IRELAND:A survey carried out by the umbrella group representing most of Ireland's leading aid agencies has found its membership employs a total of more than 700 full-time staff, receives the bulk of its annual income from public donations, and focuses primarily on long-term overseas development.
Hans Zomer, director of Dóchas, an umbrella group of 37 Irish development NGOs, said the survey, the first of its kind in the Irish aid sector, was carried out among its members to assess strategic and organisational strengths and weaknesses.
"This survey forms a snapshot of our members and the current state of play, and forms part of a wider strategy by Dóchas to improve the effectiveness of aid from Ireland," he said.
The report's findings will form part of a consultation process aimed at establishing a code of good practice. Dóchas announced in May that it would develop a new code on governance for its affiliates.
"What we have found is that our member organisations are well aware of what their strengths and weaknesses are. And that they have realised that they can address any weaknesses they may have by working together, through networks such as Dóchas. Over the past while, our members have been working together to develop codes of practice on communications, governance and Aids."
The survey, carried out between October 2006 and April 2007, assessed the support and strategic focus of Dóchas member agencies. It gathered data on the age, size and location of each organisation and also examined staffing and management structures.
The report found that aid organisations continue to receive significant public support, with most of its membership's combined turnover of more than €280 million coming from public donations. Government and EU support amounted to €91 million in the same period, 30 per cent of total income.
The question of donor fatigue was not addressed in the survey, Mr Zomer told The Irish Times, adding that other findings in the report indicated this was not as pressing an issue as previously thought.
"The survey shows that donations have increased, as has the number of people volunteering for aid organisations," he said.
In terms of the overall profile of Irish aid agencies, the picture that emerged from the Dóchas survey is of a relatively young sector, with 57 per cent of all member groups established since 1980.
More than half (52 per cent) concentrate on long-term overseas development. A further 20 per cent are involved in humanitarian relief and development work. The remainder (28 per cent) consists of organisations focusing on development education, volunteering programmes, or both.
"Strengthening social sectors, alleviating poverty, and building sustainable livelihoods were key programme foci for Dóchas members in 2006," the report notes, adding that there had been a noticeable upward trend in members' focus on such issues since 2001. "It shows the role of the Irish NGO is changing from service delivery to more of an enabling role," said Mr Zomer.
Africa remains the primary focus of Irish aid agencies, with more than half of their overseas work taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. Projects tend to be concentrated in eastern and southern Africa, especially Kenya (51 per cent of all African projects) and Uganda (44 per cent).
A quarter of respondents have overseas projects in the Asia/Pacific region, with the biggest concentration in India, Laos and Indonesia. Almost half (49 per cent) of the membership surveyed said they implemented all of their programmes via local partners working on the ground in each country.
Member agencies spent a total of €258.45 million in 2005. Spending on fundraising varied considerably - while more than a third spent less than 1 per cent of their income on fundraising, the survey found that three members spent 21 per cent on fundraising activities.
The total number of full-time staff employed by Dóchas members in 2005 tipped over 700 while volunteers made up 14 per cent of total staff. Organisations involved in humanitarian relief and development employed the highest proportion of volunteers. A majority of members employed 50 per cent or more of their staff at headquarters.
The research was presented to Minister of State for Overseas Development Michael Kitt earlier this week.