Charity Trustees' Week 2021

It was another challenging year for the charity sector with continued restrictions due to Covid-19, making it even more necessary to celebrate and say a great big THANK YOU to the more than 76,000 charity trustees across Ireland for the important and tireless work they carry out throughout the year. Charity trustees are the people responsible for leading and managing charities and include members of the board of management or governing committee and company directors of charities. 

The steering committee for Charity Trustees’ Week is made up of eight organisations: Charities Regulator, Boardmatch Ireland, Carmichael, The Wheel, Volunteer Ireland, Charities Institute Ireland, Pobal and Dóchas. 

For the second year in a row charity trustees can take part in this virtual series of events from the comfort of their home or office. Commenting on Charity Trustees’ Week 2021, Helen Martin, Chief Executive of the Charities Regulator said, “Charity Trustees’ Week provides an important opportunity for the Charities Regulator to engage with charity trustees and highlight the vital nature of their role to the charities sector. It is also a great opportunity for charity trustees to engage with peers facing the same issues and challenges and to build important relationships within the sector. There is a great line up of events this year and we are looking forward to engaging with charity trustees and celebrating the enormous contribution that they make to Irish society on a daily basis.” 

The opening event is a ‘Meet the Charities Regulator’ webinar which will feature welcoming addresses from Joe O’Brien, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development with special responsibility for Community Development and Charities, and from Helen Martin, Chief Executive of the Charities Regulator. You can check out all of the week’s events at www.charitiesregulator.ie or at the following link: Charity Trustees’ Week 

Keep an eye on social media during the week for updates using the hashtag #TrusteesWeekIrl For assistance contact: press@charitiesregulator.ie 

Heidee Kealy 0871015759 

Helena Murphy 0876171239 ENDS. 

Note to Editors: 

About the Charities Regulator

The Charities Regulatory Authority was established on 16 October 2014 and is responsible for the regulation and protection of charitable trusts and organisations (charities). 

• It has a number of general functions under the Charities Act 2009 ('the Act') which are to –
• Increase public trust and confidence in the management and administration of charities;
• Promote compliance by charity trustees with their duties in the control and management of charities; 
• Promote the effective use of the property of charities; 
• Ensure the accountability of charities to donors and beneficiaries of charitable gifts, and the public; 
• Promote understanding of the requirement that charitable purposes confer a public benefit; 
• Establish and maintain a register of charities; 
• Ensure and monitor compliance by charities with the Act; 
• Carry out investigations in accordance with the Act; 
• Encourage and facilitate the better administration and management of charities by the provision of information or advice, including in particular by way of issuing (or, as it considers appropriate, approving) guidelines, codes of conduct, and model constitutional documents; 
• Carry on such activities or publish such information (including statistical information) concerning charities and charitable trusts as it considers appropriate; 
• Provide information (including statistical information) or advice, or make proposals, to the Minister on matters relating to the functions of the Charities Regulatory Authority. 

The aim of Charity Trustees' week is to:

• Celebrate and thank charity trustees for the key role which they play in the governance and leadership of Ireland’s charities;
• Highlight the importance of good governance of boards, promote the need for a thorough knowledge of trustees roles and responsibilities, education and upskilling of trustees; 
• Highlight the need for new trustees to come forward and highlight the means by which new trustees can be connected with charities that need trustees; 
• Create a greater understanding and awareness among the public of the role of trustees, and the awareness that trustees are public members

Find out about all of Cii's #TrustessWeekIRL 2021 events by clicking here