News & Events

Charity Trustees’ Week 2023 will run from November 13th to November 17th with 13 events for Trustees.

Carmichael’s events include:

• Impact Management Capacity Building – Tuesday 14th at 10.00-11.30am with The Wheel (Free, online)
• The Good Governance Awards Ceremony – Thursday 17th at 6pm (Free, in person.  Tickets release early November)

For the full schedule and booking links see here.

Charity Trustees’ Week is hosted in partnership by the Charities Regulator, Boardmatch Ireland, Carmichael, Charities Institute Ireland, Dóchas, Pobal, The Wheel, and Volunteer Ireland.

As well as celebrating the work of charity trustees, the week’s events will also help to raise awareness among the public and others interested in the sector of the vital contribution of charity trustees to Ireland’s over 11,500 registered charities.

Follow us on social media, using the hashtag: #TrusteesWeekIrl

Carmichael CEO Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí gives his own commentary on the recently published Charities Regulator Annual Report 2022.

The Regulator’s Annual Report for 2022 provides a great source of interesting information and official statistics about the charities sector.

Read more here.

In the last week of June, our CEO Diarmaid delivered governance sessions in the six counties of Munster in partnership with the Volunteer Centres in Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford. The theme of the sessions was the changing operating landscape for nonprofits, focusing on the Charities Act Amendment and the Gambling Regulation Bills currently working their way through the legislative process, compliance with the Charities Governance Code, concerns received by the Charities Regulator and the Good Governance Awards which is now open for entries.

Diarmaid wrote a brief reflection following these sessions.  Read in full here.

In today’s dynamic landscape, assembling a highly qualified volunteer board goes beyond qualifications alone. It requires identifying individuals who actively contribute to the effectiveness of board processes, bringing the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve your organisation’s objectives.

Join BoardEffect as they continue the conversation on enhancing your board’s effectiveness and driving impactful outcomes. During this interactive 45-minute session, the expert panel will share invaluable insights and best practices to help you find and onboard the right Board Members to elevate your board’s effectiveness, including:

• • Identifying skill gaps in your current board
  • Finding the people with the right skills to complement your board
  • How to find the right volunteers for your board and more!

This is a must-attend webinar for organisations seeking to optimise their board composition and harness the power of diverse skills and expertise.

Bring your questions!

Sign up here.

Missed the previous webinar, “Increasing Board Effectiveness”? No problem, find key insights and watch the full recording here.

Transparency in the nonprofit sector is more important than ever – Carmichael 

Now in its eighth year, the Good Governance Awards recognise and encourage adherence to responsible governance and transparent reporting by nonprofits in Ireland. Each year, more than 100 nonprofit organisations enter their annual report and financial statements into the awards to be assessed under the criteria of transparency, governance, strategy, and financial information.   In 2022, the 7 Good Governance Awards Winners ranged from NiteLine, an out-of-hours peer support service for third level students which has an annual income of just over €33,000, to Trócaire, an international social justice organisation with an annual income of more than €73 million. 

Commenting after the 2022 Awards, Dearbhla Fitzsimons, Director of Corporate Services at Trócaire, said “Trócaire are beyond pleased to have won in our category this year and this feedback has been a key contributor to year-on-year improvements in our report. The Good Governance Awards is a great initiative and very much appreciated. I especially love to see how smaller organisations benefit from the advice and really believe the work of the Good Governance Awards raises the bar for our whole sector.” 

Speaking today, Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí, CEO of Carmichael and Founder of the Good Governance Awards, said, “The Good Governance Awards raise the quality of corporate governance in our sector by encouraging higher standards of good practice. Expert feedback is provided to all entrants on how to improve the quality of their annual reports. This helps to ensure our sector is meeting best practice, constantly improving and communicating appropriately to its stakeholders. 

“This year we are especially encouraging applications from the diverse range of organisations working in the nonprofit sector. We welcome applications from all areas – from arts and sports to homeless services and youth organisations. Due to the growing profile of the Good Governance Awards, we expect to see our highest number of applications ever this year.” 

How to Enter 

Any nonprofit organisation in Ireland, whether a charity, Company Limited by Guarantee, sports club or social enterprise, can enter the Awards. There are seven categories for the awards based on the annual turnover of the organisation: 

• Category 1: For organisations with an annual turnover of less than €100,000  
• Category 2: For organisations with an annual turnover of between €100,000 and €250.000.  

• Category 3: For organisations with an annual turnover of over €250,000 and under €750,000.  
• Category 4: For organisations with an annual turnover of over €750,000 and under €2.5 million.  
• Category 5: For organisations with an annual turnover of over €2.5 million and under €10 million  
• Category 6: For organisations with an annual turnover of over €10 million and under €50 million  
• Category 7: For organisations with an annual turnover of over €50 million. 

Details on the entry criteria and categories; the judging panel; how to enter; and other resources such as annual report templates are available at: www.goodgovernanceawards.ie

A new Directory of Irish Nonprofits will be launched on Friday the 26^th of May. The Directory has been created to promote the transparency and digital accessibility of Ireland’s 20,000-strong nonprofit sector.

The Directory is a joint initiative of leading Irish philanthropies and nonprofits and was built in the first quarter of 2023, using data from eight separate public regulatory sources. It is the only classified listing of all registered nonprofits in Ireland, and it will be accessible online from 26th May. The Directory is accompanied by a report analysing headline changes in the sector in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Funding to establish the Directory of Irish Nonprofits in 2023 has been provided by the Community Foundation for Ireland, the Ireland Funds, the OKC Philanthropy Fund and St. Stephen’s Green Trust and it is built using legacy IP from Benefacts Legacy DAC.

Carmichael and Enclude are working with Benefacts Legacy DAC during 2023 to explore how they can maintain the Directory in the future.

The launch event took place online at 11am on Friday 26^th May.

Watch the recording here.

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Carmichael’s 2022 Annual Report is now available to read here:

Carmichael_Annual_Report_2022

Our CEO Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí gives an overview of the year.

Thank you to our funders, Board, team, resident nonpfrofits and all those of those who have used our services in the last year and continue to do so.

Carmichael and BoardEffect, invite you to schedule a 30-minute, in-person evaluation of your board technology, taking place here
at Carmichael House on May 18th from 12.00pm-5.00pm.

Mark Wilson, Governance Advisor at BoardEffect, will guide you through a series of questions to better understand your board and its current status.
Mark will then provide you with:

• Feedback on areas where your board could improve
• Information on risks associated with your current
  processes
• Advice on board-friendly technology platforms
• Best practices and answers to any of your questions!

Sign up here for a 30-minute assessment chat – spots are limited!

The next Board Chairs’ Network Meeting will take place on May 17th 2023, 6pm-8pm, Davy Group, Dawson Street, Dublin D02 PY05.

Facilitated by Carmichael, the purpose of the network is to provide a space for nonprofit board chairs to meet each other, share experiences and discuss topics of mutual interest including key concepts and issues with nonprofit governance. The network meets in person once per year and online 3 times per year.

This event is only open to Chairs and Vice Chairs of nonprofit Boards.

Sign up here.

If you would like to join the Board Chairs’ Network and/or attend the next meeting, contact Roisin@carmichaelireland.ie.