Business development professional Joy Mok began her volunteering journey with the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) in 2022. She shares how fundraising has brought her delight and fulfilment.

Volunteering with the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has been a rewarding journey for Joy Mok, a Volunteer Leader with SRC's Resource Development department.

"It gives me a great sense of achievement to witness people's response at event booths and boost the sales of SRC merchandise for fundraising," she said.

Inspired from Childhood

From an early age, stories of people or youth conceiving innovative solutions and rallying others to improve their communities inspired Joy. 

"In my childhood, food drives depicted on the news made a lasting impression on me. It shaped my belief that volunteering is worthwhile for a meaningful cause you're passionate about," said Joy.

Her early inspirations laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to volunteering. She started by volunteering at an animal shelter in Hong Kong and in various capacities with multiple charities since relocating to Singapore in 2017. Her passion eventually led her to the SRC.

Her initial volunteering experience with the SRC was with the Bloodbank@HSA where she facilitated the blood donation process and assuaged the concerns of first-time blood donors in August 2022. 

Fundraising in Action

Joy's amiable disposition and passion for helping others quickly led her to the Resource Development department, which organises fundraising and community events.

As a volunteer with the Resource Development department, Joy played an integral role in several SRC events, from large gala dinners to managing booths at public events such as Christmas markets and the SRC's International Bazaar. Joy proudly recounted that the Golf for Humanity Gala Dinner 2022 brought together 144 golfers and raised over $345,000 for underprivileged families.

Building Connections Everywhere

The excitement of meeting and helping people beyond her usual social network keeps Joy going as a volunteer at SRC.

“You get something out of it too! You can forge friendships with other volunteers, enjoy being part of a big event, or gain the satisfaction of contributing to a cause you care about!” quipped Joy, a business development professional. 

Recounting her volunteering experience at the Resource Development booth at the SRC's Volunteer Convention, which attracted several enthusiastic potential volunteers keen on joining the fundraising team, she said, "The volunteers' enthusiasm and their queries energised me. My comprehensive response made me feel like an employee. Their appreciation was heartening, as I could help in their volunteering journey."

Besides forging connections, Joy also lent her creativity and business acumen to conceive novel and innovative solutions that addressed problems, turning challenges into opportunities.

While volunteering at the SRC's charity Shop's booth at the SRC's International Bazaar 2023, the SRC team encountered difficulty in captivating patrons' interest in jars filled with foreign coins. Leveraging her business expertise, she conceived a brilliant tactic to pique interest and catalyse support.

"SRC often receives donations with foreign money we can't use. We had accumulated many foreign coins over time, which were heavy and cumbersome for the team to move," she said.

Joy tilted the jars containing the foreign coins at an angle to catch the light, inviting patrons to peer into the collection. She kept a lookout for people who were curious and then cleverly shared intriguing anecdotes about the coins and their origins to captivate their interest. Her efforts paid off as the sale of the jars gained traction and became a hit, with some customers perceiving the experience as a treasure hunt. Some happily purchased several jars.

"People's faces lit up as they scoured through the jars as if they were on a treasure hunt," she said, with a glimmer in her eyes. 

"One person even found a 1900s Singapore coin that is now worth far more as a collectible than its face value!" she exclaimed.

Leadership Journey

Her passionate dedication did not go unnoticed. The employees of the Resource Department shortlisted Joy to undergo the Volunteer Leadership Programme which groomed her to become a Volunteer Leader in 2023, a role she looked forward to with anticipation. 

She appreciates the support the SRC extends to its volunteers, from workshops on event management and presentation skills to comprehensive leadership training. Such training programmes would empower volunteers to contribute more effectively to the SRC. 

“It is an honour to be nominated. The training has deepened my understanding of leadership styles and communication strategies, enhancing my effectiveness as a leader,” she said.

As a Volunteer Leader, Joy hopes to inspire more like-minded people to volunteer with the SRC's fundraising team.

"Though fundraisers may not interact directly with the beneficiaries, our fundraising efforts are vital to enabling the SRC to continue its humanitarian work. Volunteering in fundraising is immensely exciting and rewarding. If you enjoy engaging with people and the buzz and zest of being part of an event crew, come join us!" Joy said.

By sharing her journey, Joy aims to inspire more individuals to volunteer. "We should consider ourselves fortunate that we are in the position to give back to our community," she said.

By Zheng-Shan Chong, Volunteer

Copy edited by Dr Nguyen Kien Truc Giang and Eunice Sng, Marketing & Communications