As the largest and most controversial charity in Singapore for several years, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is replete with examples of nonprofit paradigms, and why they work or do not.

The NKF saga refers to a July 2005 scandal that followed the collapse of a defamation trial which the NKF had brought against Singapore Press Holdings over an article the latter had published. The backlash that followed court revelations and the fallout of donors to the charity resulted in the resignation and subsequent law suits against its chief executive officer (CEO) and some of its board members. A new board of directors and CEO then went on to overhaul the charity. Meanwhile, regulatory reforms were implemented in the charity sector.

This chapter provides context to the NKF saga and describes how the various paradigms covered in the other chapters of this book apply to the NKF.