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In
The News



Irish Times 03.10.08

Irish Independent 03.10.08

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News |
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As
the principle Non-Profit practitioner, 2into3 will be stimulating debate
within the sector. We will be do this in a number of ways which we will
notify you of here.
If
you wish to be notified of these events and occasions, please leave us
your contact email address, on the right |
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Charities
saving money through mergers |
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Sunday Business Post: August 09, 2009 - By Nicola Cooke
Irish charities and non-profit organisations are discussing mergers and increased
collaboration in a bid to deal with the effects of the downturn.
There
are almost 7,500 registered charities and more than 24,000 non-profit organisations
in Ireland. The sector provides full-time employment for about 63,000 people,
but some groups are struggling because of the impact of the recession on donations
and consumer spending.
Kingsley
Aikins, chief executive of the Ireland Funds, predicted mergers and restructurings
among Irish non-profits, mirroring moves in Britain and the US. Senior management
in the Ireland Funds recently worked with the Irish Heart Foundation and consultancy
firm 2into3 on a report on the issue called Collaboration for Greater Impact.
‘‘Our
sector is not immune from the ill economic winds, and Irish non-profits -
particularly where their work complements one another - are talking about
the possibilities of working together more or merging,” said Aikins.
‘‘Over the coming months and years, I would expect to see rationalisation
and restructuring in many non-profits here.”
The Collaboration
for Greater Impact report suggests that there is duplication among the work
of non-profit organisations and suggests they could work better together
The reports
use the case study of the merger of Self Help International in Ireland with
Harvest Help in England last year, as an example of the savings that can be
achieved by mergers. The two organisations became Self Help Africa, which
operates in nine African countries instead of the five in which Self Help
Development International had worked. Income for 2008 increased to €10
million, from €7 million in 2007The collaboration report noted that savings
may be found through efficiencies of scale, such as sharing employees or administrative
functions. Collaboration may also help groups to raise more funding and attract
more experienced or specialised staff.
Research
carried out by the Centre for Non-profit Management at Trinity College in
2006 cited the example of 48 Irish organisations operating in one particular
health field, and 21 international development organisations operating in
one geographic area.
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Where
is the Wealth Now?
The Direction of Major-Gift Giving in Ireland |
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Dublin:
May 2009
Research Contributors:
Rob Foley, Prospect23
Deirdre Hatch, 2into3
“Just think, if wealthy people had given away more of the
money they had over the last decade, they wouldn’t have lost it.”
(Philanthropist Chuck Feeney reflecting on the global economic downturn)
1. Overview
In the jaws of a post-Celtic tiger economic recession we are at a crossroads
in the short history of planned philanthropic giving in Ireland. It is
a time of falling general wealth levels being met by a significant rise
in interest in philanthropic planned giving by those who have managed
to retain their wealth during the unprecedented rise and subsequent fall
of wealth in Ireland.
At
a glance, the extent of this fall in wealth (only surpassed by the extent
of its rise) would seem to have halted the emergence of a major-gift giving
culture in Ireland before it even had a chance to express itself among
Ireland’s wealthy.
Research,
however, and anecdotal evidence is emerging that would indicate otherwise.
A rate of increase in philanthropic giving greater than the fall in the
wealth among Ireland’s business-elite could mean an actual increase
in major gift-giving in what may be a most punishing ‘readjustment’
in national and international markets.
Read
More >> |
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Download
Paper as a PDF |
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Report
Predicts Shake up in Non Profit and Charitable Sectors in Ireland |
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Dublin:
Feburary 6th, 2009: A new report has predicted a shake up
and likely concentration of agencies in the charitable and non-profit
sectors which currently employ over 63,000 full and part time workers
and contribute more than €2.5 billion to the economy. The study*
which was commissioned by Ecclesiastical
Insurance was written by the Ireland Funds and Consultancy
firm, 2into3.
“Like
every part of the economy, the non profit sector is facing pressures especially
as 70% of income comes from the State,” commented Ronan Foley, managing
director, Ecclesiastical Insurance in Ireland. “The good news is
that if the sector can increase efficiencies through collaboration then
it represents good value for money for the Government as it can often
deliver services to the citizen more cost effectively than through traditional
State channels.”
The
non profit sector is estimated to include over 24,000 organisations across
a wide range from St Vincent’s Hospital to the GAA. It is estimated
that it accounts for 8.4% of GDP and almost 9% of the workforce.
“In
the good times non profit and charitable organisations tend to proliferate,”
commented Dennis O’Connor of 2into3, one of the authors of the study.
He pointed to the US where between 80,000 and 90,000 new non profit organisations
are created every year.
However
in a downturn he pointed out, “There is a strong case for greater
collaboration between agencies as donors become more determined than ever
to ensure that their hard earned money is being spent wisely and there
are greater economies of scale.”
Kingsley
Aikins of the Ireland Funds, one of the authors of the report, added “The
drivers for greater collaboration are similar to those for profit companies.
Value for money, competitiveness and customer satisfaction.”
The
report notes that on the financial side savings may be found through efficiencies
of scale, such as sharing employees or administrative functions. For some,
the drive to save funds may be through staff reduction, although generally
in the non profit world this tends to be managed through natural attrition
rather than layoffs. Additional skills can often be generated through
greater collaboration or mergers.
A big motivation for greater collaboration amongst non profit organisations
is to avoid duplication of services and effort. “For non-profits
working in an area and locality where there are many different organisations
with similar missions and similar services, the result may be fragmented
services, and uncoordinated and/or overlapping programmes. This in turn
can result in identity confusion in the eyes of the public. Collaboration
can help overcome these problems, leading to increased or improved services.”
Ronan
Foley of Ecclesiastical Insurance cautioned that greater collaboration
was not necessarily a magic bullet for the non profit sector. “Collaborative
working involves risk. It is not right for every organisation at every
time. As in the profit sector there can be issues of culture fit, identity,
leadership and staff turnover. However, this report should be a catalyst
for Irish non profit organisations to start to consider the options and
benefits of greater collaboration, or risk becoming extinct as the recession
bites.”
”Collaboration
for Greater Impact” a paper by the Ireland Funds, 2into3 and Irish
Heart Foundation, sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance, February 2009.
Download
Report as a PDF  |
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Irish
Sailing Association Embarks on Olympic Fund Raising Programme |
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The
Irish Sailing Association (ISA) is to embark on a fund raising campaign
to train and support its Olympic hopefuls compete in the 2012 Olympics.
An estimated €2.4 million was invested in the most recent Olympics,
and ISA estimates the annual cost to attain Olympic medal winning standard
is €1.5million per year.
This
cycle, Ireland campaigned in five Olympic classes and qualified in four
for the actual Olympic Games, sending 6 sailors and 6 support staff to
Beijing. In comparison, Team GB (Great Britain) sent 18 sailors and 42
support staff, and competed in each of the eleven classes. Ireland’s
budget was dwarfed on the International stage - Ireland spent €2.4
million in comparison to Team GB’s €27.5 million, which excludes
significant corporate sponsorship - an item of which included a Volvo
car for each team member.
Colm
Barrington, Chair of the Olympic Steering Group (OSG), says that the correlation
between investing in top class sailors and Olympic success is in no doubt.
“Team GB, one of the world’s greatest performing sailing teams,
has invested in their elite sailors structured programme over the last
3 Olympiad. Of the 47 medals won in Beijing, GB sailing brought home 6
medals including 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze. Now is the time to increase
investment, and while some of this may come from the Sports Council, the
current economic climate would suggest that such responsibilities will
lie with the sailing community itself”.
Over
the last three years, the OSG of the ISA has been stewarding Irish Olympic
ambitions. Since 2005, young Olympic hopefuls have been taking part in
the ISA Academy - a structured training programme that provides professional
coaching and a managed progression from junior to Olympic level. Hundreds
of young sailors aspire to be chosen for the Academy programme which has
had some demonstrable success with medals secured at youth level at world
and European championships this summer. However, despite obvious potential
at Olympic level, there is still some way to go to before consistently
challenging for medals. To provide internationally competitive support
and training, the OSG need over €1.5 million additional funding per
annum.
The
OSG have engaged 2into3 Ltd. - consultants who specialise in fundraising
strategy - to examine potential long term funding streams to support Irish
Olympic sailing success. Results so far indicate the presence of a genuine
hunger for success and a desire for international competitiveness at Olympic
level, nevertheless, there is a clear funding issue that needs to be addressed,
according to Harvey Duthie from 2into3. Duthie says that most Non-Profits
rely on philanthropic support and the OSG is no exception. “The
appointment of 2into3 underpins the OSG’s recognition of the potential
opportunities in 2012 and their seriousness in terms of attracting the
funding to realise Ireland’s sailing potential and ambition for
the next Olympics” he said.
Article
as it appeared on the AFLOAT website, www.afloat.ie,
20th October 2008. |
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Fundraising
in a Cold Climate:
An Analysis by 2into3
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“Fund
Raising in a Cold Climate” provides a comparative analysis of the
impact of significant world events on fundraising versus markets performance
and also examines the impact of recessionary periods in the sector. The
Non Profit sector, which represents 8.8% of the workforce in Ireland,
is frequently referred to as the third sector due its scale and role in
the economy.
The
report, compiled by 2into3’s Dennis O’Connor and Deirdre Hatch,
looks at specific events across a seventy year period from the fall of
France in World II through to the impact of 9/11 and notes that, with
one exception, in declining markets donations increased from between 4%
and 46%. In 2002 when the Standards&Poor index dropped by 23% philanthropy
actually increased by 1%.
The
report also looks at economic trends and philanthropic giving over a 40
year period and found that once adjusted for inflation, donations on average
drop by merely 0.7% during times of recession.
Dennis
O’Connor, Director, 2into3 and co-author of “Fundraising in
a Cold Climate” suggests that while there will be changes to the
manner and source of giving if history were to repeat the trend, then
planned giving could potentially increase.
“Undoubtedly
there will be an impact on the different types of fundraising activities
and the returns in terms of donations with more emphasis on major philanthropic
gifts rather than traditional mass appeals. The Irish have always been
very good at giving but in the current climate it would be ill advised
to rely on personal contributions from individuals who may themselves
be experiencing the effects of the economic decline. On the other hand
philanthropists tend not to give simply when times are good but continue
to provide support through financial downturns. This is particularly relevant
in Ireland where philanthropy or the provision of major gives is still
in its infancy compared to other developed economies such as the US and
the UK. It is an area of huge growth potential and in the current economic
climate may in fact galvanise some potential philanthropists who would
have amassed significant wealth in recent years”, stated Mr. O’Connor.
Concluding
Mr. O’Connor said “This is not to say that Non Profit organisations
should be complacent. Some non-profit businesses are more recession proof
than others. In this context there is a myriad of factors at play that
influence how a non-profit may fare in difficult economic times. Fundraising
techniques, the mission of the organisation, the donor base and the organisation’s
operation are all key factors”.
Since
the public release of Fundraising in a Cold Climate Dennis O’Connor
has been asked by The Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) to present
his paper at their annual conference on the 11th November 2008. You can
download your own copy of the report here........Download
Article |
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Achieving
Excellence in Fundraising Practice and Leadership in Ireland
The
Centre for Nonprofit Management, Trinity College, Dublin in partnership
with the Center on Philanthropy, Indiana University, are holding a definitive
education Programme for Fundraisers, The Principles & Techniques of
Fundraising, in Dublin on 20 - 24 October 2008.
As
a leading Practitioner in the non profit sector in Ireland 2into3 Chairman,
Dennis O’Connor, will be contributing at the 5 day programme along
with other contributors including Kinsley Aikens (Ireland Funds), Richard
Dixon (Concern) and Mary Apied (President, Trinity Foundation).
Please
visit www.cnm.tcd.ie for more information
on this exciting programme. |
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2into3
Sponsors The Wheel Salary Survey
High
demand for skilled professionals in charity organisations
The
first survey of pay and benefits in Ireland’s community, voluntary
and charitable organisations, published today, reveals a picture of a
growing third sector with a high demand for professional skills.
Over
300 organisations participated in the survey commissioned by The Wheel
(a non-profit support and representative body for Irish community, voluntary,
and charitable organisations) and sponsored by 2into3 and mycharity.ie.
The survey was conducted by Sonraí HR Research.
Ireland’s
community, voluntary and charitable organisations currently employ over
40,000 full-time and 23,000 part-time staff, with volunteers providing
the equivalent of a further 31,000 staff. As an industry the Non Profit
Sector contributes more than €2.5 billion to the economy and accounts
for 8.4 per cent of GDP employing 8.8 per cent of the work force.
The
majority of the workers surveyed were female (82%), as was eight out of
ten (85%) part-time workers. Half of the employees covered worked in the
Health sector and a third of employees (30%) in the survey are involved
in Development (including overseas development) and Housing activities.
Almost
a quarter (23%) of the organisations in the survey indicated that they
have experienced recruitment difficulties over the past 12 months. The
main reasons stated by organisations as to why they were experiencing
difficulties recruiting staff are that they could not find the right people,
or could not find the right skills.
"The
sector has grown extensively in recent years. One consequence of this
growth has been an increase in demand for specific professional skills
and competencies. The research also suggests that there is strong competition
to recruit and retain staff not just within the non profit sector but
also with the commercial sector. This survey provides quality information
that will greatly assist individual organisations in their planning and
budgeting. Repeating this survey regularly will enable us to track trends
and see how the sector is developing with respect to other sectors of
the economy,” said Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel.
If
you would like to learn more about the salary survey please contact 2into3,
directly on 01 6401914 or visit www.wheel.ie
for more information. |
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