operative Youth Talent Development Programme (KPT-CAP).

The former (KPT-CAP) took place in July 2023 with 50 final year university students and university alumni. Over a course of a week, they were introduced to the co-operative entrepreneurship eco-system and are exposed to various trainings, aimed at improving their hard and soft skills. According to Dr Noraini, 2 youth co-operatives were born out of KPT-CAP and all of the participants became members of Koperasi Mahasiswa UMK.

To date, ANGKASA has represented and advocated for more than 16,000 co-operatives and the Malaysia Co-operative Movement boasts 7.2 million members.

Unveiling the SCM100 & IYC2025 logos

2024 marks the 99th year since the Singapore Co-operative Movement was first founded in 1925.

Next year, the stakeholders within the co-operatives, including RCS and CCFC, and SNCF will be working closely with one another to coordinate and kick-off a yearlong effort to commemorate the Movement’s centennial anniversary, and celebrate the United Nations (UN) International Year of Co-operatives (IYC2025) and Singapore’s sixth decade of independence.

In late October, the UN, in collaboration with the International Cooperative Alliance, launched the 2025 International Year of Co-operatives (IYC2025) logo. At ACLC 2024, co-operators present saw the logo unveiled.

At the same time, attendees were treated to an exclusive preview of the Singapore Co-operative Movement logo, adapted specially for the centennial celebration. The centennial anniversary logo reflects the movement’s legacy and renewed commitment to serving the community, setting the stage for the next hundred years of co-operative impact in Singapore.

By Sng Ler Jun