Hong Kong’s tech infrastructure makes data sharing much easier with the charitable organisations — along with the city’s charitable nature, that is also why we are here.
Hong Kong people are some of the most benevolent in the world. It is ingrained into the city’s nature to give generously to those in need, whether it is loose change to buy a sticker on the street or large cheques for raffle prizes at a glamorous ball. Yet with a wealth of charitable organisations in the city, the experience of donating to a charity may not catch up with the pace of technology.
“Many charitable organisations have not invested in technology for their day-to-day operations,” explained Edmond Chan, Senior Manager with ZA International and one of the drivers behind ZA Care. “I have encountered PDFs that don’t open because the programme isn’t installed, or tax deduction receipts that can only be posted. Efficiencies are low and the overall donation experience can be improved. Even worse, many charge a transaction fee for each pledge, when all of the proceeds should go to the cause.”
Helping charities along every step
ZA Care was established as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of ZA International, a subsidiary under Zhong An Online, a leading Mainland Chinese online only insurance firm based in Shanghai. It helps get money to charities in a better, quicker way with ZA’s robust financial technology support. As a non-profit enterprise, it is involved in charitable events for their entire duration to ensure smooth transition from pledge to receipt of funds. By eliminating fees and processing the entire experience online, the donor experience is enhanced through ZA Care’s management.
“ZA Care is a new and special entity that focuses on CSR,” Chan stated. “We want to do more by helping people on the ground. A lot of people don’t know about us compared to other banks, and there isn’t a natural trust in what we do since we are so new. With ZA Care, we may meet thousands of people at a charity event. It is great exposure and it allows us to be at the forefront of doing good work for local and international communities.”
Drawing upon tech support
At the moment, ZA Care’s team consists of specialists focused on product and business development. As ZA is a paperless company, ZA Care already has a virtual mindset. “We use our core skill set in tech support,” Chan stated. “We have ‘kitchens’ for storing data in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia. Data for ZA Care is securely and separately housed from our business customers’ data. Hong Kong’s tech infrastructure makes data sharing much easier with the charitable organisations — along with the city’s charitable nature, that is also why we are here.”
With technology playing a critical role for ZA Care, Chan admits that recruiting talent with strengths in both IT and CSR is important. “In the CSR realm, we need innovative, open-minded people,” he said. “Overall, there are a lot of talented choices in Hong Kong. We welcome charities to reach out and collaborate with us.”
