How Operation Santa Claus grew from Christmas donations to ‘engine’ of change
Fundraising drive has evolved over its nearly 40 years from simply disbursing funds to building sustained relationships with NGOs
Over nearly four decades, Operation Santa Claus (OSC) has grown from a quirky holiday fundraiser into an “engine” for community change in Hong Kong.
For some beneficiaries, the journey was a full circle. Rachel Chow Chiu-yan learned about the fundraising drive in Young Post when she was a student, later pitched for funds on behalf of a group helping teenage girls and later joined the charity.
“Ten to 20 years ago, Operation Santa Claus disbursed some funding to charities that saw it as seed money. Now, after successful pilot schemes, the initiatives have been replicated,” Chow, former senior manager of the programme, said.
The drive was established by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK in 1988.
