Charities from across Ireland are being called upon to showcase their work as part of a new drive to encourage volunteerism and engagement with the non-profit sector.
The "Better Together" initiative was set up by charities umbrella group The Wheel to provide a platform where charities and volunteer groups can inform the public about their work.
Central to the campaign is a new website which will act as a gateway where the public can view videos detailing the work carried out by charities and volunteer groups.
Non-profit organisations have been invited to post short videos showcasing their work on www.bettertogether.ie and the site already hosts 45 videos from groups as varied as Irish Rural Link, Mental Health Ireland and National Youth Council of Ireland.
The Wheel hopes the initiative will increase engagement with the public and is aimed at increasing participation by the public in charity or voluntary work.
Users are encouraged to browse the videos, find charities in their locality, and vote for their favourite video. The video with the most votes will win a prize of €3,000.
The Wheel, which provides support to community and voluntary groups across the country, launched the site with the support of the EBS building society.
The site features information on volunteerism, an interactive map of Ireland, a free guide to creating short videos and competition details.
Deirdre Garvey, of The Wheel, says she hopes the site will become a primary resource for the public. "As the largest umbrella organisation representing charities in the country, we feel that it is our role to help organisations to do this when their own resources are really strapped," says Ms Garvey.
It is hoped the public will come to understand the value of the charity and volunteer sector and, particularly, as the country is in recession, the importance of maintaining support for these groups.
"What we need the public to understand is that these groups have a lot to offer that these groups need their continued and sustained support in the difficult times that we are all collectively facing", she said.
Free workshops in video production will be held in Dublin on October 19th . More details available from wheel.ie
