Ministry of

Human Resources

Feasibility Study:
The Implementation
of Time Bank
Volunteering Schemes
for Senior Citizens in
Malaysia

Final Report

Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA)

December 2019

Covers.pptx 1
2

Feasibility Study:
The Implementation of Time Bank Volunteering Schemes for
Senior Citizens in Malaysia

Published by:
Ministry of Human Resources
Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA)
G07 – G12, Right Wing, G-Floor, Block 2320
Century Square, Jalan Usahawan
Cyber 6, 63000 Cyberjaya
Selangor
Tel: +603-8318 2433
Fax: +603-8890 2739

ISBN

Copyright © 2019 Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis

(ILMIA)
First published January 2019
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Covers.pptx 2
Feasibility Study:
The Implementation of Time
Bank Volunteering Schemes
for Senior Citizens in Malaysia
Final Report
December 2019

Covers.pptx 3
Covers.pptx 4
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................i
List of Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. ii
Table of Figures .................................................................................................................................. iii
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Executive Summary............................................................................................................................. v
Scope of Study .................................................................................................................................... x
1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Introduction: Why is Malaysia intensifying efforts to increase volunteerism? ........................ 2
1.2 Project context and objectives ............................................................................................... 8
1.3 Research review .................................................................................................................. 11
2. Research Methodology ............................................................................................................. 17
2.1 Research outline .................................................................................................................. 18
2.2 Planning the primary research ............................................................................................. 19
3. International Benchmarking ..................................................................................................... 27
3.1 Overview of benchmarked programmes .............................................................................. 29
3.2 Summary of benchmarking .................................................................................................. 33
3.3 Key takeaways ..................................................................................................................... 39
4. Volunteer Survey ....................................................................................................................... 41
5. Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 55
5.1 Proposed elements of the Malaysian Time Bank Scheme .................................................. 56
5.2 Responsibilities of the Time Bank administrator .................................................................. 73
5.3 Establishment of the Time Bank administrator .................................................................... 79
6. Action plan ................................................................................................................................. 85
6.1 Launch the pilot .................................................................................................................... 86
6.2 Implement regulatory changes, if required ........................................................................... 89
6.3 Establish the entity ............................................................................................................... 90
6.4 Build partnerships ................................................................................................................ 92
6.5 Roll out nationally ................................................................................................................. 93

i
List of Acronyms

BOD Board of Directors

CCM Companies Commission of Malaysia
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility
CW3 Community Weaver
DSW Department of Social Welfare
FGD Focus Group Discussions
GEM Going the Extra Mile
HEP Hour Exchange Portland
ILMIA Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis
ILO International Labour Organisation
MCMC Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
MESTECC Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change
MOHA Ministry of Home Affairs
MOHR Ministry of Human Resource
MWFCD Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development
MySPC Malaysian Social Protection Council
NALC Nippon Active Life Club
NCS National Citizen Service (USA)
NGO Non-Governmental Organisations / Non-Profit Institutions
NSGVP National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (Canada)
PMO Project Management Office
PPP Public-Private Partnership
RGTB Rushey Green Time Bank
UI User Interface
UK United Kingdom
USA United States of America
VPR Volunteer Participation Rate
ZF Zeitvorsorge Foundation

ii
Table of Figures
Figure 1.1: Overview of working preferences from the Study National Strategic Development Plan on
Ageing Population - Inclusion and Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population .......... 3
Figure 1.2: Volunteer Participation rate for population aged 15 years old and above ....................... 4
Figure 1.3: Classification of age groups ............................................................................................. 9
Figure 1.4: Definition of volunteering ................................................................................................ 10
Figure 2.1: Guiding research questions ........................................................................................... 18
Figure 2.2: Basis for selection of sampling ratio............................................................................... 23
Figure 3.1: Selected examples of international Time Bank schemes .............................................. 28
Figure 4.1: Variations of methods of donation / volunteering by selected demographic
parameters ..................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 4.2: Volunteering frequency and duration by age group ....................................................... 43
Figure 4.3: Age distribution of respondents...................................................................................... 44
Figure 4.4: Ethnicity distribution of respondents .............................................................................. 44
Figure 4.5: Gender distribution of respondents ................................................................................ 45
Figure 4.6: Education level distribution of respondents ................................................................... 45
Figure 4.7: Current work status of respondents ............................................................................... 46
Figure 4.8: Income distribution of respondents ................................................................................ 47
Figure 4.9: Composition of preferred recipients of donations and / or services ............................... 47
Figure 4.10: Composition of preferred tasks for volunteering .......................................................... 48
Figure 4.11: Distribution of respondents' motivations to volunteer .................................................. 49
Figure 4.12: Respondents' perceived benefits of volunteering ........................................................ 50
Figure 4.13: Respondents' willingness to continue volunteering in the future ................................. 51
Figure 4.14: Respondents' plans to increase volunteering hours in the future ................................ 51
Figure 4.15: Potential restrictions to future volunteering .................................................................. 51
Figure 4.16: Current and future preferred recipients of volunteer services ...................................... 52
Figure 4.17: Respondents' desire to be compensated for volunteering activities ............................ 53
Figure 4.18: Respondents' desire for instant or delayed compensation .......................................... 53
Figure 4.19: Respondents' preferences for redemption goods / services ........................................ 54
Figure 5.1: Elements of the Malaysian Time Bank Scheme ............................................................ 56
Figure 5.2: Overview of members' Time Bank journey .................................................................... 58
Figure 5.3: Sample registration form for individuals ......................................................................... 59
Figure 5.4: Sample registration form for organisations .................................................................... 60
Figure 5.5: Possible assignment of liability by stakeholder .............................................................. 61
Figure 5.6: Applicants' screening process ........................................................................................ 62
Figure 5.7: Mechanism for offer-led and request-led matching........................................................ 63
Figure 5.8: Sample request form for volunteering services.............................................................. 64
Figure 5.9: Undertaking process ...................................................................................................... 65
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Figure 5.10: Sample feedback form for volunteers .......................................................................... 66
Figure 5.11: Sample feedback form for requestors .......................................................................... 67
Figure 5.12: Process for dispute resolution ...................................................................................... 68
Figure 5.13: Dashboard functions overview ..................................................................................... 69
Figure 5.14: Potential uses of credits ............................................................................................... 70
Figure 5.15: Eligibility and limitations on redemption ....................................................................... 71
Figure 5.16: Eligibility and limitations on donations ......................................................................... 72
Figure 5.17: Eligibility and limitations on transfers ........................................................................... 73
Figure 5.18: Illustration of operational partnerships ......................................................................... 74
Figure 5.19: Overview of potential funding mechanisms ................................................................. 75
Figure 5.20: Overview of promotion strategies................................................................................. 76
Figure 5.21: Coverage of member support ...................................................................................... 77
Figure 5.22: Audit process................................................................................................................ 79
Figure 5.23: Governance and leadership team structure ................................................................. 81
Figure 5.24: Overview of digital platform functionality...................................................................... 82
Figure 6.1: Overview of next steps ................................................................................................... 86

List of Tables
Table 5.1: Detailed description of proposed elements ..................................................................... 57
Table 6.1: Key tasks - Launch the pilot ............................................................................................ 88
Table 6.2: Key tasks - Implement regulatory changes, if required ................................................... 89
Table 6.3: Key tasks - Establish the entity ....................................................................................... 92
Table 6.4: Key tasks - Build partnerships ......................................................................................... 93
Table 6.5: Key tasks - Roll out nationally ......................................................................................... 93

iv
Executive Summary

Catalysing volunteerism in Malaysia

For the study the National Strategic Plan on Ageing Population – Inclusion and
Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population (2018), a survey was conducted to
assess senior citizens' appetite towards unpaid work and volunteerism. The study
showed that only 2% of those aged 40 years old and above were interested in
volunteering.

Relative to international peers, volunteer participation rate (VPR) in Malaysia lies below
the international average of ~3% of persons aged 15 years old and above. However,
it must be noted that the 2% VPR figure as previously stated for Malaysia is based on
a survey conducted on persons aged 40 years old and above. By including those aged
between 15 and 39 years old, Malaysia' VPR may likely be lower as younger persons
typically devote less time to volunteering due to responsibilities at school and at work.

As part of the recommendations put forth in the National Strategic Development Plan
on Ageing Population – Inclusion and Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population, it
was proposed that Time Banking be introduced to spur participation in volunteerism.

Time Banking represents a complementary currency-like system which acts as an

incentive for citizens to volunteer their time. Time Banking utilises the number of hours
volunteered as a currency can be used later, to facilitate access to goods and services.

The findings from this study will provide information on a comprehensive profile based
on the demographic variables for participating young and senior citizens who have the
potential to participate in the volunteer banking scheme after retirement, factors,
issues, and problems that can influence the implementation of Time Banking, a
suitable mechanism to facilitate the scheme, and way forward for the Implementation
of Time Bank Volunteering Schemes for Senior Citizens in Malaysia.

v
Expanding the coverage of the scheme

While the initial scope would only be limited to senior citizens, discussions with relevant
Government agencies resulted in an agreement to expand the study scope to those
aged 18 years old and above. It is believed that to truly foster volunteerism, persons
must be exposed from a young age.

Drawing from international precedents

Internationally, the concept of Time Banking has been in practice for decades where
some countries have adopted similar programmes as early as the 1970s. As of 2015,
organised Time Banking exists in more than 30 countries. A benchmarking analysis of
preceding time bank schemes have provided insights into the selection of our own
design for Malaysia.

Key learnings from benchmarking can be summarised into seven points:

 The scheme should be built on existing and widely available software and other
services to minimize start-up costs to the Government;

 The private sector will play a core role in supporting and managing the Time
Bank Scheme while Government's support may be required in at least the initial
stage of the programme;

 The scheme should seek multiple and sustainable funding sources to avoid
overdependence on a single source;

 Use multiple channels for members' engagement for all age groups and
leverage digital technologies

 The system should make one hour of everyone's time worth the same time
credit(s), regardless of the task.

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  By creating opportunities for community-involvement among individuals, the
relationship between citizens is improved.

 Provide opportunities for personal development namely incentivised training

and certification as part of the volunteering experience

Understanding the preferences of today's volunteers

Building on the findings from the 2018 study, another survey was launched to deep-
dive into the behaviours and preferences of volunteers in Malaysia aged 18 years old
and above. Findings from this survey would later form the basis for recommendations
on the structure of the scheme.

The survey collected responses from approximately 600 volunteers and revealed that
in Malaysia, young and older persons are more likely to donate services than those
aged between 30 to 49 years old. In terms of education level, the more educated
people are, the more likely they are inclined to donate services.

In addition, income levels also affect how people volunteer. As incomes increase,
people tend to donate more money than services. Aside from demographic tendencies,
volunteers are also influenced by personal motivation. In general, volunteers are
motivated to volunteer due to their desire to contribute to their communities and to
occupy free time.

Aside from analysing current behaviour, the survey also assessed desire for
compensation which could also influence participation in the Time Bank Scheme. More
than 75% respondents of every age group answered yes when asked whether they
would like to receive compensation for their volunteerism

For those receptive to compensation, younger volunteers prefer food vouchers while
older volunteers seek health and medicinal products. Generally, the top three list of
compensation preferences include café or food vouchers, household products along
with healthcare and medicinal products.

vii
Recommendations for Malaysia's potential Time Bank Scheme

Synthesising input received from the survey, international benchmarking, focus group
discussions, and meetings with project stakeholders, recommendations were provided
that form the structure of the scheme based on 11 key elements.

Key elements Options

Time Banking model One-to-one One-to-many Many-to-many

Traded currency Hour-for-hour time credit Varied credits / hour

Geographic
District State National International
coverage
18 years and 60 years and
Eligibility criteria Open to all ages
above above
Government Government Private
Platform host PPP
(Non-profit) (For-profit) (Non-profit)
Funding Government-
PPP Privately-funded
mechanism funded
Registration Online and
Online only Offline only
process offline
Redemption No specific Limited to Limited to specific
eligibility criteria specific age hours
Service-in- Discount Cash or cash
Redemption mix Goods
kind coupons equivalent
Redemption Transferable among
Non-transferable
transferability members
Redemption
No expiry date Limit to specific criteria
expiration date

Details of each element are as follows:

Element Description

Time Banking The scheme shall focus on credits earned, transferred and redeemed by
model individuals between individuals and NGOs

Traded currency All volunteering tasks shall be treated equally, and credits earned are based on
number of volunteer hours
Geographic Eventually, this scheme will be accessible to Malaysians anywhere in the
coverage country though roll out may be carried out in phases
Eligibility criteria While volunteerism is best inculcated at a young age, due to safety and security
reasons, eligibility of membership to the scheme shall be restricted to persons
aged 18 years old and above

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Platform host Management and oversight by a Government agency provides credibility to the
scheme and confidence to its potential members
Funding The execution of the scheme shall rely on a public-private partnership (PPP)
mechanism model in which start-up costs will be borne by the Government but later, the
scheme should seek other revenue streams
Registration To enable wider coverage and access to less tech-savvy members, registration
process can be done online or offline at designated locations
Redemption Point accumulated shall be split into two accounts: savings and redemption,
eligibility based on a specific ratio. Credits in the savings account may only be accessed
upon reaching 60 years old whereas credits in the redemption account may be
used on the go
Redemption mix Credits earned can be used to redeem services / assistance in kind from other
volunteers or NGOs and for necessities such as rice
Redemption To encourage community and family development, credits earned can be
transferability transferable amongst individuals and NGOs
Redemption Due to the nature of the savings and redemption accounts, there will be no expiry
expiry date date on credits earned which could also encourage more people to volunteer

Preparing for the next stage

With the structure now in place, the next step will be to launch a pilot project to help
test the validity, appetite and applicability of the scheme and how it affects the
behaviour of volunteers and non-volunteers alike. It is expected that the pilot shall take
place in 2021 and will be conducted for one year. At the end of the pilot, a committee
shall decide whether there is a convincing argument for the introduction of the Scheme.
Only then will a phased, national roll-out be considered.

Given the parameters outlined for the proposed scheme, it is the hope of the
Government that volunteerism in Malaysia will increase and provide a strong
foundation towards the goal of increasing and strengthening community-based
initiatives.

ix
Scope of Study

Scope of work Page number

1 To provide comprehensive profiles based on the 40 – 55

demographic variables for both younger and senior citizens
who have the potential to participate in volunteer banking
schemes to facilitate post retirement old age requirements

2 To identify and analyse factors, issues and problems that 56 – 86

can influence the implementation of the Time Bank
volunteering schemes

3 To propose suitable mechanism (centralised, regional 56 – 86

town-based) to facilitate these schemes including the
process to register, record, and validate transactions,
recruitment team for participating volunteers and
onboarding entities providing senior citizen services for
users, NGO partners, as well as businesses which may
both provide and accept time credits as payment

4 To identify the feasibility implications and propose the way 87 – 97

forward of the Implementation of Time Bank Volunteering
Schemes for Senior Citizens in Malaysia

x
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

dividers.pptx 1
1.1 Introduction: Why is Malaysia intensifying efforts to increase volunteerism?

1.1.1 Volunteerism – an alternative avenue of re-entering the workforce

In 2018, the Ministry of Human Resources undertook a study to investigate and

propose options on how to increase participation of senior citizens in the workplace
precipitated by the expectation of Malaysia becoming an "aged" nation by 2030. The
study was dubbed the National Strategic Plan on Ageing Population – Inclusion and
Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population.

The study postulated that aside from formal employment, senior citizens may also
contribute to society through volunteerism as a way of remaining active. For the study,
the definition of volunteerism would include both conventional volunteering such as
aiding charities as well as unpaid work in shops or offices. However, the appetite for
this nature of work was yet unknown and consequently, a survey was conducted during
the study to assess senior citizens' views and preferences on returning to the workforce
for paid and unpaid / volunteer roles.

2
 Current work status
Not working Working

Share of total responses

Unemployed but seeking work

Unemployed and not seeking

Working for an employer with

Unemployed jobseekers
Outside Labour Force

Working without pay

Unpaid / volunteer
Working for oneself
Self-employed

Salaried
work

pay
Cluster 1 No interest
1,272 - 186 477 2
No intention of 40%
being in labour 85% 0% 16% 25% 11%
force

Cluster 2 Self-
employed
116 87 897 451 3
Intends to 32%
Future work preferences

start/ continue 8% 38% 75% 24% 17%

working for
oneself
Cluster 3 Salaried
Intends to 97 120 83 930 2
start/ continue 25%
work in a 6% 53% 7% 49% 11%
salaried
position

Cluster 4 Unpaid /
volunteer
Intends to 17 19 26 36 11
start/continue 2%
1% 8% 2% 2% 61%
work in an
unpaid position

Figure 1.1: Overview of working preferences from the Study National Strategic Development Plan on
Ageing Population - Inclusion and Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population

The survey successfully collected responses from 4,382 persons aged 40 years old
and above and as shown in Figure 1.1, revealed that only 2% of respondents would
be interested in volunteering in the future.

3
1.1.2 Volunteerism in other countries

Figure 1.2: Volunteer Participation rate for population aged 15 years old and above

As shown in Figure 1.2, relative to international peers, volunteer participation rate

(VPR) in Malaysia lies below the international average of ~3% of persons aged 15
years old and above. However, it must be noted that the 2% VPR figure as previously
stated for Malaysia is based on a survey conducted on persons aged 40 years old and
above. By including those aged between 15 and 39 years old, Malaysia' VPR may
likely be lower as younger persons typically devote less time to volunteering due to
responsibilities at school and at work.

Most high-income countries have VPRs double than that of Malaysia with Canada
taking the lead at 7% in contrast, countries like Japan and Korea display lower VPRs
than Malaysia.

4
The civil society of Canada is strongly supported by the power of NPOs /NGOs and
other volunteer associations. In Ontario, 40 hours of mandatory volunteer activities
were introduced into the curriculum for students to receive a high school diploma in
Canada1. In addition, over the past decade, employer-supported volunteerism has
moved from being an exceptional initiative to a mainstream practice among today’s
employers with 37% of Canada’s volunteers reporting some sort of support from their
employer to volunteer2. Religion also plays a key role in increasing volunteerism. It is
a basic axiom of research in the non-profit sector that more religious people exhibit
higher rates of volunteering. According to the NSGVP, almost two-thirds of Canadians
aged 15 and over who attended religious services did volunteer work at least once a
week3.

Meanwhile in Korea, a mandatory volunteering programme has also been

implemented into the curriculum. However, the programme has not achieved the same
level of success as in Canada due to local mentality. Many students express their
criticism against the programme claiming that the present programme does not provide
the opportunities of networking for future employment and does not remarkably
strengthen the community either1. Until 2000, South Korea’s middle and high schools
forced students to spend 20 hours annually volunteering for their community. It has
since become more flexible and the required hours are down to 104. The system of

1 Comparative Study on Volunteerism of Youth in Japan, Korea and Canada: Civil Society and Volunteer
Problems”. ISTR (International Society for Third-Sector Research) 9th International Conference.
Istanbul: International Society for Third-Sector by W. Ozawa (2010)

2 Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement, Volunteer Canada (2017)

3 National Survey of Giving Volunteering and Participating Canada, Canadian Centre for Philanthropy
and Volunteer Bénévoles (2010)

4 South Koreans Yet to Discover True Joy of Volunteering, The Korea Herald Website, 2 Aug. 2017,
http://www.koreaherald.com/view. Accessed 19 November 2019

5
mandatory hours of community service or volunteer work has led to a barrage of
students each year counterfeiting their certificates of volunteer service or inflating their
service hours. Furthermore, South Korea’s volunteering culture is still “conservative,”
often associated with the stereotype of one-off street cleaning campaigns or helping
the disabled at welfare centres.

In Japan, the opinion against the mandatory volunteer programme has been so strong
among youths and adults that such programmes have not been introduced into the
school system, except in Tokyo. Like Koreans, Japanese youths do not realize the
practical merit of volunteering. This contradictory attitude toward volunteering seems
to be a big problem in Japan. Nevertheless, adults (ages 35+) in Japan normally
volunteer through community work via the Neighbourhood Association or Parent
Teacher Association in school. However, as youths are removed from the volunteering
community they have had less exposure to volunteering activities in their
communities5.

1.1.3 Profiling volunteers in Malaysia

While it has been acknowledged that Malaysians are generous in providing monetary
and goods' donations, most are unwilling and reluctant to contribute time and services6.
Most say that the reasons they do not volunteer are the desire for personal time and
lack of clarity on ongoing and future volunteer activities.

A detailed profiling conducted on the 2% of volunteers showed that most respondents

in Cluster 4 are women – 60% of those interested in unpaid work / volunteering are
women. This seems to be in line with the United Nations' estimation that 57% of

5 Comparative Study on Volunteerism of Youth in Japan, Korea and Canada: Civil Society and Volunteer
Problems”. ISTR (International Society for Third-Sector Research) 9th International Conference.
Istanbul: International Society for Third-Sector by W. Ozawa (2010)

6 Do Malaysians prefer donating over doing volunteer work? The Star, (26 October 2017)

6
volunteers around the world are women7. Further demographic profiling of this cluster
did not reveal any strong correlation between volunteerism and age, education,
ethnicity, or income level.

61% of volunteers are likely to continue volunteering and that a small group of persons
outside the labour force, those unemployed, self-employed and salaried would be
interested in volunteering in the future.

For those currently volunteering, desire to pass time (15% of responses) and to help
individuals, the society, or the country (10% of responses) are some major reasons
why they would choose to continue volunteering.

1.1.4 Increasing volunteerism in Malaysia

As part of the National Strategic Development Plan on Ageing Population – Inclusion

and Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population, 19 initiatives were proposed to
increase participation of senior citizens both in paid and unpaid / volunteer roles. Of
these 19 initiatives, four were targeted towards increasing volunteerism in Malaysia –
one initiative was the introduction of a Time Bank Scheme in Malaysia.

So why is Malaysia keen on increasing volunteerism?

While volunteering is often associated with efforts to foster and encourage altruistic
behaviour within the individual, it has been shown that continued participation in
volunteer work has helped volunteers to develop soft-skills desirable in the workplace
such as leadership, time management, and team work thereby aiding the holistic
development of each volunteer.

7 World Volunteerism Report, 2018 by the United Nations

7
1.2 Project context and objectives

As part of the recommendations put forth in the National Strategic Development Plan
on Ageing Population – Inclusion and Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population, it
was proposed that Time Banking be introduced to spur participation in volunteerism.

Time Banking represents a complementary currency-like system which acts as an

incentive for citizens to volunteer their time. Time Banking utilises the number of hours
volunteered as a currency can be used later, to facilitate access to goods and services.

The findings from this study will provide information on a comprehensive profile based
on the demographic variables for participating young and senior citizens who have the
potential to participate in the volunteer banking scheme after retirement, factors,
issues, and problems that can influence the implementation of Time Banking, a suitable
mechanism to facilitate the scheme, and way forward for the Implementation of Time
Bank Volunteering Schemes for Senior Citizens in Malaysia.

1.2.1 Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study are as follows:

 To provide comprehensive profiles based on the demographic variables for

participating younger and senior citizens who have the potential to participate
in volunteer banking scheme to facilitate post retirement old age requirements;

 To identify and analyse factors, issues, and problems that can influence the
implementation of the Time Bank volunteering scheme;

 To propose suitable mechanism (centralised, regional town-based) to facilitate

these schemes including the process to register, record, and validate
transactions, recruitment team for participating volunteers and onboarding
entities providing senior citizen services for users, NGO partners, as well as
businesses which may both provide and accept time credits as payment; and

8
  To identify the feasibility implications and propose the way forward of the
Implementation of Time Bank Volunteering Schemes for Senior Citizens in
Malaysia.

1.2.2 Boundaries of the project scope

1.2.2.1 Age groups

While the initial scope would only be limited to senior citizens, discussions with relevant
Government agencies resulted in an agreement to expand the study scope to those
aged 18 years old and above. It is believed that to truly foster volunteerism, persons
must be exposed from a young age.

1 2 3 4 5

Young Mature Mature Seasoned Senior

adults young adults adults citizens
adults

18 25 30 40 50 60 Age
Young Young Established working adults with Mature working Senior citizens of
adults working some work experience adults with which the majority
typically still adults some assumed may already be retired
in full-time freshly seniority; some
education grad- already
uated considering
First-time or with retirement
employees little
work
expe-
rience
and
tenure

Figure 1.3: Classification of age groups

For deep dive analysis, the target population was further divided into five groups to
assess the evolution and changes in motivation and preferences when it comes to
volunteering. The four groups are:

9
  Persons aged 18 – 24 years old;

 Persons aged 25 – 29 years old;

 Persons aged 30 – 49 years old;

 Persons aged 50 – 59 years old, and

 Persons aged 60 years old and above.

1.2.2.2 Types of volunteering

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines volunteer work as "activities

performed willing and without pay to produce goods or provide services for others
outside the volunteer's household or family"8

Definition
adopted by
ILO (2018)

Formal Informal Personal

volunteering volunteering volunteering

Volunteering Volunteering Volunteering to

with a formal outside the help extended
enlistment to domain of family
an organised organised members e.g.,
group or group or care to
institution with charitable dependent
a well-defined organisations – member of the
social including family
structure, role extending help
and function to neighbours
e.g., childcare Definition
proposed by
Fischer (1991)

Figure 1.4: Definition of volunteering

8 Forms of work and labour force statistics conceptual frameworks, the ILO website,
https://ilostat.ilo.org/resources/methods/forms-of-work/. Accessed 27 November 2019

10
Under the ILO definition, two methods of volunteering are included:

 Formal volunteering / Organisation-based volunteering (ILO).

Volunteering with a formal enlistment to an organised group or institution with a
well-defined social structure, role, and function.

 Informal volunteering / Direct volunteering (ILO).

Volunteering outside the domain of organised group or charitable organisations
– including extending help to neighbours e.g., childcare.

In past research documents, a third method of volunteering titled Personal

Volunteering was suggested9 which represents volunteering to help extended family
members e.g., care to dependent member of the family. However, for this study, we
will be adopting the ILO definition. The scope also excludes charitable donations in the
form of cash or goods and will only cover the donation of time and labour.

1.3 Research review

This section reviews other research that has been conducted on volunteers in Malaysia
as well as in other countries. This is a form of secondary research helps to provide a
preliminary view on previously explored topics of similar nature, to provide direction on
new research areas and to expand upon previous research.

1.3.1 To Volunteer of Not to Volunteer: The Case of Malaysian Public Service Retirees
by Surjit Singh, Rahim M. Sail, Bahaman Abu Samah, Raja Ahmad Tajudin Shah,
and Linda A. Lumayag (2005)

The study puts forward the idea that "retirees play a significant role in volunteerism"
building on the research conducted by Hart Research Associates (2002) in which it
states that volunteerism plays an active role in cultivating a healthy lifestyle. The study

9 Older volunteers: A discussion of the Minnesota senior study by L.R. Fischer, D.P. Mueller, and P.W.
Cooper (1991)

11
by Singh et. al. further remarks that volunteering and participating in "useful services"
could enable retirees to achieve "successful ageing" by remaining active in their later
years as they were in youth (Gillette 1998). Furthermore, the article postulates that
volunteering provides people with psychological benefits, self-esteem, higher energy,
a positive outlook towards ageing, and reduced tendencies towards depression.

In their paper, Singh et. al. adopted the definition for volunteering as the

"… act of providing unpaid service or help regularly or occasionally in the form of time,
service or skill to a non-government, non-profit formal organisation (e.g., societies,
community, welfare, educational, political party, service clubs) by retirees from the
public service who may or may not be engaged in paid jobs for other organisations,
during their retirement life. The term does not include informal voluntary work of care-
giving or helping of individuals on the one-to-one basis, in the form of service or charity,
among friends and relatives on ta long term or temporary period of time"

As part of its research methodology, a mailed survey was distributed to 576 Malaysian
retirees who had retired between 1989 and 2000 across the country and restricted to
experienced and educated members of the civil service. Ultimately, the study
successfully collected 261 responses from their sample upon which data was analysed
using descriptive and inferential statistics.

It was shown from the study that those who volunteer showed a much higher level of
concern for the welfare of others compared to those who do not - 82% and 69%,
respectively and believe that the helping act is a sense of social responsibility – 85%
and 68%, respectively.

Ultimately it was concluded that empathy and spirituality have more influence on the
retirees' willingness to do voluntary work while reciprocity has the least influence.
Volunteers are also believed to be more likely to be members of organised religious
groups and they hold stronger religious beliefs.

The study goes further to state that further effort is required to cultivate volunteerism
organically i.e., without the interference or "coaxing" from the government. It theorises
that creating programmes would be insufficient towards achieving this goal and instead
more focus should be given to impressing onto individuals the value of humanity. The
12
article assumes that the probability of increased social awareness towards helping
others would be greatly improved when community-based policies become a focal
point in the nation's development agenda.

"When people are the centre of the development process, thus, creating the space to
helping [sic] others, volunteerism comes naturally"

1.3.2 United Nations' State of the World's Volunteerism Report, The thread that binds:
Volunteerism and community resilience by the United Nations (2018)

In the 2018 iteration of the World Volunteerism Report, the United Nations Volunteers
(UNV) programme zooms in on "how volunteerism and community resilience interact
across diverse contexts" by exploring how communities adapt to external negative
factors and how external parties can positively leverage on communities' self-
organization by "nurturing the most beneficial characteristics of volunteerism while
mitigating against potential harms to the most vulnerable".

The report defines volunteerism, volunteering and voluntary activities as "a wide range
of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary
reward is not the principal". It also discusses the difference between formal and
informal volunteering in which the former is defined as a "voluntary activity undertaken
through an organisation, typified by volunteers making an ongoing or sustained
commitment to an organisation and contributing their time on a regular basis" and the
latter is defined as "voluntary activities done directly, unmediated by any formal
organisation that coordinates larger-scale volunteer efforts".

As part of its analyses, the report contains estimates on volunteer participation based
on extrapolated data on formal volunteering from 62 countries and from data on
informal volunteering from 40 countries10. Primary data sources for this article were:

10 Current Estimates and Next Steps: The Scope and scale of global volunteering by L.M. Salamon,
S.W. Sokolowski, M.A. Haddock (2018)

13
  The John Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project;

 The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Manual on the Measurement of

Volunteer Work (2011) and the 19th International Conference of Labour
Statisticians (2013);

 Time Use Surveys (TUSs); and

 Other data sources including comparative data sources (e.g., the World Values
Survey, Gallup Worldview Survey, CIVICUS Civil Society Index, the European
Quality of Life Survey, and Eurobarometer) as well as other national data
sources.

Once data was collected, two approaches were applied to estimate the size of formal
and informal volunteering: the regression and the regional averages approach.

Using these approaches, the report provided statistical results and estimates that as
of 2016 there were approximately 109 million volunteers in the world. 30% of
volunteers participate in volunteer activities formally through organisations and that the
remaining 70% volunteer informally for other volunteers11.

The report also postulates that women make up most global volunteers, 56% of world
volunteers are women though only in Asia and the Pacific to male volunteers
outnumber women12.

11 Current Estimates and Next Steps: The Scope and scale of global volunteering by L.M. Salamon,
S.W. Sokolowski, M.A. Haddock, page 23 (2018)

12 Current Estimates and Next Steps: The Scope and scale of global volunteering by L.M. Salamon,
S.W. Sokolowski, M.A. Haddock, page 28 (2018)

14
1.3.3 National Citizen Service 2016 Evaluation: Main report by S. Panayiotou, S.
Newton, P. Matthews, H. Webster, D. Andersson, G. Conlon, and V. Peycheva
(2017)

The National Citizen Service (NCS) is a Government-backed initiative that brings

together young people aged 15 to 17 from different backgrounds, giving them the
chance to undertake a programme of personal and social development and community
action. Overall, NCS is working to enable social cohesion, social engagement and
social mobility.

In 2016, Kantar Public evaluated the summer and autumn 2016 NCS programmes on
behalf of the Office for Civil Society, in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media &
Sport. The programmes were assessed against their objectives to enable and
encourage social cohesion, social mobility and social engagement.

The approach used was a baseline survey at the start of the programme and a follow-
up survey three months later. Kantar Public matched NCS participants to a comparison
group of non-participants using propensity score matching. Difference in difference
analysis was used to assess the impact NCS participation had on a range of outcomes.

Under social mobility, it showed that participants for the programme felt more confident
and were more comfortable working in teams and interacting with other persons. Under
wellbeing, participants felt that they were now better at managing anxiety and had
better life satisfaction.

1.3.4 National Survey of Giving Volunteering and Participating, Canada 2000 by the
Canadian Centre for Philanthropy and Volunteer Bénévoles Canada (2004)

The Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (formerly the National
Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP) provides information on the
charitable giving, volunteering behaviour and civic participation of Canadians – how
Canadians support individuals and communities on their own or through their
involvement with charitable and non-profit organisations. Data include donations to
voluntary organisations, volunteering activities and other forms of participation.

15
The survey revealed that more than three quarters (79%) of volunteers said that their
volunteer activities helped them with their interpersonal skills, such as understanding
people better, motivating others, and dealing with difficult situations. Just over two
thirds (68%) of volunteers said that volunteering helped them to develop better
communication skills 63% percent reported increased knowledge about issues related
to their volunteering.

Almost one quarter (23%) of volunteers said that they volunteered to acquire job-
related skills and improve job opportunities. The desire to improve job opportunities is
a much more common motivation for volunteering among younger and unemployed
volunteers than it is among other volunteers. Over half (55%) of volunteers aged 15 to
24 said that they volunteered to improve their job opportunities.

16
 CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
dividers.pptx 2
The research methodology describes the steps taken to achieve representative,
quantifiable, and actionable information to understand the preferences and behaviour
of the target population with respect to volunteering, the willingness and appetite of
businesses in accepting Time Bank credits, and the Time Bank mechanisms employed
abroad as a basis to implement the proposed Malaysian Time Bank Scheme.

2.1 Research outline

The basis of the project revolves around a handful of vital research areas. These areas
need to be delved into in detail and exhaustively explored to identify the mechanisms
that should be in place to successfully implement a Time Bank Scheme that is both
attractive to potential volunteers and businesses. Nine key questions were identified to
guide research efforts:

Figure 2.1: Guiding research questions

18
2.2 Planning the primary research

As part of the study, data collection included primary research to obtain real-world
insights on the perceptions, motivations, and preferences of volunteers in Malaysia as
well as views on the applicability and impact of the proposed Time Bank Scheme. A
combination of different methods was used to gather the necessary information – a
survey for volunteers and focus group discussions (FGDs) for non-profit organisations,
corporations, and Government agencies.

2.2.1 Survey methodology

The survey was conducted using a standardized and structured questionnaire so that
the obtained responses can be analysed and compared effectively against the list of
hypotheses. These responses were also used to develop and refine demand side
interviews and focus groups so that questioning in these sessions can be specific and
relevant.

For the most effective outcome, the survey methodology needs to fulfil two key
objectives, and they are:

 To be able to validate needs, expectations, and challenges with quantification;

and

 To capture enough data points for fair representation.

The second objective above is an important requirement as sampling methods

inherently have a degree of bias. Bias may arise if survey questionnaires are designed
such that it misleads or confuses respondents into giving inaccurate answers. Bias can
also be a result of improper sampling techniques that tend to under or over represent
particular groups. These biases should be minimized over the course of this study by
having a clear definition of the target group to be sampled.

The size of the survey sample is determined in three main steps:

 Determine the population size of the target groups by state, young persons aged
18 years old and above, young adults aged between 25 and 39 years old,

19
 mature adults aged 40 – 59 years old and senior citizens aged 60 years old and
above;

 Apply an estimated volunteering rate; and

 Apply an appropriate sampling rate by benchmarking against other national

level surveys to obtain the sample size.

2.2.2 Design of survey questionnaire

The questionnaire was designed with six key outcomes in mind which were:

 To prepare a demographic profile of volunteers in Malaysia aged 18 years old

and above;

 To understand the motivations of persons who volunteer;

 To understand the typical preferences and behaviour of volunteers including

how often they volunteer, who they support, and the tasks they typically perform;

 To identify the issues and hurdles volunteers face when volunteering or

preparing to volunteer;

 To identify the preferences of volunteers when it comes to compensation for

their services including their desire to be compensated and how they would like
to be compensated; and

 To identify key parameters e.g., age which may influence the behaviour and
preferences towards volunteering.

2.2.3 Validating effectiveness of the survey questionnaire

Aside from conducting internal reviews on the survey questionnaire, face validity tests
were conducted with persons outside of the project team to ensure the effectiveness
of the survey.

The tests covered six aspects of the questionnaire:

20
 Use of terminology.
While terminology such as "formal volunteering" and "informal volunteering" has
specific official definitions, tests show persons outside the project are unaware
of these. With their input, the questionnaire was carefully designed to use
laymen terms where needed, such as "volunteering with organisations" or
"helping neighbours".

 Language translation quality.

Given the multi-ethnic background of the sample group, the survey was
prepared in two languages, namely English and Bahasa Malaysia. The original
survey was developed in English and later translated by an expert by a
proofreader and were reviewed through a double filtration process to ensure
that meanings and original intentions are preserved.

First, the initial draft of the translation from the proofreader was reviewed by
individuals who have fluent knowledge of the translated language. Discussions
with these individuals were then conducted to check if their understanding was
aligned with the original author's meanings and intentions. Amendments to the
translation were later made based on this discussion. A second review was then
conducted with potential respondents who understand Bahasa Malaysia. A
discussion was held with the second reviewers to confirm if their understanding
is still aligned with the original meaning and intentions. Iterative amendments
are made were necessary to ensure full alignment.

 Managing respondent's expectations on time required.

The length of the survey impacts response rate and data accuracy. The former
can be caused by fatigue as respondents may choose to abandon the survey
with incomplete data. Meanwhile, the latter can be caused by respondents to
show "satisficing" behaviour, which is when answers are given with little thought
on accuracy so that the survey is quickly completed. To avoid such
inaccuracies, rather than remove crucial questions to shorten the survey it also
included the time requirement at the beginning of the survey to manage the
respondents' expectations. Respondents who are committed to the 15 – 30
minute survey are more likely to provide accurate responses.

21
  Routing of respondent-relevant questions in surveys.
The routing of questions relevant to respondents' preferences was first
developed on offline versions of the survey, i.e. survey booklet. The routing logic
was then built into online survey forms but required multiple rounds of testing to
ensure it complies with the intended routing logic. Reviews of the routing logic
for both the offline and online versions were conducted with persons outside of
the project team.

 Visuals and legibility.

Knowing that eyesight is a potential issue for elderly respondents, the survey
questionnaire both in hardcopy and online formats were designed with larger
font sizes for improved legibility.

2.2.4 Target sample groups

To determine the target sample size, this study based it on three main factors:

 Types of target population;

 Estimated volunteering rate; and

 Appropriate sampling rate.

In this context, this study estimated a target sample size of 615 persons by applying a
sampling rate of 0.12% on four types of target population across all states in Malaysia.

2.2.5 Types of target population

The four target populations are chosen based on the objective of the survey, which is
to understand the behaviour, preferences and challenges in volunteering for:

 Target population #1: Senior citizens aged 60 years old and above;

 Target population #2: Persons aged 40 -59 years old;

 Target population #3: Persons aged 25 – 39 years old; and

 Target population #4: Persons aged 15 – 24 years old.

22
2.2.6 Application of estimated volunteering rate

As there has never been research conducted or data collected on the proportion of
volunteers in Malaysia against total population, the study relied on findings from the
National Strategic Development Plan on Ageing Population – Inclusion and
Employment of Malaysia's Ageing Population which found that only 2% of Malaysians
aged 40 years old and above volunteer. This figure was than extrapolated and applied
to the remaining age groups.

2.2.6.1 Selection of sampling rate

Figure 2.2: Basis for selection of sampling ratio

Across four target populations, a sampling rate of 0.12% was applied, as it is

comparable to other leading volunteerism surveys. This sampling rate is based on the
benchmark study of sampling rates of surveys related to volunteerism in Singapore,
Canada, Germany and the United States.

23
2.2.6.2 Distribution of survey to sample groups

The study has chosen to distribute the supply side survey through online means,
particularly via a multilingual survey built onto a website. An external survey service
provider was engaged to access their network of respondents who have pre- agreed
to participate in surveys. The demographic profile of their network was assessed to
ensure if their network consists of sufficient number of persons by gender, age,
ethnicity, household income distribution, and state. The demographic assessment
reveals that their network is suitable as a sampling frame as the distribution profile of
the network is similar to national statistics.

Next, potential respondents from representative states and age groups were selected
at random, and links to the online survey were distributed to them. Survey distribution
via websites is still feasible when targeting the population aged 60 years old and above
due to a few reasons:

 High accessibility to targeted sample groups.

According to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
(MCMC)13, internet userbase was 24.5 million persons in 2016. This means that
the penetration rate is high at 77%. This also reflects a rapidly growing
penetration rate as it was 67% in 2014.

 Online surveys can be designed to be elderly-friendly.

The online survey has been designed with consideration for the elderly. Large
fonts, easy-to-understand questions and options, and easy user interface were
built into the online survey to suit senior citizens with poorer eyesight and
weaker cognitive abilities.

 Aged and ageing respondents can seek support from families.

Given that 86% of internet users tend to access the internet from their own

13
MCMC Internet Users Surveys, 2014-2017

24
 homes14, the survey encourages aged and ageing citizens who are less
confident with technology to seek support from family members.

 Inaccurate, incomplete, and / or irrelevant data were removed.

Data cleansing exercises conducted to eliminate inaccurate responses including
detecting, correcting, and / or removing inaccurate records from the raw data.
For example, respondents who have unlikely ages such as those greater than
100 years old.

2.2.7 Focus groups for NGOs, companies and Government bodies

The main objective of FGDs are to obtain meaningful, detailed insights on their
expectations, needs, and challenges regarding volunteering and the Time Bank
Scheme, as well as preliminary ideas on how to tackle them. Each group i.e., NGOs,
companies and Government agencies had its own separate FGD session to encourage
free flow of opinions without worry or concern of judgment from other parties.

2.2.7.1 Selection of participants for FGDs

Based on the volunteering preferences of the respondents, the selection process for
each FGD were as follows:

 NGOs: shortlisted based on the type of organisations which received the

highest number of volunteers;

 Companies: retailers shortlisted based on the type of goods or services that

volunteers claim to prefer receiving as compensation; and

 Government bodies: representatives from our Technical and Steering

Committee members.

14
MCMC Internet Users Survey, 2017

25
dividers.pptx 3
 CHAPTER 3

INTERNATIONAL
BENCHMARKING

dividers.pptx 4
Internationally, the concept of Time Banking has been in practice for decades where some countries have adopted similar
programmes as early as the 1970s. As of 2015, organised Time Banking exists in more than 30 countries.

Figure 3.1: Selected examples of international Time Bank schemes

28
3.1 Overview of benchmarked programmes

3.1.1 Full-fledged programmes

Five benchmarks were selected based on each programme's unique key differentiating
factor. These five benchmarks are:

 Hour Exchange Portland (HEP), United States;

 Nippon Active Life Club (NALC), Japan;

 Rushey Green Time Bank (RGTB), United Kingdom;

 Zeitvorsorge Foundation (ZF), Switzerland; and

 Going the Extra Mile (GEM), South Africa.

3.1.1.1 Hour Exchange Portland (HEP), United States

Founded in 1996, HEP is among the first Time Bank established in the USA. As of
2019, HEP has 438 total members and 153,850 total hours exchanged. HEP was
established to empower individuals to utilise their assets and enhance their lives,
neighbourhood and community as well as strengthen the sense of community among
volunteers.

The scheme is managed and owned by non-profit organisations and is largely funded
by private donors, ad-hoc grants and membership fees. Volunteers from all age groups
can register for membership via an online platform, hOurworld, a Time Bank software
and hosting platform. After helping a neighbour, volunteers earn credits for each hour
of service where one hour is valued as one time credit. Credit exchanges mostly occur
between individuals and occasionally between individuals and agencies. Members
may use their no expiration credit to redeem for a wide range of options from service-
in-kind, goods and discount coupons. HEP uses the redeem as-you-go system.
However, credits are non-transferrable between members and may therefore only
redeem services and / or goods for their own use.

29
3.1.1.2 Nippon Active Life Club (NALC), Japan

NALC is an NPO with a wide network of volunteers who are dedicated to creating
comfortable living environments for others and challenge a rapidly ageing society
which Japan is now facing. Middle and senior persons who are proactive in life, come
together to contribute to the society by providing help and services to local
communities. NALC has the biggest coverage amongst all Time Bank schemes with
16,000 members, 113 activity centres across Japan and 4 international partners.
Nevertheless, NALC plans to expand its presence to 1,000 locations nationwide. NALC
is managed and owned by non-profit organisations which is funded by membership
fees, revenues from other business units of NALC, and ad-hoc charity bazaars.
Business income includes funds derived from NALC's work as a research consultancy,
surveys conducted on the baby boomers and elders, and issuance of publications to
both elder Japanese and marketers.

NALC membership is open to all age groups, members may register for membership
via mail / fax registration form to NALC postal address. Currently, NALC does not
provide online registration. After doing volunteer work, time credits will be awarded to
volunteers. Credit allocation is decided on a case-by-case basis where one hour of
credits received from caretaking may differ from one hour of credits received from
picking up and dropping off residents. Credit exchanges only exist between individuals
with no expiration date applied. As NALC intends to focus on senior citizens, only
members aged 50 years old and above are eligible for an exchange of time credits.
However, time credits are interchangeable between activity centres and international
partners. NALC limits its redemption choices to service-in-kind only.

3.1.1.3 Rushey Green Time Bank (RGTB), United Kingdom

RGTB is active in the London Borough of Lewisham in the UK with 288 members and
77,178 total hours exchange as of 2019. Started 20 years ago, RGTB has developed
a number of different projects focusing on reducing social isolation by encouraging
locals' involvement with the community by offering their time and skills. RGTB is a
registered charity-based organisation funded mostly by local government, project-
based funding and grants.

30
RGTB membership is open to all age groups and registration can be done through a
website or physical location of the Time Bank. Members can choose from a number of
different projects. Credit exchanges take place between individuals and partner
organisations with one credit rewarded for every hour of work. Members are allowed
to redeem using the redeem as-you-go system with a wide range of redemption options
including service-in-kind, goods and discount coupons. These credits have no
expiration date. RGTB set a non-transferrable policy for credits and as such members
cannot pass on their credits to another person.

3.1.1.4 Zeitvorsorge Foundation (ZF), Switzerland

Zeitvorsorge Foundation in the Swiss city of St. Gallen was established as a result of
the founder's diploma entitled "The Spitex Time Exchange Model". The aim of ZF is to
support needy old people in to cope with their daily activities and allows up-and-coming
pensioners receive time units credited to their individual account, to be exchanged later
for their own needs, against corresponding benefits. In 2018, ZF has gained more than
320 members with 34,690 total hours exchanged. The scheme is supported by
Government agency affiliated with the city of St. Gallen which also finances the
programme in addition to funds received from NGOs.

Retired people of St. Gallen are eligible to apply for membership through a website or
at the foundation's physical locations. Credit exchanges will only occur between
individuals with one hour of work equivalent to one credit. Members are allowed to
redeem using as-you-go system for in-kind services. These credits can be pooled with
their spouses with no expiration date applied.

3.1.1.5 Going the Extra Mile (GEM), South Africa

Since its official launch in September 2014, GEM has grown enormously and hosts
more than 50 community engagement monthly events in different cities where
thousands of people are engaged to support tens of thousands of beneficiaries. GEM
is available in three of the country’s nine provinces and has engaged 7,000 active users
with an accumulation of 150,000 GEMS as of 2018. GEM was created by two social
entrepreneurs who desired to change people's socio-economic status and curb
unemployment whilst increasing productivity of uninspired youth.

31
Members of all ages may register for membership using their mobile number via a
digital app. Afterwards, members will be shown a number of community projects that
they can volunteer for including working with animal shelters, orphanages, soup
kitchens or community clean-ups. Once a member is done with their volunteer work
they will receive 15 GEMs, regardless of the type of events and roles they undertake.
GEMs can be used within thirty days for utilities, cash conversion and / or discounted
retail vouchers and are not transferrable between members. These GEMs are donated
by corporate and public-sector sponsors which are evenly distributed to social partners
involved. Thus, credit exchanges take place between individuals and community-led
organisations.

3.1.2 Programmes in developmental / testing stages

Two programmes were chosen to present examples of upcoming Time Bank Schemes
or Time Bank pilot programmes currently being tested or implemented in neighbouring
countries.

3.1.2.1 Yaohua Street Time Bank

Yaohua Street is one of the first Time Bank schemes in Nanjing hosted by the Nanjing
Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs covering Yaohua Street. The scheme aims to mobilise
the more “youthful” and healthy elderly to care for the senior members of the
community. The scheme currently relies on social service agencies, private donations
and a local Government fund which also provided its initial funding. As of 2018, there
are 13 available activity centres serving 1,338 enlisted members.

All age groups are qualified to register for membership at local activity centres. The
scheme mostly allows the exchange of credits between individuals and occasionally
between individuals and agencies. One time credit will be granted after doing one hour
of volunteering work which can be exchanged after accumulating a total of 20 hours
although no expiration date applies. Redemption mix is settled at 70% service-in-kind,
20% exchange of goods and 10% cash conversion or equivalent. Members are not
allowed to transfer their credits to other members.

32
3.1.2.2 JitArsa Bank

Thailand Government (Department of Older Persons) has set up a pilot Time Bank
scheme focusing on encouraging the younger generation to shoulder the financial
burden and take care of home-bound senior citizens. Thailand Government is still
conducting the pilot project in 28 out of 76 provinces in Thailand. So far, the pilot has
only managed to recruit 120 volunteers and is fully funded by the Thailand
Government.

Volunteers from all ages may register via an online platform called JitArsa Bank which
allows members to select desired volunteering activities and record volunteered time.
Volunteers will perform volunteering activities at the eldercare centre selected by the
Thai Government. One credit for one hour will then be exchanged from local eldercare
centres to volunteers. Credits will be available for redemption when members reach
old age and are in need. Members might redeem their credits for service-in-kind, goods
and discount coupons. Credit transfer is not allowed amongst members and no
expiration date is utilised to the credits. Thai Government will review the pilot project
results and make amendments of their scheme's system as required.

3.2 Summary of benchmarking

3.2.1 Time Bank model

There are currently three variations of the Time Bank model that dictates how different
individuals and organisations interact with one another under the scheme. These
include one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many models.

 One-to-one.
Allows credit exchanges to take place between individuals. Japan and
Switzerland are two countries whose credit exchange only takes place between
individuals.

 One-to-many.
This model applies to transactions between individuals and organisations.
South Africa permits credit exchanges between individuals and community-led

33
 organisations whereas Thailand between individuals and local elder care
centres.

 Many-to-many.
This model involves transactions between organisations. Besides some
scattered and mostly unsuccessful pilots (e.g. in Wales), there is no country that
currently employs the many-to-many model.

Based on benchmarks, the one-to-one and the one-to-many model are the two most
popular models used in the scheme. It is noteworthy that in many cases, namely USA,
UK, and China, countries use a combination of both the one-to-one and one-to-many
models.

3.2.2 Traded currency

Currencies exchanged within the Time Bank Scheme, either directly in hours or
indirectly occur in the form of credits based on the task undertaken by volunteers. Of
the countries selected for benchmarking, five out of seven prefer to use hour-for-hour
time credit which defines one hour of volunteering work as one-time credit.

The two remaining countries, Japan and South Africa, choose the use of credits per
hour which vary according to the tasks performed. Point allocation for Japan's Time
Banking is decided based on a case-by-case basis. For instance, one hour of
caretaking differs from one hour of volunteering in transportation services. Although
South Africa uses the same currency, it creates a different system from Japan where
one volunteering event equals to 15 GEMs, regardless of the type of events and roles.

3.2.3 Geographic coverage

Geographical coverage outlines which neighbourhoods, cities or countries are able to

use the Time Bank Scheme. Findings reveal that there are three ranges for geographic
coverage:

 Limited.
Usually bounded at district level. For instance, HEP in the USA covers only the
Portland area. Meanwhile, RGTB from the UK covers London Borough of

34
 Lewisham and ZF from Switzerland covers the city of St. Gallen. China's
Yaohua Street Time Bank has the smallest coverage of only Yaohua Street in
Nanjing.

 Wide.
South Africa and Thailand have bigger coverage which extends to the entire
state. South Africa's GEM is available in three of the country’s nine provinces
while Thailand's JitArsa Bank pilot project was conducted in 28 out of 76
provinces in Thailand.

 Large.
Japan's NALC has the biggest coverage with 113 activity centres across Japan
and 4 international partners. NALC plans to keep expanding its services to 1,000
locations nationwide in the future.

3.2.4 Eligibility criteria

Eligibility criteria restricts the age eligibility of members in the Time Bank Scheme.
Variations exist in three forms: open to all age groups, open to those aged 18 years
and above, and open to those aged 60 years and above. Almost all the schemes'
memberships are open to all age groups except ZF of Switzerland which only accepts
retired individuals

3.2.5 Platform host

The platform host will be the organisation that acts as the administrator of the Time
Bank Scheme. There are mainly four types of administrators:

 Non-profit Government agencies.

Non-revenue generating Government ministries, departments, or agencies.
Employees consist of civil servants.

 For-profit Government agencies.

Government agencies with revenue streams e.g., Malaysian Communications
and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). Employees consist of civil servants.

35
  Non-profit Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Collaboration between one or multiple Government agencies and private sector
player(s). Employees consist of persons hired by the entity jointly established
by the Government and the private sector.

 Non-profit privately-owned.
Non-profit organisations such as NGOs or charities. Employees can be
members of the NGO or volunteers themselves.

Findings show that only two out of four types of platform hosts are utilized for Time
Bank Schemes, either a Government agency or a privately-owned entity. Switzerland,
China, and Thailand are countries whose Time Bank are administered by Government
agencies. In contrast, Time Banks in the USA, Japan, the UK, and South Africa are
privately-owned. All schemes are hosted by non-profit entities.

3.2.6 Funding mechanism

Funding mechanism describes sources of funding for the Time Bank Scheme. It can
either be funded by the Government, Public Private Partnership / mixed funding, or
privately-funded.

 Government funded.
There are no notable Time Bank Schemes that are solely funded by the
Government and most of schemes opted for a more diversified funding profile
with mixed public and private funding.

 Public Private Partnership (PPP) /mixed funding.

The UK and Thailand's JitArsa Bank both receive Government funding. The
UK's RGTB is funded mostly by local Government, funds, and foundations. Its
principle funders are The London Borough of Lewisham (Lewisham Council)
and the People's Postcode Trust. Additionally, RGTB also generates funds from
project-based funding and grants.

For JitArsa Bank, initial start-up costs were funded by the Government.
However, the scheme plans to quickly find sustainable funding sources in the
future

36
 Switzerland's ZF is mostly funded by the local Government and NGOs. ZF has
a fairly reliable funding mechanism due to the pool of donors in spite of its heavy
dependence on donations from other organisations particularly the City of St.
Gallen. Other funders include religious institutions, charity organisations, social
associations, and foundation.

China also follows the PPP model funding mechanism in which it is funded by
local Government, social service agencies and private donations

 Privately-funded.
The USA, Japan, and South Africa receives no funding from the Government
and are entirely privately funded.

The USA' Time Bank historically leaned mainly on a single donor supplemented
by small contributions from membership fees. However, the death of a single
donor has brought financial challenges to the organisation. Moving forward,
HEP plans to revamp its funding mechanism to become more resilient, exploring
into a more member-led organisation.

Another example, Japan's NALC, depends heavily on membership fees and ad-
hoc donations. NALC charged an annual membership fee of 3,000 Yen per
person (or per couple) and support fees of 10,000 Yen per group of any number.
Furthermore, NALC also has alternative funding streams generated from its
business income that NALC operates which allows for more flexibility.

Lastly, South Africa's GEM source of funds consists of private funds and
corporate sponsors. GEM is privately funded by co-founders to maintain its
operations while the credits are donated by corporate and public sector
sponsors to be distributed evenly to social partners involved.

3.2.7 Registration process

Registration process defines the channels and methods for new members to register
for the scheme through online, brick and mortar or both (omnichannel) channels

37
  Online.
Thailand, South Africa, and the USA's Time Bank we examined provide solely
an online platform for registration.

 Brick and mortar.

China and Japan's Time Bank provide an offline method for registering
memberships. China's Yaohua Street Time Bank opens its registration office at
the local activity centres while potential members of Japan's NALC must register
via mail or fax registration form to NALC postal address.

 Omnichannel.
Switzerland's ZF and the UK's RGTB registration can be done through a website
or through the physical locations of the Time Bank.

3.2.8 Redemption mechanisms

Redemption mechanisms consist of four elements, the redemption eligibility, mix,

transferability, and expiration date.

3.2.8.1 Redemption eligibility

It clarifies prerequisites imposed on members to redeem credits from collected hours.

There are three main prerequisite categories limited to a minimum age, minimum
hours, or no specific criteria

 Limited to specific age group.

Japan and Thailand are two countries whose time credits can only be redeemed
when the member has reached a certain age. In Japan, only members aged 50
years old and above are eligible for time credits exchange. Thailand members
must also be a certain age to be able to redeem their credit, though this
constrain is not yet firm as the scheme is still in the pilot phase.

 Limited to specific hours.

China follows the limited to specific hours category where members' time credits
can be exchanged only after accumulating a minimum of 20 hours and a ratio
is imposed where a certain proportion must be retained for use at a later age.

38
  No-specific criteria.
The remaining examined countries require no-specific criteria or constraints for
one to be eligible to exchange time credits.

3.2.8.2 Redemption mix

This element, explains types of goods and services and their combination that can be
redeemed in exchange for credits. The options accommodate service in-kind, goods,
discount coupons, and cash or cash equivalent.

Japan and China's Time Bank only offer service-in kind for its redemption. Whilst the
USA, the UK, and Thailand provide three redemptions mix of service in-kind, goods
and discount coupons. South Africa and China are two countries who offer cash or
cash equivalent. In addition to cash, South Africa offers goods and discount coupons
whereas China offers service in-kind and goods as their redemption mix.

3.2.8.3 Redemption transferability

The third element, describes the possibility of credits being transferred amongst
individuals and /or organisations. More than half of the countries' time credits are non-
transferrable between members. However, Japan, Switzerland, and South Africa
permit redemption transferability. In Japan, time credits are interchangeable between
activity centres and international partners while in Switzerland credits can be pooled
between member spouses only.

3.2.8.4 Redemption expiration date

This last element, regulates limitation on the duration of applicability of credits earned.
Only South Africa's Time Bank requires members to use its GEM credits within 30 days
upon reward of GEMs. The remaining countries do not set an expiry date for its credits.

3.3 Key takeaways

The seven benchmarked countries have shown similar themes and traits which can be
used as lessons in establishing Malaysia's own scheme.

39
 Utilize existing structures and processes from existing organisations or
agencies.
It is suggested that the scheme be built on existing and widely available software
and other services to minimize start-up costs to the Government.

 Organize public-private collaboration rollout.

The private sector will play a core role in supporting and managing the Time
Bank Scheme while Government's support may be required in at least the initial
stage of the programme.

 Diversify funding with a community-impact focus.

The scheme should seek multiple and sustainable funding sources to avoid
overdependence on a single source. While doing so, Time Bank can target the
easing of public spending. Offering targeted range of services, for instance,
volunteering opportunities or administration, to reduce fiscal Government
burden while providing complementary services to basic public services.

 Ensure ease of accessibility of Time Bank Scheme.

Use multiple channels for members' engagement for all age groups and
leverage digital technologies, such as mobile apps, to reach out to unserved
areas.

 Create a system that is based on the equality of every volunteer's time.

The system intends to make one hour of everyone's time worth the same time
credit(s), regardless of the task.

 Build community-based programmes.

By creating opportunities for community-involvement among individuals, the
relationship between citizens is improved.

 Offer personal development opportunities.

Provide opportunities for personal development namely incentivised training
and certification as part of the volunteering experience. Another example is to
create internships and apprenticeships to increase volunteers' later
employability.

40
 CHAPTER 4

VOLUNTEER SURVEY

dividers.pptx 5
This chapter highlights preferences and general trends of volunteers in Malaysia. The
analysis intends support the derivation of a derive practical model based on volunteers'
preferences. For that purpose, a survey was conducted to generate data to assess the
volunteer profiles.

4.1 Overview of volunteering trends

Share of types of donation Share of types of

Share of types of donation by highest education donation by monthly
by age group attainment household income

34% 28% 34% 32% 33%

35% 37% 40% 35% 39% 41% 40%
48% 48%

30%
27% 25% 28% 33% 26% 28%
29% 30% 29% 25% 24%
22% 26%

39% 40% 43% 38% 36% 39% 40% 36%

34% 30% 30% 32% 34%
26%
18 - 24

25 - 29

30 - 49

50 - 59

None

RM 7,999

RM 11,999
≥ 60

≤ RM4,000
SPM/ STPM

≥ RM 12,000
Tertiary
UPSR

PMR

RM 4,000 –

RM 8,000 –
Money Goods Services

Figure 4.1: Variations of methods of donation / volunteering by selected demographic parameters

As seen in Figure 4.1, there is no obvious correlation between age and tendency to
volunteer. It is worth noting that those aged between 50 – 59 years old are the most
likely to volunteer services. It is possible that those within this age group are able to
volunteer more as they have more free time compared to other, younger working
counterparts and are generally more able bodied than those aged 60 years old and
above. This is in line with survey findings that show one reason to volunteer is to
occupy their free time.

In terms of education attainment, it is observed that those with higher education levels
are more likely to volunteer. It is believed that those with higher education tend to have
better exposure to the larger community and are therefore more altruistic and more

42
aware of the impact volunteering has on the community. In fact, one of the major
reasons of volunteering is the desire to contribute to their respective communities.

From the perspective of income levels, it is seen that those with higher incomes tend
to volunteer services less but donate money more. Most people consider donating a
part of volunteering and is "sufficient" contribution towards social responsibility.

Age groups 18 – 24 25 – 29 30 – 49 50 – 59 60 and

above

Volunteering
frequency per year 74
69
[% respondents 62
within
age group] 40 44
35 32
24 25 25
15 17
10 10 7
1 1 2 4 3

0 – 4 times 5 – 9 times 10 – 14 times More than 14 times

Average duration
53
[% respondents
within 44 41 44 44
40
age group]
33 30
26 23 23 25
16
11 10
5 5 6 7 5
4 3 2
0 0

Less than an hour 2 – 4 hours More than 8 hours

1 – 2 hours 4 – 8 hours

Figure 4.2: Volunteering frequency and duration by age group

When asked about the typical frequency and duration in which persons volunteer, older
volunteers have reported higher frequency of volunteering. As shown in Figure 4.2,
more than 50% of volunteers aged 50 years old and above volunteer more than 4 times
a year.

43
4.2 Detailed analysis

4.2.1 Demographics

4.2.1.1 Age distribution

15% 14% 12%

22% 26% 26%
5% 1%
3% 2% 5% 2%
7% 4% 9%
Benefactors Caretakers Samaritans
16%
14% 17% 15% 15%
19%

9% 12% 6% 7% 8% 9%

18 - 24 30 - 34 40 - 44 50 - 54 60 and above
25 - 29 35 - 39 45 - 49 55 - 59
Figure 4.3: Age distribution of respondents

Typically, age distribution within each type of volunteer group is similar. Younger
persons aged between 18 – 29 years old make up the largest share of those who
donate money and / or goods as well as services as shown in Figure 4.3 This may
indicate that younger persons may actually be more inclined towards volunteering then
their older counterparts perhaps due to health and better social awareness.

4.2.1.2 Ethnicity

4%
6%
3% 5% 4% 5%
2% 7% 5%

43%
Benefactors Caretakers 50% Samaritans
28% 58%
46% 34%

Malay Chinese Kadazan-Dusun Indian Others

Figure 4.4: Ethnicity distribution of respondents

44
As can be seen in Figure 4.4, a significant number of Benefactors, Caretakers, and
Samaritans are Malay and Chinese persons. Chinese persons make up the majority of
Benefactors though this proportion is significantly lower amongst Samaritans. Indeed,
there are more Malays amongst Caretakers and Samaritans.

4.2.1.3 Gender

45% 45%
Benefactors Caretakers Samaritans 48%
52%
55% 55%

Female Male
Figure 4.5: Gender distribution of respondents

While it has been observed that women tend to volunteer more than men, results from
the survey show that women donate more but volunteer services less as shown in
Figure 4.5. Perhaps due to responsibilities in the home, women feel that they have less
time to volunteer services then men.

4.2.1.4 Education level

7% 3% 2%
7% 1% 1% 1%
3% 22% 1%
24%

Benefactors Caretakers Samaritans

27% 59%
69%
74%

Tertiary SPM / STPM PMR UPSR None

Figure 4.6: Education level distribution of respondents

45
Most volunteers be they Benefactors, Caretakers, or Samaritans are tertiary educated.
From Figure 4.6, it is interesting to note that the proportion of those tertiary educated
increases when it comes to volunteering time and services. It is likely that due to better
exposure and education, there is increased social awareness. In addition, those with
tertiary education are more likely to be in employment with shorter, fixed hours that
allow for more time contributed to volunteering.

4.2.1.5 Current work status

13% 9% 12%
15% 18% 16%
11%
8%
7%
7% Benefactors Caretakers Samaritans
16%
16%
43% 52%
57%

Self-employed Salaried Full education Retired Others

Note: Salaried includes full-time and part time employees; Others include unemployed persons
and unpaid family workers

Figure 4.7: Current work status of respondents

Current employment also affects how people choose to volunteer. Figure 4.7 reveals
that salaried employees donate and volunteer the most although a higher proportion
of this group prefer to just donate more than to only volunteer services. The latter is in
line with expectations that due to responsibilities at work, most salaried persons may
only have time to donate money and / or goods. Meanwhile, those who are unemployed
or unpaid family workers tend to only volunteer services rather than donate likely due
to financial constraints.

46
4.2.1.6 Income range

2% 1%
4% 4%
4% 5% 6% 1%
1% 8% 3%
7% 1% 2% 30%
35% 8%
9% 44%
Benefactors Caretakers Samaritans
18%
19%

31%
29% 30%

< RM 1,999 RM 6,000 - RM 8,000 RM 12,000 - RM 14,000

RM 2,000 - RM 4,000 RM 8,000 - RM 10,000 > RM 14,000
RM 4,000 - RM 6,000 RM 10,000 - RM 12,000
Figure 4.8: Income distribution of respondents

It can be observed from Figure 4.8, that likelihood of volunteering does not increase
with income. The majority of volunteers come from persons with incomes of RM 4,000
a month or less. This could largely echo national income distribution wherein only a
small proportion of the population earn a monthly income of RM 6,000 and above.

4.3 Preferred recipients

13% 11% 13%

18% 18% 19%
5%
7% 4% 6%
Benefactors 15% 4% Caretakers 26% Samaritans 24%
4%
8% 5%
6%
8%
10% 14% 6%
12% 9%
10% 11% 14%

Ad-hoc prog. Religious institutions OKU centres

Community Old folks home Homeless shelters/ soup kitchen
Orphanages Animal rescue shelters Others

Note: Community include community services, community halls, and helping neighbours
Figure 4.9: Composition of preferred recipients of donations and / or services

47
As shown in Figure 4.9, ad-hoc and community programmes-are the primary recipients
of donations and services. Ad-hoc programmes usually have good and early coverage
of their programmes to engage potential donors and volunteers. Caretakers and
Samaritans are most likely to be involved in supporting community services such as
Rukun Tetangga as they are usually within volunteers' residential area and therefore
are more accessible to volunteers.

4.4 Frequency and duration

All sub-groups donate and volunteer within four times a year. Most Benefactors donate
money and goods worth between RM 100 and 199 per donation. Samaritans prefer to
donate money instead of goods, each valued under RM 50 per donation. As
Benefactors do not donate services, it is expected that they would donate more than
their counterparts to adequately satisfy their desire to help. More than half of
Caretakers volunteer within four times a year with each session no longer than four
hours.

4.5 Preferred tasks

4% 4%
5% 7% 18%
6% 23%
9%
7%

8%
7% Caretakers Samaritans 15%

16% 5%
9%
8%
13%
10% 13% 13%

Clean the surrounding area Caretaking/ grooming

Prepare/ provide food Provide companionship
Organise/ promote the activities Mentor/ tutor/ teach
Donate blood Shuttling services/ drive people or goods
Provide consultancy and advisory services Administrative work
Figure 4.10: Composition of preferred tasks for volunteering

48
Figure 4.10 shows that labour-related tasks, such as cleaning the surrounding area
and preparing or providing food, are the most common duties taken by both Caretakers
and Samaritans when volunteering. These tasks are chores that involve general skills
which are easy to do even by "new" volunteers. In contrast, doing administrative work
is the task least performed by Caretakers while Samaritans very rarely do caretaking
or grooming as their volunteering task.

4.6 Motivations and perceptions

4.6.1 Motivation to volunteer

3% 1% 5%
1%
8% 2% 2%
29% 10%
30%
9%

Caretakers 12% Samaritans

11%

13%
21% 17%
14%
9%

To give back to the community To help my neighbours

To fill up free time To fulfil CSR requirements
To learn and practice new ability Pressure
To feel good about yourself To look good on school / job application
To work with different people
Figure 4.11: Distribution of respondents' motivations to volunteer

Personal values and beliefs are among the main sources of motivation to volunteer by
both Caretakers and Samaritans. Both groups stated giving back to community as their
largest driver according to Figure 4.11.

49
Volunteering is also triggered by the desire to fill up free time as well as to develop
their career. Based on research conducted by Neely and Lengnick-Hall15, individuals
will find volunteering opportunities when they want to learn or understand something
that is not afforded in their current employment.

In addition, a small portion of volunteers argued that volunteering protect and enhance
their ego to feel good about themselves. Only a tiny portion of respondents claimed
that they volunteer as a way to look good on school or job application.

4.6.2 Perception of benefits from volunteering

7% 8%
8% 22% 8% 22%

13% 13%
Caretakers Samaritans

17% 16%

16% 17%

17% 16%

Build sense of community and belonging Maintain good health and well-being
Improve self-confidence Increase recognition and social status
Make friends Sense of pride and fulfilment
Build soft-skills

Figure 4.12: Respondents' perceived benefits of volunteering

For Caretakers and Samaritans, giving back to community is the main driver to
volunteer services, as seen in Figure 4.12. Therefore, both groups believed that
volunteering helps them to build sense of community and belonging.

15 The Unfolding Model of Volunteer Motivation. Academy of Management Proceedings by A.R. Neely
& M.L. Lengnick-Hall (2013)

50
According to Figure 4.3, most volunteers are younger volunteers, between 18 to 29
years old, who see volunteering as support for their job search, skills development,
and networking. For example, to “build soft-skills”, is amongst the most important
reasons to volunteer.

In addition, enhancement motives which include motives to improve self-esteem as

well as make friends and expand social networks also drive volunteerism for both
groups.

4.7 Future volunteering plans

1% 0%

Caretakers Yes No Samaritans

99% 100%

Figure 4.13: Respondents' willingness to continue volunteering in the future

50%

35%
Increase
Caretakers Samaritans
Not increase
65%

50%

Figure 4.14: Respondents' plans to increase volunteering hours in the future

No time
22% 26%
30% No longer physically 30%
able/ healthy
Caretakers Samaritans
Live too far
22%
No updated information on 21%
26% the volunteering activities 23%

Figure 4.15: Potential restrictions to future volunteering

51
Figure 4.13 and Figure 4.14 show that 99% of Caretakers and all Samaritans wish to
continue volunteering in the future with more than half plan to increase their activities.
Both intend to double their duration to eight hours per session.

When asked why some decided to discontinue volunteering, Caretakers state time and
physical ability are two main factors which affect the decision. The latter barrier is
mostly encountered by older volunteers whose health condition may be more fragile.
Meanwhile, Samaritans claimed no updated information on the volunteering activities
demotivates them for volunteering.

4.8 Future preferred recipients

Caretakers Samaritans

Current
18% 11% 19% 13%

26% 6%
4% 4% 4% 24%
5% 6%
8% 6%
11% 12% 9%
14%

Future 13%
16%
25% 25%
9% 10%

7% 7% 14% 10% 13%

10% 8%
11% 12%
8%

Ad-hoc prog. Religious institutions OKU centres

Community Old folks home Homeless shelters/ soup kitchen
Orphanages Animal rescue shelters Others

Note: Community include community services, community halls, helping neighbours. Others include
schools, tuition centres, hospitals, clinics, free markets, and prisons

Figure 4.16: Current and future preferred recipients of volunteer services

Ad-hoc programmes topped the list of preferred recipients for both Caretakers and
Samaritans as most people, especially younger volunteers, prefer to volunteer ad hoc
rather than commit to regular weekly or monthly volunteering.

52
The most common reason for not volunteering is lack of free time, thus volunteers are
reluctant to make a long-term commitment as they need flexible volunteer opportunities
to accommodate other commitments for school, work, friends or family.

In contrast, all volunteers wish to not support community related activities in future.
Community services such as Rukun Tetangga, comprises acts relating to
Neighbourhood Watch and Voluntary Patrol Scheme.

The patrol duty acts are not appealing for both younger or older volunteers as it
requires a considerable amount of time as well as physical strength. Volunteers also
avoid contributing to old folks' homes which might be induced by poor perception of
"less fun" activities compared to orphanages.

4.9 Compensation preferences

21% 16%

Caretakers Yes No Samaritans

79% 84%

Figure 4.17: Respondents' desire to be compensated for volunteering activities

27% 25%
Instantly
Caretakers Samaritans
Upon retirement
73% 75%

Figure 4.18: Respondents' desire for instant or delayed compensation

53
 8% Household products
19% 13% 15%
Café/ food vouchers
12%
Healthcare and
13%
medicinal products
13% Caretakers Samaritans 20%
17% Personal effects
Service-in-kind 13%
14% Classes/ trainings
17% 10% 16%
Tax reduction

Figure 4.19: Respondents' preferences for redemption goods / services

While volunteerism in essence implies the desire to help without the expectation of
reward, Figure 4.17 shows that if given the option, most volunteers in Malaysia would
like to be compensated for volunteering.

In addition, Figure 4.18 shows that well over three quarters of Caretakers and
Samaritans would like to receive instant compensation. This speaks to locals' desire
to reap the benefits of their efforts instantly which may pose as a potential problem
when considering a delayed rewards programme for the scheme. If persons are unable
to collect their rewards instantly, they may be less encouraged to volunteer.

As indicated by Figure 4.19, the majority of both groups prefer to be compensated with
meal vouchers along with health and household products. These may be considered
as necessities and will influence the choice of products offered as rewards and the
partners and / or sponsors to be engaged when setting up the scheme.

54
 CHAPTER 5

RECOMMENDATIONS

dividers.pptx 6
5.1 Proposed elements of the Malaysian Time Bank Scheme

Key elements Options Details

Focus on credits held by persons and

Time Banking model One-to-one One-to-many Many-to-many
NGOs

Traded currency Hour-for-hour time credit Varied credits / hour Equal value for tasks and effort

Geographic
District State National International National but rolled-out in phases
coverage
Limited to 18 for safety and security
Eligibility criteria Open to all ages 18 years and above 60 years and above
reasons
Government Government Private
Platform host PPP Higher credibility and less cost
(Non-profit) (For-profit) (Non-profit)
Funding
Government-funded PPP Privately-funded Government to provide initial funding
mechanism
Registration Wider coverage for those that are / are
Online only Online and offline Offline only
process not computer savvy
Redemption Limited to Limited to specific Redemption-savings ratio imposed up to
No specific criteria
eligibility specific age hours a certain age
Service-in- Discount Cash or cash
Redemption mix Goods Limited to services and basic necessities
kind coupons equivalent
Redemption
Non-transferable Transferable among members Transferable across individuals
transferability
Redemption No expiry due to redemption limitations
No expiry date Limit to specific criteria
expiration date and to encourage more to volunteer

Figure 5.1: Elements of the Malaysian Time Bank Scheme

56
 Key elements Description

Time Banking The scheme will focus on a one-to-one and one-to-many model which
model means that account holders may only be individuals and NGOs
 One-to-one.
Allows credit exchanges to take place between individuals.
 One-to-many.
Allows transactions between individuals and organisations.

Traded currency The scheme will use hour-for-hour time credit which places equal value
for tasks and effort
 Hour-for-hour
Defines one hour of volunteering work as one-time credit.

Geographic The scheme will cover on national scale but roll-out will be conducted in
coverage phases.

Eligibility The eligibility to participate the scheme will be limited to 18 years and
criteria above for safety and security reasons.

Platform host The suggestion is for non-profit Government agencies to act as the
administrator of the Time Bank Scheme. This will increase credibility of
the scheme and minimize start-up costs to the Government.

Funding The target is to use Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for the
mechanism scheme. The initial funding will be provided the Government, but the
administrator should be able to secure own sustainable funding in the
long run.

Registration New members will have the option of registering for the scheme either
process online or in-person. Using both methods should widen the coverage and
enable access for those without access to technology

Redemption The scheme will impose a 70:30 savings-redemption ratio. This is to

eligibility attract younger volunteers while still benefiting senior citizens. The
savings account may only be used once the member reaches 60 years
old while the redemption account can be accessed instantly

Redemption mix The scheme will accommodate services-in-kind and goods and
redemption of goods in the form of necessities

Redemption Credits will be transferable among members to help those in need of time
transferability credits.

Redemption No expiry date will be limited for redemption to encourage more citizens to
expiration date volunteer.
Table 5.1: Detailed description of proposed elements

Due to security reasons, members of the Time Bank scheme shall be restricted to
Malaysian citizens only to ease conducting of background checks. Time Bank
processes and procedures

57
 Applicants Volunteer and
sign requestor are D ACCOUNT
liability rated MANAGEMENT
Applicants
agreement
supply
required 2 8
information
System
conducts Volunteer Members view and
3 background undertakes 7 monitor their Time
checks on agreed upon Exchange of Bank account
1 applicants tasks hours is logged
and recorded 9
6

A REGISTRATION "Applicant"
status 10
changed to C UNDERTAKING
"Member" Members can
Members provide redeem, donate/
information on 4 transfer, once
Member
requests/ interest they accumulate
repeats
credits
process
5 from
requests/
System matches offers
B REQUESTS requests against
& OFFERS interests

Figure 5.2: Overview of members' Time Bank journey

58
5.1.1 Registration

5.1.1.1 Collection of basic information

During registration, individuals and organisations may choose to apply online or at an

appointed registration centre. Each applicant will need to fill the application form which
requires detailed information to aid future decision-making, matching, and analysis.

Registration Form (Individuals)

Personal Information

First name Last name/

Surname
NRIC Date of birth

Gender Race

Ethnicity Occupation

Education Current
address
Marital
status

E-mail
Contact no.

Volunteering / request preferences

Categories (Select all that apply) Locations (Select all that apply)

Caretaking Johor Pulau Pinang

Transportation/ logistics Kedah Sabah
Kelantan Sarawak
Housekeeping
Melaka Selangor
Leisure and hobbies
Negeri Sembilan Terengganu
Repairs Pahang WP Kuala Lumpur
Tutoring/ Mentoring Perak WP Labuan

Event assistance Perlis WP Putrajaya

Administrative work
Submit
Others

Figure 5.3: Sample registration form for individuals

59
 Registration Form (Organisations)
Personal Information

Name ROS #

Contact # Current
address
E-mail

Volunteering needs

Categories (Select all that apply) Locations (Select all that apply)

Caretaking Johor Pulau Pinang

Transportation/ logistics Kedah Sabah
Kelantan Sarawak
Housekeeping
Melaka Selangor
Leisure and hobbies
Negeri Sembilan Terengganu
Repairs Pahang WP Kuala Lumpur
Tutoring/ Mentoring Perak WP Labuan

Event assistance Perlis WP Putrajaya

Administrative work
Submit
Others

Figure 5.4: Sample registration form for organisations

Selected information such as a person's full name and demographic details e.g.,
ethnicity, date of birth, and race shall be kept confidential for security reasons and will
not be disclosed on their public profile. Information such as contact details will not be
shared to the public until a "match" occurs in which only contact details will be shared
between the volunteer and requestor.

Data collected shall be in line with classifications and standards set forth by the
Department of Statistics Malaysia to ease data collection and tracking at a national
level.

5.1.1.2 Appointment of beneficiary

In the application process, applicants will also be asked to nominate a beneficiary if

the member passes away before they are able to fully redeem, transfer or donate their

60
credits. Nominees must be Malaysian and above 18 years old. Beneficiaries will not
be restricted to immediate family members and shall be up to the discretion of the
member.

5.1.1.3 Liability agreement

Negligence resulting in Intentional wrongdoing "Strict liability" (e.g.,

property or individual (e.g., battery, assault, defective product or
damage (e.g., vandalism, etc.) service, dangerous acts,
carelessness, etc.) animals, etc. )

Individual > Individuals can be held > Individuals can be held > Individuals can be held
liable for negligence liable for intentional liable for strict liability
towards their wrongdoing while > Examples can include
volunteering duties engaging with Time volunteers dog bites
> Examples can include Bank another member
administering wrong > Examples can include
medicines assaulting other
members

Organi-sation > Organisations can be > Organisations can be

held liable for held liable for strict
negligence towards liability
their involvement in > Examples can include
training, overseeing/ beverage that has been
facilitating activities exchanged for time
> Examples can include credits poisons the
not diligently recipient
supervising a volunteer
who injures them self
during training

Time Bank > Time Bank can be held

liable for negligence
towards their oversight
> Examples can include
not acting on a
complaint that results
in an accident

Figure 5.5: Possible assignment of liability by stakeholder

Each applicant must acknowledge and sign a liability agreement that clearly states the
limitations of liabilities of individuals, organisations, and the scheme itself. The
agreement intends to protect organisations and the scheme itself from potential
lawsuits and compensation for selected mishaps. There are various instances in which
both individuals and institutions can potentially be held liable.

61
The first aspect would be negligence resulting in property or individual damage. For
example, individuals administering wrong medicines. Meanwhile, organisations can be
held liable for negligence towards their involvement in training, overseeing or
facilitating activities such as poor supervision of a volunteer resulting in injury.

As for the scheme, negligence in handling a complaint resulting in an is also included

in negligence towards oversight. Intentional wrongdoing is the second liabilities' aspect
that only applies to individuals. This includes assaulting other members and damaging
volunteer's property.

5.1.1.4 Screening of applicants

1 Government 2 Testimonials/ 3 Screening

databases References interviews

Information on past (For individuals (For individuals

criminal activities flagged in Stage 1) flagged in Stage 2)
Individuals

including capital crimes Submission of Interviews with

and fraud testimonials or letters of representatives from the
commendation from administrator at the
credible character administrator's office
references

Information on tax (For organisations (For organisations

Organisations

filings, bankruptcy flagged in Stage 1) flagged in Stage 2)

filings, and past/ Submission of Interviews with
ongoing lawsuits filed by references from representatives from the
employees partners, holding administrator at the
companies, or vendors organisation's office/
location

Figure 5.6: Applicants' screening process

A thorough screening process will be conducted on applicants to ensure the safety and
well-being of volunteers and requestors. The system will run background checks on
each applicant to ensure that safety and security standards are met.

In the first stage, individual's information on past criminal activities including capital
crimes and fraud will be screened. Information on tax filings, bankruptcy filings, and
past or ongoing lawsuits filed by employees will be examined for organisations.

62
If applicants do not clear the first stage, individual applicants may be required to submit
testimonials or letters of commendation from credible character references.
Meanwhile, organisations will be asked to submit references from partners, holding
companies, or vendors.

The last stage, screening interviews, will be conducted by representatives from the
administrator if issues persist past the second stage. Rejected applications will be used
as part of future background checks.

Upon successful registration, the individual or organisation's status will change from
"applicant" to "member".

5.1.2 Request and offers

5.1.2.1 Mechanisms for job matching

Post Skim Approve/

reject

Volunteer posts a Requestors skim Selected volunteer

Volunteer: "generic" offer of tasks through volunteer may choose to
Offer-led willing to be done with offers and selects approve or reject
matching clarifying information a volunteer request
e.g., time and location
Poster

Requestor posts a Volunteers skim Requestor may

Requestor: request for a certain through list of choose to approve
Request-led task with clarifying requests and or reject the offer
matching information e.g., time, applies to fulfil a
frequency, location request

Figure 5.7: Mechanism for offer-led and request-led matching

5.1.2.2 Sharing of information

Information requested during registration will be used to "auto-fill" selected fields of

information when a member is filling in a request for volunteer support. However,
members will only be able to see selected information about the requestor such as
their first name, approximate location, and rating. The intention is to provide potential

63
volunteers with sufficient information to select a task while protecting the privacy of the
requestor before a job is successfully matched.

Request for Volunteer Job Posting

Category Detailed description of the job/ task

Caretaking
Please provide details on the request e.g., special instructions,
Transportation/ logistics constraints, etc.
Housekeeping
Leisure and hobbies
Repairs
Tutoring/ Mentoring
Event assistance
Administrative work
Others

Tenure Location Duration

Start Date 12-06-2020 Please supply the address of Hours per

where the job/ task shall be session
End Date 20-06-2020 conducted

Frequency Credits

Daily Generated
Weekly
Monthly Actual offer

Figure 5.8: Sample request form for volunteering services

Members can list a variety of services across different categories, from day-to-day
assistance to hobbies and administrative work as shown in Figure 5.8 Tasks that
involve visits to someone's home will be allowed at a later point and additional services
can be added as needed in the future.

5.1.2.3 Connecting requestors and volunteers

Interested parties will scan the list of requests and send notifications to members that
satisfy certain parameters and have expressed interest in the relevant tasks. The
volunteer will choose preferred requestor if more than one has expressed interest.

Additionally, the Time Bank administrator may contact via phone or email potential
volunteers to inform of tasks they may be interested in or that they are qualified for. In

64
addition, reminder services for "inactive" members to facilitate the use of the scheme
will be initiated to keep members engaged.

5.1.3 Undertaking

5.1.3.1 Disclosure of additional particulars

Prior to embarking on the task, the platform will provide volunteers with more
information on the task particularly the exact address and requestor contact number.
In the meantime, requestors will be given selected information about volunteers such
as full name and neighbourhood address.

5.1.3.2 Verification, monitoring, and confirmation

Requestor: Organization Requestor: Individual

Volunteer: Individual Volunteer: Individual

> Volunteer(s) and requestor first confirm and prove identity

> Requestor briefs volunteer on tasks and expectations for the
undertaking
> Volunteer(s) and requestor confirm the agreed upon credits to be
Meet exchanged upon completion

> Individual carries > Individual carries out appointed

out appointed tasks tasks
> Organizations may appoint a
representative to observe/
monitor volunteer's activities
Perform

> Volunteer and requestor shall review actual time spent on the task
> Time credits awarded may be amended upon mutual agreement
> An electronic (or offline) "receipt" is acknowledged by both parties
Wrap-up to confirm completion of task and transfer of credits

Figure 5.9: Undertaking process

As shown in Figure 5.9, upon first meeting volunteers and requestors must confirm and
prove their identities before the requestor briefs the volunteer on tasks and
expectations for the undertaking. While the individual carries out the appointed task,

65
organisations may appoint a representative to observe or monitor volunteer's activities.
When completed, volunteer and requestor shall review actual time spent on the task.
Time credits awarded may be amended upon mutual agreement where both parties
must acknowledge and confirm credits earned and exchanged prior to the undertaking.

When the task is completed, an electronic or offline receipt shall be issued and
acknowledged by both parties to confirm completion of task and transfer of credits. The
completion receipt should include information of involved parties, a description of the
task and qualifying volunteering hours. The purpose is to provide recognition and
evidence to the volunteer of the hours offered and to foster transparency and a
decentralized way of operations. In addition, the receipt also protects Time Bank and
parties from disputes on credit hours awarded. The Time Bank may choose to audit
transactions randomly either as a physical observer or via phone call interviews.

5.1.3.3 Volunteer and requestor rating system

Satisfaction, Feedback, and Rating

Assessor Assessee

Role of Role of
Requestor Volunteer
assessor assessee

Assessor type Organization Assessee type Individual

Performance review

Competency n/a Teamwork n/a

Punctuality n/a Leadership n/a

Motivation n/a Attitude n/a

Overall Time Bank experience

satisfaction
rating Ease of use

Support
[Optional] Please provide feedback on overall
provided
performance and impression of the assessee
Figure 5.10: Sample feedback form for volunteers

66
 Satisfaction, Feedback, and Rating

Assessor Assessee

Role of Role of
Volunteer Requestor
assessor assessee

Assessor type Individual Assessee type Individual

Performance review

Clarity of
n/a Friendliness n/a
instructions
Support n/a Punctuality n/a

Communication n/a Fun n/a

Overall Time Bank experience

satisfaction
rating Ease of use

Support
[Optional] Please provide feedback on overall
provided
performance and impression of the assessee

Figure 5.11: Sample feedback form for requestors

Each requestor and volunteer will be given a rating at the end of each task by their
counterparts based on selected criteria. Accumulated ratings will be aggregated and
displayed on each individual's and organisation's Time Bank profiles. Volunteers will
be assessed on their attitude towards work, competencies, and timeliness. While
requestors will be assessed on their ability to provide clear direction and to create an
engaging environment for their volunteers.

The rating system aims to provide requestors and volunteers with more information on
the quality of their counterparts to ensure better transparency. The administrator shall
conduct random interviews and counselling services in the event of consistent negative
reviews.

67
5.1.3.4 Dispute resolution

Figure 5.12: Process for dispute resolution

If problems arise during the undertaking or transacting, members can find support
through the Time Bank administrator's resolution procedure as shown in Figure 5.12.

5.1.4 Account management

5.1.4.1 Account monitoring

Each member will have access to a dashboard including information on their past tasks
or requests and current credit balance. Members could monitor their time credit
accounts and information on different options to utilize their credits. The dashboard
may also contain goals, achievements, and challenges which they may participate in
to earn bonus credits or "multipliers" to keep volunteers motivated. After sufficient
collection of credits, members may choose to redeem credits for goods or services,
transfer or donate credits.

68
 Standard Dashboard Advanced Dashboard1)

Balance Analytics Goals

Time credits Transactions Goal setting

Time credits' current Time credit tran- Setting of personal goals e.g. 20
net balance i.e. sactions number, volunteering hours in 2020
Time credits in ones historical data and
account available for percentage Goal progress tracking
redemption, debt changes over time
level, etc.
Total hours Achievements
Coupons/ exchanged
vouchers Hours exchanged, "Badges" earned
Coupons and historical data and Status of "badges" earned
vouchers that have percentage progressively through continues
been redeemed but changes over time engagement e.g. 10 hours completed
have yet to be used/ badge
claimed
Volunteering
activities Rankings
Rewards Statistics with the Comparison with peers (age and
Currently in-effect type of geography) on time credits
rewards such as volunteering accumulated, transactions performed,
x1.1, x1.5, etc. credit activities such as different types of volunteering, etc.
multipliers, that have meal preparation,
been earned eldercare, tutoring, Rewards unlocking progress
through challenges etc.
and achievements
and apply every time
credit earning Peers and Challenges
transactions occur partners
Statistics on the Join challenges
exchanged time e.g. a reward for 8 volunteering hours
credits with in a week
individuals and with
organizations
Track challenges progress

1) complementary to "Standard Dashboard" features

Figure 5.13: Dashboard functions overview

As shown in Figure 5.13, the purpose of the dashboard is to provide easy-to-use, real-
time information for members.

Members can redeem points by exchanging time credits for living essentials, donate
or transfer credits. Business-to-Business (B2B) companies are expected to provide
essential goods in exchange of time credits. It is proposed to engage Business-to-
Consumer (B2C) companies in later stage to provide goods to volunteers as a "reward"
for accomplishing challenges or after reaching certain rankings. Based on the survey

69
result, meal vouchers and household products top the redemption preferences of
volunteers.

5.1.4.2 Use of credits

Figure 5.14: Potential uses of credits

Donations are for organisations to give accumulated time credits to other members
namely NGOs and individuals. If members choose to transfer, they would supply their
own time credits to another member. The use of credits is expected to enable a
"circular" flow of credits between individuals, NGOs, and private companies. It also
ensures that the right vulnerable social groups are getting help while avoiding misuse
of the system.

In future, time bank credits may also be used as a reference for universities / colleges,
private sector employers and Government agencies when considering applications. It
can act as an additional selection criterion to increase ease of candidate selection and

70
may yield higher potential of recruiting a better employee. Weightage / importance of
the criterion will be determined independently by each university / college or employer

5.1.4.3 Limitations on use of credits

Individuals will have a "savings" and a "liquid" account. The "savings" account which
will account for 70% of the accumulated credits will be only accessible after the age of
60 or under special circumstances such as illness with the Time Bank's administrator's
approval. A periodic review will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the
savings-redemption ratio and propose revisions if required.

Eligibility Debt allowance Transaction limitations

All members eligible
No restrictions apply – all
persons and organizations
may choose to exchange
credits for goods and/or
services
Restricted None
Individuals may go into Members can redeem as
debt, organizations may much as they want for any
not – maximum debt amount of goods/ services
accumulated shall be (–4) provided they have
hours sufficient credits

Permission/ oversight Time limits/ sensitivity Other(s)

None
Members can redeem
goods/ services upon
satisfying requirements of
the provider/ supplier –
consultation with
administrator not required
None Ethics and health
Members can redeem Time credits cannot be
goods/ services for any redeemed for products or
amount of times services of child labour,
throughout the year alcohol, tobacco, etc.

Figure 5.15: Eligibility and limitations on redemption

In addition to a savings ratio, redemption should have sufficient rules in place to avoid
unethical and societal damaging practices and behaviour. For instance, individuals
may go into debt, with maximum accumulated debt capped at four hours, but
organisations may not go into debt. Time credits also cannot be redeemed for products
or services of child labour, alcohol or tobacco.

71
 Eligibility
Partners only
Only permissible from
organizations but credits
may be donated to both
partners and to individuals
Debt allowance Transaction limitations
Not allowed Limited
Organizations are not Donations to other
allowed to go in debt for organizations can happen
the process of transfer in a free flow – donations
to individuals are limited

Permission/ oversight Time limits/ sensitivity Other(s)

None
Although there is no need
for permission, partners
should consult the
administrator for fair credit
allocation among the
organizations
Minimum once a year Ethics
Time credits may be No individual can receive
donated at any time more than 224 hours in a
however it is single transaction without
recommended that more the Time Bank
than one donation administrator's approval to
happens per annum avoid misuse

Figure 5.16: Eligibility and limitations on donations

Even though donations to other organisations can happen in an unrestricted manner,

donations to individuals are limited. No individual can receive more than 224 hours'
worth of credits in a single transaction without the Time Bank administrator's approval,
to avoid misuse. It is also restricted for organisations to go in debt for the process of
donation.

72
 Eligibility
All members eligible
No restrictions apply – all
persons may choose to
donate credits to other
members (both to persons
and to organizations)
Debt allowance Transaction limitations
Restricted None
Individuals may go into Members can donate as
debt, organizations may much as they want to
not – maximum debt anyone they desire
accumulated shall be (–4) provided they have
hours sufficient credits

Permission/ oversight Time limits/ sensitivity Other(s)

None None Ethics and health
Members can donate at Members can donate time Although not restricted, it
own will upon – credits for any amount of is advised that members
consultation with times throughout the year do consider members or
administrator not required organizations most in need
before transferring credits

Figure 5.17: Eligibility and limitations on transfers

Figure 5.17 shows that Individuals may freely transfer credits to other individuals or
charities, provided they do not exceed their debt limit. Unlike organisations, individuals
may go into debt with maximum debt accumulated of four hours.

5.2 Responsibilities of the Time Bank administrator

The administrator will act as an independent party in charge of overseeing, promoting,

and sustaining itself and the platform.

5.2.1 Operational partnerships

To operate the scheme, the administrator must develop partnerships to form

collaborations that increase the use of the scheme and provides advisory services and
feedback from platform to improve partners' activity offerings.

73
Figure 5.18: Illustration of operational partnerships

The Time Bank's partnership model will involve three stakeholders including the Time
Bank administrator, non-profit and profit institutions that give both tangible and
intangible benefits for all parties as seen in Figure 5.18.

Generally, non-profit institutions help Time Bank provides volunteering activities as

well as give training to volunteers. By comparison, the Time Bank Scheme and by
extension its administrator increases capacity building for non-profit as it enables them
to be more effective in advancing its missions.

As for-profit institutions, the partnerships give a platform for companies to fulfil their
CSR requirements. Malaysia has demonstrated an increasing awareness of CSR in
recent years supported by Government regulation. The administrator shall be
responsible for selecting the best partners based on volunteers' preferences.

5.2.2 Sustainable funding

In general, funding can be obtained from private and public donations along with
business incomes from scheme activities. Time Bank shall not rely only on one single
income and must seek for multiple and sustainable funding sources.

It is proposed that the scheme's operational cost will be funded by donations, business
income, merchandising and sponsorship. Donations will be generated by ad-hoc
events, endowment income, and online donations.
74
 A Donations
Donations A > Ad-hoc events
> Endowment income
> Online donations

B Business income
Business income B > Analytics
> Paid surveys
Time Bank > Service fees

C Merchandising
Merchandising C
> Time Bank merchandise
> Gift or thrift shops
> Traditional arts and crafts

Sponsorship D D Sponsorship
> Corporate sponsorship

Figure 5.19: Overview of potential funding mechanisms

An alternative source of fund is produced from the scheme's business income such as
analytics and paid surveys conducted by volunteers. In addition, Time Bank may
charge fees as compensation of professional services managed by volunteers namely
financial or personal consultation.

5.2.3 Promotion

There are three main aspects to configure when planning an effective marketing
strategy: the audience, the messages, and the channels. Target audiences of Time
Bank's promotion consist of individuals, non-profit and profit institutions.

In raising awareness of potential volunteers, Time Bank must promote using engaging
content on effective platforms. The administrator should consider throwing events and
sending partnership proposals to engage non-profit institutions as partners. Similarly,
the administrator must demonstrate how the scheme could benefit private institutions.

75
 A Audience

Individuals Non-profit Private

institutions institutions

Volunteering presents Through partnerships, the Partnership with the Time

benefits for both Time Bank will assist Bank provides benefits for
volunteers and NGOs with additional private institutions in
communities resources to advance increasing its performance
their missions

B Messages > Volunteering cost > Time Bank scheme > TB provides a platform
nothing but time can mitigate issues for corporates to fulfil
> Volunteering is about related to lack of its CSR requirements
giving back and volunteers > Partnership with TB
helping others in need > Partnership with TB could improve public
> Volunteering helps can help improve image
develop skills and gain visibility of non-profit > TB partnership boosts
work experience organizations employee
> Volunteering shall be > Partnership can help engagement as well
rewarded with credits broaden non-profits as attracts and retains
offerings investors
> The Time Bank can > Participation in TB
help raise more could result in tax
funding and deduction benefits
partnerships for non-
profit

C Channels > Website, newsletter and social media > Partnership proposals
campaign > Speaking engagements at events
> Pop up booths at public spaces
> Television, magazine, posters and
billboards
> Gala dinners

Figure 5.20: Overview of promotion strategies

As illustrated in Figure 5.20, finding effective promotion content is the first step towards
successful promotion. Thus, Time Bank should integrate a healthy mix of owned,
earned and paid media distribution channels as its online promotion efforts. Publication
process must be well thought out to make the best decisions possible for successfully
promoting Time Bank. Offline promotion is also crucial as there are still plenty of
potential volunteers who do not know how to use the internet effectively.

76
5.2.4 Member support

Figure 5.21: Coverage of member support

Members are supported throughout their Time Bank journey; in every step of their
process in the Time Bank Scheme there are defined instances in which the
administrator may provide support.

While registering applicants shall receive assistance with the application, information
on members' rights and duties as well as appeals for rejected applications.

Throughout the process of posting or searching for volunteering opportunities

members can expect the administrator to help with software / platform guidance,
personalise volunteering opportunities ads and a proactive match making of
opportunities and members as well as facilitation of collaborations between members
and partners.

77
Throughout the undertaking the administrator shall, when required, act as the "middle
man" to provide information, assist with bringing volunteers and requestors in contact,
and coordinate the activity. The administrator shall take on the role of a trouble-shooter
for technical problems, disputes or emergencies.

Finally, members can expect to receive administrator assistance for account

management through customer support (e.g., dashboard helpdesk, "tips and tricks" on
optimal credit uses, collecting feedback, etc.). In addition, the administrator may also
provide advisory support or counselling to inactive members or those with consistently
low ratings.

5.2.5 Audit, ratification, and dispute resolution

In the event of disputes among the members, the administrator shall audit members
using a comprehensive process.

First, the Time Bank administrator must have a draft audit plan based on transaction
information contained in the system including a risk assessment to identify possible
problems.

Next, the administrator shall invite the partner's point of contact or member to an open
members meeting. The meeting shall present the scope, time frame and needs of the
audit. Field work will then be conducted by speaking to members and reviewing
procedures and processes.

Compliance tests against Time Bank's code of conduct and modus operandi along with
evaluation internal controls shall also be included, if applicable. A report is then
prepared detailing the findings of the audit and recommended solutions to any
problems.

Finally, the meeting will close with the member's response on the problems pointed out
in the report including an action plan to address them with projected completion date.
Any remaining issues shall be resolved and next step to be discussed.

78
 1 2 3 4 5
Audit plan Member Field work Assessment Closing
meeting report meeting

> Gather and > Invite partner's > Conduct field > Prepare a > Solicit a
look over the point of contact work by report detailing response from
transaction or member and speaking to the findings of member on the
information key TB members and the audit problems
contained in administrative reviewing – Include pointed out in
the system for staff to an procedures compliance the report,
the member to open meeting and processes issues, including an
be audited > Present the (when process action plan to
> Plan out how scope, time applicable) weaknes- address them
the audit will frame and > Test for ses, (with projected
be conducted needs of the compliance transact- completion
including a risk audit with Time tions date)
assessment to > Inform Bank's code of discrepan- > Resolve any
identify members of conduct and cies, etc remaining
possible potential modus > Write up a issues, and
problems interviews to operandi commentary discuss next
> Draft an audit be scheduled > Evaluate describing the steps
plan internal findings of the
controls (when audit and
applicable) to recommended
make sure solutions to
they're any problems
adequate
> Discuss any
problems as
they arise

Figure 5.22: Audit process

5.3 Establishment of the Time Bank administrator

5.3.1 Organisation structure

The Time Bank administrator will report its activities to four Malaysian Ministries to
review the scheme's conformity. First, the CCM under the Ministry of Domestic Trade
and Consumer Affairs will oversee Time Bank's financial reporting to confirm whether
the scheme is being run in accordance with the Act. The Ministry also examines time
credits redemption impact to the domestic trade market especially pricing of goods and
customer protection.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia ensures all media and
content in the platform are not offensive or illegal. The Ministry of Women, Family and

79
Community Development reviews the scheme activities in its aims to increase the living
standards of persons involved and to ensure that their welfare is taken care of. Lastly,
the Ministry of Human Resources analyses the scheme's activities to ensure legitimate
practices are carried out and that it follows the code of conduct and local laws of human
resources.

In addition, other ministries / agencies (e.g., MESTECC, MySPC) may also be

consulted to ensure no overlaps and smooth implementation leveraging on existing /
ongoing / planned programmes, standards, and platforms (e.g., Social Enterprise
Accreditation, Social Impact Exchange).

The organisation will need fifteen full-time employees to manage its activities, five of
those will be managing the Time Bank Scheme. The five people include four Ministries
representatives that act as the Guarantors / Board of Members and one Managing
Director that is accountable to the BODs and oversees the scheme.

Currently, it is proposed that the administrator shall be DSW. With this in mind, certain
roles can be subsumed, adjusted or created to better fit with DSW's internal structure.
However, it is recommended that the multi-Ministry composition of the BOD be
retained.

The Managing Director supervises four functional departments of Communication and

Development, Finance and Fundraising, Operational and Administration. Each
department will be headed by one manager. The communication and development
attempt to promote Time Bank and its features while also create, coordinate and
manage partnerships and projects.

Finance and Fundraising manage financial activities and lead funding efforts. The
operational department deals with the scheme's operational activity with four divisions
under the department. It covers platform management, member support, partnership
support and ratification, audit and resolution divisions. Lastly, the administration
provides secretary support to managers and leadership team and provide
documentation and reporting.

80
 Guarantors/
Leadership Board of Members
team Four Ministry and relevant
Governmental agencies
Managing Director representatives

> Accountable to the Board of

Members
> Oversees the operations and
manages staff

Communication & Finance and Administration

Operational Manager
Development Manager Fundraising Manager Manager

> Promote Time Bank > Manage financial > Provide secretary
Ratification,
and its features to activities, e.g. Platform Member Partnership support to Managers
Audit and
current and potential accounting and Management Support Support and Leadership team
Resolution
members and budgeting > Documentation and
partners > Lead funding efforts > Oversee platform development to increase user reporting
> Create, coordinate (donation and experiences and do periodic checks on platform
and manage fundraising events) performance to ensure the system is running smoothly
partnerships and > Conduct alternative > Offer volunteers' and partner's support (customer service
projects funding and support)
> Engage with relevant (microenterprises and > Online or in-person member support from registration to
stakeholders to data analytics) to redemption including reminder services for "inactive"
communicate improve sustainability members
results and other > Securing partnerships to increase use of the scheme
updates > Checkpoint to confirm volunteering activities, audit of
time credit exchanges, ratification of rating system and
advisory services in the event of disputes

Figure 5.23: Governance and leadership team structure

81
5.3.2 Digital platform and systems

Core capabilities Exhange and storage of information,

Key transactions-able e.g., for payment, donations, and time
functionality credits, security, e.g., privacy control, SSL technology,
for the digital platform safety back up feautres, etc.

Intuitive, easy to use UI1)

Allowing for registration, profile creation, posting of
service adds, messaging, announcements, help and
support

Analytics e.g. Reporting and other dashboards, both for

members and timebank, tracking tools of transactions, etc.

1) User Interface
Figure 5.24: Overview of digital platform functionality

The platform's core capabilities must include exchange and storage of information,
transactions-able and security.

Transactions-able is to provide payment, donations, and time credits meanwhile

security consists of privacy control, SSL technology, and safety back up features. The
platform should also be intuitive and have an easy user interface that allows
registration, profile creation, posting of service adds, messaging, announcements,
help, and support. Lastly, access to analytics such as reporting and other dashboards
as well as tracking tools of transactions is essential.

There are four types of digital platforms that can offer the needed functionality:

 Basic.
Includes available technology such as spreadsheets for record keeping, email
plus website for communication. All information is handled manually by the
administrator. Thus, the basic model has very low initial costs but is labour
intensive, not transparent or secure with limited functionality.

 Off the shelf .

A tried and tested solution that is trusted by most Time Banks around the world.
Examples include hOurworld and Community Weaver (CW3). The advantage

82
 that is provides is that there is virtually no start up costs and can operate with
sufficient functionality and reliability. A potential downside is its potential inability
to accommodate functional adjustments.

 Hybrid.
A retrofitted use of the off-the-shelf solution. For instance, hOurworld with a
customized user interface to accommodate functionality such as submission of
a scanned ID document. The hybrid model has relatively low start-up costs and
can operate with good functionality and is relatively versatile. However, it
possesses some limitations on the amount of functionality that can be added at
reasonable costs.

 Tailormade.
A system built from scratch that is fit for purpose. Such a system should support
all Time Bank's functionality requirements through advanced technologies such
as blockchain. Although it is fit for purpose, it is costly to develop and to operate
as it will take time to develop.

83
dividers.pptx 9
 CHAPTER 6

ACTION PLAN

dividers.pptx 10
 1
Launch the pilot > Set up the project organisation
> Define pilot's strategy
> Set up necessary systems and processes
Go/ > Test the concept
No Go ?

2
Implement reg. > Identify regulatory hurdles
changes1) > Recommend changes
> Implement changes

3 Define the entity >

>
>
Identify use of existing bodies / companies, if any
Identify alternatives if necessary
Incorporate learnings from pilot
> Adjust and scale the platform
> Establish processes

4
Build partnerships > Identify relevant partners
> Launch partnership development in waves

Roll out Nationally > Design and launch promotional campaign

5 > Rollout in waves

1) if required

Figure 6.1: Overview of next steps

6.1 Launch the pilot

6.1.1 Objective(s)

The objectives of the pilot are primarily to test the recommended concept in real-time
application and to identify issues and troubleshooting measures in the "beta test"
concept. Ultimately, findings from the pilot will be used to refine recommendations from
this study to reflect actual user preferences and behaviour and to provide critical inputs
for a Go / No-Go decision from an oversight committee on the national roll out.

86
6.1.2 Outline of key tasks

Action Plan Details Champions Timeline

Set up a task force The task force will be responsible for

under MWFCD to assessing the regulatory prerequisites,
identify the budget details, and overall goals and MWFCD 1 month
requirements to run objectives of the pilot test
the pilot

Appoint an existing The task force together with input from

department (e.g., other relevant agencies may choose to
DSW) / project appoint an existing department within a
management team / Government body to take on the MWFCD /
consultancy to responsibilities of overseeing the pilot. MOHR / 1 month
oversee and carry out ILMIA
pilot and confirm Alternatively, an external party may also
terms of engagement be appointed depending on the decision
of the task force and its supporting
agencies.

Design operating and The appointed project management team

reporting structure shall be responsible for designing the
for the pilot project strategy and operations of the pilot
including outlining methods of:
 Structuring tasks to provide clear
focus on project objectives; PMO team 2 weeks
 Fostering continuous flow of
information among and between
workstreams; and
 Providing troubleshooting
measures to combat issues.

Select and engage A vendor shall be appointed if necessary

service providers / to design / retrofit a "beta" platform for the
platform / software pilot.
designers to set up
"beta" platform Selection of the vendor shall be
dependent on several factors including:
 Past experiences and successes PMO team /
in executing similar projects; Oversight 3 months
 Cost estimates; committee

 Flexibility and openness to input

from the PMO team; and
 Ability to build rapport with
Government counterparts and
manage multiple stakeholders.

87
Engage NGOs and Identify potential partners both among
selected corporates NGOs and private companies to
to participate in pilot participate in the pilot project.
project PMO team 4 months
Discussions must include expected
compensation, duration of the
partnership, and expectations on outcome
/ communication frequency.

Consult other Obtain a list of volunteers from relevant

ministries / agencies / Government agencies to form the pool of
NGOs to identify potential pilot project participants. PMO team 3 months
potential participants
of the pilot project Discuss processes and list with NGOs to
isolate / remove undesirable profiles.

Validate eligibility of Screen and perform background checks

PMO team /
potential participants on potential participants to reduce safety 1 month
MOHA
and security risks in the pilot project.

Identify and group Shortlist and group selected shortlisted

pilot test subjects by participants by a pre-determined set of
PMO team /
geography, criteria previously agreed upon between 1 month
DSW / NGOs
demographic the PMO team and members of the
oversight committee.

Strategize and design Re-evaluate designed operating structure

roll out mechanism and mechanisms and strategize the roll
PMO team 2 weeks
for the pilot out times, locations, etc. for the pilot
project.

Launch the pilot Upon approval of the oversight

PMO team 1 week
committee, roll out the pilot project.

Monitor and track Continuous observation and evaluation of

progress of the pilot the interactions and transactions within
project and step in the Time Bank Scheme pilot project to
with troubleshooting identify potential issues and challenges
measures, if required causing hurdles to the implementation of PMO team 6 months
the pilot project.
Propose troubleshooting and risk
mitigation measures to overcome
identified hurdles.

Prepare progress Prepare periodic reports containing

report(s) to oversight identified issues and challenges, analysis,
PMO team 5 months
committee recommendations and next steps for the
consideration of the oversight committee.

Obtain go / no-go Upon completion of the pilot, prepare a

decision from final report to obtain a final go / no-go
oversight committee decision from the oversight committee to PMO team 2 weeks
implement the Time Bank Scheme full
scale
Table 6.1: Key tasks - Launch the pilot

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6.2 Implement regulatory changes, if required

6.2.1 Objective(s)

To identify, provide recommendations and support the Government in making

necessary changes, if any, to regulations or policies which directly restricts the
establishment or operations of the Time Bank Scheme.

6.2.2 Outline of key tasks

Action Plan Details Champions Timeline

Perform a Throughout the pilot, the PMO team will be

regulatory check required to assess the potential regulatory
to identify implications of setting up the Time Bank
potential legal and Scheme. PMO team 7 months
regulatory hurdles
The process will be ongoing as new
developments or circumstances in the pilot
may change with time.

Benchmark other Identify and select countries with Time Bank

countries / Schemes and similar regulatory environment
situations and to assess how regulations were amended PMO team 1 month
draw examples and reviewed to accommodate the needs of
their Time Bank Scheme.

Form Based on benchmarks and relevance to the

recommendations Malaysian context, provide recommendations
based on relevant on the changes to be made to Malaysian
best-in-class role regulations to allow for the establishment and
PMO team 2 weeks
model (global and operations of the Time Bank Scheme.
regional)
regulatory
structure

Work with Provide necessary advisory support as and

Government to when consulted by the Government to ease
incorporate lobbying of changes to national regulation. PMO team 1 month
learnings from
benchmarks

Support Provide additional support in the preparation

Government to of materials for its Government stakeholders
PMO team 6 months
implement to plead a case for regulatory or policy
changes change.
Table 6.2: Key tasks - Implement regulatory changes, if required

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6.3 Establish the entity

6.3.1 Objective(s)

To determine or establish the entity which would be responsible for managing and
developing the Time Bank Scheme.

6.3.2 Outline of key tasks

Action Plan Details Champions Timeline

Consult ministries Seek potential existing Government

and agencies on use departments or bodies to run the Time
of existing Bank Scheme. If one is appointed, the
PMO team 2 months
departments / bodies next step would be to host workshops to
to run the time bank determine vision and action plans for the
scheme entity.

Design the [If there are no willing or able Government

organisation departments or bodies to take on the
responsibility]
Propose an organisation structure that it
suitable to the needs and purposes of the
Time Bank Scheme.
Some structures that may be considered: MWFCD /
2 months
 Functional: structured around MOHR / ILMIA
key functions (e.g., finance,
operations, etc.);
 Project based: structured around
major projects or scope; and
 Partner-based: structured around
partners or beneficiaries served.

Establish the Board [If there are no willing or able Government

of Members and departments or bodies to take on the
register the company responsibility]
Based on input from the oversight
committee, install a Board of Members to PMO team 1 month
act as the topmost management level of
the Time Bank Scheme / administrator to
oversee and guide the development of the
Time Bank Scheme

90
Prepare and [If there are no willing or able Government
advertise job departments or bodies to take on the
descriptions responsibility] PMO team /
Identify roles and headcount required, Oversight 6 months
prepare job descriptions and advertise committee
jobs within the Time Bank administrating
entity

Screen and hire [If there are no willing or able Government

applicants departments or bodies to take on the
responsibility]
PMO team 6 months
Conduct interviews and background
checks on potential applicants to shortlist
and hire new employees

Run workshops to Define the vision, strategic goals and

articulate vision action plan following a structured
strategic goals and approach through workshops to:
an action plan for the
organisation  Articulate the vision by answering
questions such as "Where do we
want to be?", "Who do we want to
be in the future?", etc.;
 Form strategic goals by answering New entity /
1 month
questions such as "What do we PMO team
want to achieve?", "What do we
measure ourselves by?", etc.; and
 Create a "strategic initiatives"
action plan answering the
question of "What do we need to
do" in order to realise the vision
and the strategic goals.

Identify and Once established, the entity must identify

incorporate pilot's and incorporate learnings from the pilot to
learnings review the Time Bank Scheme concept
and mechanisms by:
 Distributing questionnaires and
perform interviews with pilot
users;
New entity /
 Collecting learnings from the 2 months
PMO team
project team;
 Synthesising collected feedback
(internal and external) to pinpoint
the areas of improvement; and
 Creating an incorporation plan
about selected improvements and
suggestions.

91
 Build SOPs (e.g. how Establish standard operating procedures
to report a problem, within the entity to effectively and New entity /
3 months
how to onboard new efficiently manage operations within the PMO team
members, etc.) Time Bank Scheme.

Adjust and scale the Based on the expected scale of the Time
platform Bank Scheme, make adjustments or
New entity /
allowances to the platform and processes 2 months
PMO team
used in the pilot project to accommodate
the scale required for national roll out.
Table 6.3: Key tasks - Establish the entity

6.4 Build partnerships

6.4.1 Objective(s)

To identify and form the right partnerships so that Time Bank can create synergies and
leverage on partners' resources and expertise

6.4.2 Outline of key tasks

Action Plan Details Champions Timeline

Longlist all eligible Identify all eligible partners from NGOs to

partners private companies, banks and other
corporate sponsors. PMO team 1 month

Engage potential Identify needs and requests of partners to

partners and obtain their approval to participate in the
negotiate terms of Scheme. PMO team 6 months
engagement
Conduct discussions to negotiate and
agree upon their terms of engagement.

Shortlist and Shortlist partners based on criteria

prioritise partners including:
 Relevance and alignment to the
PMO team 1 month
scheme's values and goals; and
 Expected impact and benefits to
the scheme and its members.

Launch wave 1: most Roll out the first wave with operationally
needed partners critical partners only such as NGOs New entity /
(operationally TBD
PMO team
critical)

92
 Launch wave 2: Roll out the second wave to include new
complementary partners that provide goods and services to
New entity /
partners (services increase registration. TBD
PMO team
and offerings
expansion)

Launch wave 3: Roll out the third wave to include additional

everyone else companies or NGOs to expand the scope New entity /
TBD
(further services and of offerings within the scheme. PMO team
offering expansion)
Table 6.4: Key tasks - Build partnerships

6.5 Roll out nationally

6.5.1 Objective(s)

To scale up the Time Bank Scheme for national launch including marketing and promotion

6.5.2 Outline of key tasks

Action Plan Details Champions Timeline

Design marketing Outline the key messages, target groups,

campaign channels and timeline of effective
promotion and communication to the
public. PMO team 2 months

Work with Government agencies to plan for

future joint-marketing initiatives.

Institute regular Determine frequency of reporting and

checkpoints between progress update meetings to the Board of
PMO team 1 week
new entity and Board Members.
of Members

Prioritise rollouts Phase out national roll-out strategically

based on ease and based on ease and expected impact. PMO team 1 month
population coverage

Launch campaign Host a launch event to provide information

on the purpose, objectives and abilities of New entity /
the Time Bank Scheme. 2 months
PMO team

Table 6.5: Key tasks - Roll out nationally

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