The Alumni Donor Stories is a regular series that explores a Bizad alumni’s giving journey. Yeo Keng Joon (MBA 1985) shares his story on how it all began for him.
Q: Tell us more about yourself and your background.
I graduated from The NUS MBA in 1985 and was part of their third-ever cohort of students. Since young, I have always been an active member of the communities that I am in. I did the same when I attended the part-time MBA programme. I joined the MBA student club and was elected the President of the MBA Alumni-NUS, the Founding President of NUS Business School Alumni Association (NUSBSA) and later became an inaugural member of the NUS Alumni Advisory Board when it was formed in 2005.
From left: Yeo Keng Joon (MBA 1985) with wife and fellow donor Kong Yuet Peng (MBA 1986). Photo taken pre-COVID.
Q: When did you start your giving journey? What led you to give to NUSBSA Bursary Fund?
Helping needy students is close to my heart as I came from a very humble background and relied on financial aid to pay for tuition fees. I wouldn’t have made it so far otherwise. I had wanted to donate to commemorate my son’s wedding in 2006, and my initial donation of $25,000 became the seeding fund of sorts when I later roped in nine other friends who also believed in the cause to donate. This was how we started the NUSBSA Bursary Fund. The government matching structure also made it a very easy sell — the money you donate will help needy students in perpetuity! That’s very good ROI! Most importantly, I want university students to focus on their studies and not have to give tuition to earn their degrees.
Keng Joon with Singapore President Halimah Yacob at an NUS charity event. Photo taken pre-COVID.
Q: What advice would you give to those who not know where and how to start giving?
Just give to your alma mater for helping you to be what you are today. NUS has made it easy for alumni and donors to give.
Do not procrastinate till you are more settled. Just give according to your capacity – give a little when you start and give more when you can. From my personal experience, the more l give, the more I get to give.
The story first appeared on NUSBSA. Alumni who wish to join NUSBSA can connect with fellow alumni and get exclusive access to events and programmes.
