For years, Gowtham Kanagaraj has been volunteering with the Singapore Red Cross to support blood donation efforts. Now a recipient of the Singapore Red Cross High Commendation Award, he reflects on the people, lessons and shared purpose that have kept him going.
When Gowtham Kanagaraj, 35, started volunteering with the Singapore Red Cross in 2018, he simply wanted to spend some of his free time doing something meaningful for the community.
What he found was a much bigger world of giving — one where donors, volunteers and staff each played a role in helping to meet Singapore’s blood needs.
“Seeing people willingly give their time and blood to help someone they may never meet gave me a different appreciation of community service.”
That appreciation grew as Gowtham became more involved with the Singapore Red Cross. As a Volunteer Leader, he took on greater responsibilities at Bloodbanks and blood drives, working alongside other Volunteer Leaders and Team Leads to coordinate manpower, attendance and on-ground operations.
In 2025, Gowtham took on several leadership roles across the Blood Donor Programme, helping to oversee a pool of over 500 volunteers, while managing around 250 volunteers monthly to support Bloodbank and blood drive operations.
With a volunteer network of that size, he realised that managing volunteers was never just about making sure every role was filled.
More Than Manpower
Each volunteer brings their own set of experiences, perspectives and reasoning for volunteering — something Gowtham has learnt to keep in mind when working with his teams.
Some volunteers may come in ready and confident to take on responsibility, while others may need a little more time to find their footing.
“Volunteers have different experiences, personalities and motivations, so it’s important to communicate clearly, understand their strengths, listen to their concerns and make them feel valued.”
For him, leadership is not just about simply directing his team. Gowtham makes a point of working alongside his fellow team members on the ground as a way to build trust and a stronger sense of teamwork.
Perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering for him is watching his fellow volunteers’ growth.
“A new volunteer may be unsure or hesitant to speak up. But given time and encouragement, you see that same person growing more confident, taking on more responsibility and eventually supporting newer volunteers themselves. Being able to contribute to that journey is something I find very rewarding.”
Then there are days when the scale of that teamwork becomes much more visible.
World Blood Donor Day is one such occasion for Gowtham. It brings together different people behind Singapore’s blood donation efforts — blood donors who donate blood to someone they may never meet, volunteers who give up their weekends and personal time, and staff members working tirelessly behind the scenes.
And the Award Goes To
After more than seven years of volunteering, his contribution extends well beyond showing up at blood drives. Today, he leads a large volunteer network, supports the teams behind Bloodbank and blood drive operations, and supports other volunteer leaders along the way. In 2024 and 2025, he gave more than 300 hours of his time to the Blood Donor Programme.
Yet, receiving the Singapore Red Cross High Commendation Award is not something he sees as an individual achievement.
“I don’t see volunteering as an individual effort. Everything we achieve on the ground is possible because of the collective effort of fellow volunteers, SRC staff members, Bloodbank teams and, most importantly, the donors who come forward to give blood.”
For anyone thinking about volunteering, his advice is simple: just start somewhere.
“You don’t need to have special skills or a lot of free time to start volunteering. Give whatever time you can and come with an open mind.”
Even if a few hours from one person may seem small, when many come together to contribute what they can, those hours become part of something much bigger.
