Giveinstead.sg Founder Shoken Tsurumaru Wins President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Award 2026

Shoken Tsurumaru, founder of Giveinstead.sg, has been named the People of Good (Youth) Award winner at the President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) 2026, Singapore’s highest honour recognising outstanding contributions to volunteerism and philanthropy.

Shoken received the award from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the PVPA ceremony at Raffles Hotel on 7 October 2026. The recognition comes just one year after he was named a finalist in the Student category at PVPA 2025, marking a significant milestone in Giveinstead.sg’s journey from a youth-led idea into a growing movement for celebratory giving.

Conferred by the President of the Republic of Singapore and organised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), the PVPA recognises individuals, organisations, leaders and partnerships for outstanding contributions to giving in Singapore. The 2026 awards received more than 700 nominations nationally across all categories.

From a Simple Idea to a Growing Movement

Shoken founded Giveinstead.sg in 2023 after a simple realisation: people genuinely want to help, but sometimes they just need a little nudge or guidance on where to start.

Giveinstead.sg is a social initiative that provides a free concierge service and platform to help turn personal celebrations into opportunities for charitable giving by supporting meaningful causes instead of receiving gifts. From birthdays and anniversaries to other milestones, our volunteer-run team connects donors with causes they care about and supports them throughout the giving journey. We never handle the funds ourselves, and donations go directly to the chosen charities.

Since 2023, Giveinstead.sg has raised over S$325,000 through 99 campaigns with 36 charity partners, touching more than 9,000 lives.

A Recognition Shared by Our Community

The recognition is particularly meaningful because Shoken was nominated by St John’s Home for Elderly Persons, one of Giveinstead.sg’s longstanding charity partners and a community especially close to his heart.

For Shoken, the award belongs to everyone who has been part of the journey: the families who turned their celebrations into opportunities to give, the donors who supported them, the volunteers who gave their time, and the charity partners who believed in Giveinstead.sg.

Making Celebratory Giving Part of Singapore Culture

Our vision is to make celebratory giving a natural part of life in Singapore.

This year, Giveinstead.sg collaborated with NVPC and Giving.sg to launch “Your Moment, Multiplied,” a nationwide initiative encouraging people across Singapore to turn birthdays and other personal milestones into opportunities to give.

We hope that one day, when someone asks, “What would you like for your birthday?”, it will feel just as natural to answer, “I’d like to support a cause I care about,” as it does to ask for a gift.

One celebration may seem small. But multiplied across a community, and eventually a country, it can become something extraordinary.

We are deeply honoured by this recognition and grateful to everyone who has been part of the journey. Together, we hope to make giving simpler, more joyful and a natural part of how Singapore celebrates.