News & Events

Congratulations to FirstLight who were recently awarded a grant under the Dublin City Council Social Enterprise Awards to develop a new income generating service.

First Light join Aspire Productions, another Carmichael Resident Member, as winners of a social enterprise grant under this scheme.

Below is a link to a short YouTube video where Fionnuala, FirstLight’s CEO, talks about FirstLight and its new service.

FirstLight: Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWpJR5H61UU

Well done and wishing FirstLight every success in developing their new service that will generate much needed income to reinvest in their core services to bereaved families.

Carmichael have developed this sample document to help charities that are implementing the Charities Governance Code to complete the Compliance Record Form. The document is for guidance only and organisations should complete their own Charities Governance Code Compliance Record. https://www.carmichaelireland.ie/resources/carmichael-sample-compliance-form/

National Parents Week 2019
23^rd – 29^th September

Being a parent is great but it’s not always easy; it’s ok to ask for help

National Parents Week 2019 is from Monday 23^rd to Sunday 29^th September.  During National Parents Week we want to make parents aware that Parentline is there for them when they need support, information and guidance.

The theme for National Parents Week is: It’s OK to ask for help! We want to encourage parents to look for support whenever they need it.

Parents can google and will often find information but there is nothing like talking to a person who is there to give all the time and space needed to hear your story and explore your situation.

Parentline is a helpline for parents.  Somewhere to pick up the phone and talk to a trained facilitator who will offer a sympathetic ear; in confidence and who won’t judge (either parent or child). No matter how big or small the problem Parentline will give support, information and guidance.

The helpline is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  It is free and no appointment is necessary – just call 1890 927277 or 01 8733500.

Whatever the issue – It’s OK to ask for help.

To date 84 CEOs and managers of nonprofit organisations have benefited from the Carmichael Mentoring Programme. We are now launching the next round of the mentoring scheme.

Being the leader of an organisation can be tough anywhere but it is especially true in the nonprofit sector. The value of a mentor is having someone who can ask questions that clarify the situation and can help relieve the anxiety that builds when there is nowhere to articulate the doubts and concerns that the CEO may feel.

The purpose of the Carmichael Mentor scheme is to help meet with this need by using our panel of very experienced mentors who bring a range of skills, insights and backgrounds in a range of sector such as large corporate, SME, public sector and the nonprofit sector. Our mentors are volunteers and will provide confidential one-to-one advice and guidance.

This mentoring round is limited to 8 places and the service for successful applicants is free. If you wish to apply, please complete the short application form and submit to Diarmaid@carmichaelireland.ie.

Carmichael would also love to hear from people who may be interested in becoming a mentor for this programme.

For more information on the programme, please contact Diarmaid@carmichaelireland.ie.

The closing date for applications is 5pm, Friday, 20th September.

The programme is only available to those working in the nonprofit sector.

The Good Governance Awards (GGA) is an initiative that recognises and encourages adherence to good governance practice by nonprofit organisations in Ireland.

The Awards were developed in 2016 by Carmichael and are supported by Boardmatch, Charities Institute Ireland, Dóchas, Enclude, Volunteer Ireland, The Wheel, together with our corporate partners; 2into3, Chartered Accountants Ireland, Davy, Dept. of Rural & Community Development, Mason Hayes & Curran, Mazars Ireland and The Governance Company.

Annual Reports

The Good Governance Award seek to acknowledge, encourage and promote good governance practice primarily in the area of annual reports.

Best Governance Improvement Initiative

This award will recognise initiatives that have been taken in the last 12-18 months to improve the quality of the nonprofit’s governance. Nonprofits can submit their good governance initiatives, setting out (briefly – max 750 words) the governance issue(s) they addressed, the actions they took and the impact that this has had for the organisation.

Why You Should Enter the 2019 Good Governance Awards

1. We are open for non-profits of all sizes: There are 5 entry categories ranging from small (annual turnover of less than €250,000) to the very large (turnover of over €15million).
2. Get your entries reviewed by a first class assessment and judging panel: We have a panel of 40 plus assessors and judges and 5 accountancy firms who bring great expertise and experience who will review your entry and will provide valuable feedback and insight to assist you in enhancing your organisation’s governance.
3. Enhance your organisation’s reputation with your stakeholders: Entering the GGA demonstrates your commitment to adhering to good governance practice and transparency. It also shows your willingness to be assessed and receive feedback on how you can enhance your governance.
4. Boost your team’s morale and gain valuable PR opportunities: Being shortlisted for a GGA award recognises the hard work that goes on in your organisation to adhere to good governance practice. Winning an award boosts credibility and increases awareness of your organisation which can help convince even more people that you are a cause worth supporting.

Entry Criteria

• To enter, the organisation must be an Irish nonprofit organisation (i.e. it has a registered office in the Republic of Ireland).
• There are 2 award types and 5 entry categories based on the income size of the organisation from those with an annual income of under €250k to those with an annual income of over €15m. Organisations may enter for either award type or for both.
• A nonprofit organisation must upload their entry to the GGA website by the closing date (13^th September 2019).
• Shortlisted listed organisations may be asked to supply additional information to assist the judges in their adjudications.
• See www.goodgovernanceawards.ie for more information.

Discover more about the inspiring work of our resident member organisations, their impact and the difference they make to communities across the country. Our featured story is Heart Children Ireland.

www.heartchildren.ie

Heart Children Ireland is a support group for parents and families of children with a Congenital Heart Disorder(CHD).

Who we are and what we do:

• We are a nationwide organisation with over 1,000 member families.
• We were founded in 1990 and are a registered charity.
• We are a completely voluntary group and currently receive no government funding.
• We depend on our own fundraising and donations from individuals and businesses.
• In the first 28 years of our existence, we raised over €2.5 million for the Children’s Heart Centre at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
• IT IS FREE TO JOIN HEART CHILDREN IRELAND- you are welcome to contact us!

We offer support in many ways. Here are some examples:

1. We hold social events where families can meet, for example, coffee mornings, parties and picnics.
2. We hold information days for families around the country focusing on cardiac topics of interest.
3. We provide a Family Psychology Support Service free to all members. Individuals of all ages with congenital heart conditions, family members and bereaved families access this service.
4. We hold an annual conference with keynote speakers from the world of congenital cardiology.
5. We have purchased equipment for both the Children’s Heart Centre at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital and the Adult Congenital Unit at The Mater Hospital. For example, we purchased the first ECMO machine for the Intensive Care Unit at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.  This machine is saving lives on a daily basis.
6. We work hard to raise awareness of the issues relevant to our members by representing them in relevant forums.
7. We have provided a dedicated clinic room for the Adult Congenital Unit at the Mater Hospital to facilitate our teenagers transferring from Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.
8. Through our News Briefs, we provide updates about Heart Children Ireland services and supports, as well as relevant information about health service matters.
9. We are privileged to manage The Blue Ribbon Fund on behalf of the Moran family. This fund provides assistance to families on the transplant journey with their child. This fund is in memory of Elaine Moran.
10. Margaret, CEO, and Linda, Administrator, provide a listening ear should you wish to contact them.

Help us to continue to support our families, children and adults. To support Heart Children Ireland, just click on the “donate now” button on the website www.heartchildren.ie.

Development Trusts Northern Ireland (DTNI) is hosting professional facilities management (FM) training events this spring, one of these events is in collaboration with Carmichael in Dublin. The FM course will follow the Institute for Workplace and Facilities Management professional standards framework and cover the fundamentals of health and safety, energy, contract management and much more. Click on the link below for full details.

DTNI Facilities Management Training

Pobal, on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) are inviting applications for funding from eligible organisations under the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO) 2019-2022. Details about the new programme and the application process is available on https://www.pobal.ie/programmes/scheme-to-support-national-organisations-ssno/. The closing date for receipt of applications is 3pm on Thursday 31st January, 2019.

Carmichael are participating in the ‘Developing effective and accountable nonprofits’ seminar to be held on the 6th of March 2019 (9am – 1pm) in Technology University Dublin, Blanchardstown Campus.

Irish Nonprofit organisations are facing unprecedented challenges, with increased demand, difficulties in raising funds, increased regulation and reduced trust in the sector. This seminar will explore how the sector can respond through improved governance standards and greater accountability through the provision of performance information. Speakers include Professor Noel Hyndman, Professor Emeritus in Accounting at Queen’s University Belfast, Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí, CEO, Carmichael, Dr. Francis McGeough, Lecturer in Accounting, Technology University Dublin and Ms. Assumpta Harvey, Head of School of Business at Technological University Dublin. The seminar is free of charge but prior registration is necessary. For more details and to register for this seminar see Eventbrite ‘Developing effective and accountable nonprofits‘.

Google.org is contributing €1M to 15 organisations dedicated to tackling important social issues and creating opportunity for Dublin. Local nonprofits and social enterprises are invited to submit innovative proposals and 15 finalists will receive €50,000 grants, training and volunteer support from Google. Applications due December 6 2018. For more information visit https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/dublin2018.