Irish people have a reputation for being among the world’s most generous – and, indeed, figures released by the Charities Regulator in 2023 showed that nine out of 10 Irish adults had donated to charities in the preceding year. However, good citizens alone cannot fund the needs of charities. Mary Gamble, director of fundraising at children’s charity Barnardos Ireland, says the organisation needs to raise €10 million every year, which comes from a mix of generous donations from the public and corporate partners.
“Corporate fundraising has moved on over the past few years in so many ways,” says Gamble. “It’s much more an integrated partnership than it used to be.”
Now, rather than simply handing over a cheque, employees are pitching in to volunteer where they can. Barnardos has 52 centres and services around Ireland, so there are plenty of opportunities for staff of companies that support volunteering to get involved – painting, gardening or helping to do up playgrounds, for example.
Skill sharing is “really beneficial”, says Gamble, who adds that “even small things, like donating meeting rooms to use can save us huge amounts of money on hiring spaces”.
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The charity has built different partnership journeys for different types of enterprise, says Gamble: “We have strategic, high-level partnerships with big retail and tech partners but we also work with small- and medium-sized enterprises who might help us with toy appeals or come out and help us deliver family fun days.”
Seeing the impact of Barnardos’ work is inspiring and encourages individual supporters who have committed to challenges such as running marathons or making it to Everest Base Camp.
“They’ve actually been out to a centre and met the staff who are delivering services to children, or they’ve heard the stories of hardship and deprivation that some of the families we work with have lived through,” says Gamble.
Barnardos staff will often record video messages to spur on intrepid challengers – a real motivator on a cold mountain.
Making sure there is a reciprocal relationship is something Gamble is passionate about. With its broad experience in childhood issues, Barnardos offers a wealth of expertise and resources in areas such as parenting, dealing with bullying and navigating the digital world.
“Really good charity partnerships are a two-way street and much more than just a financial donation,” says Gamble.
Focus Ireland, the homeless charity founded by Sr Stanislaus Kennedy in 1985, has a track record of memorable fundraising ideas. The Shine A Light night, where fundraisers sleep out in their homes, gardens or workplaces, is regularly supported by people from all sorts of businesses.
“Companies often align their CSR [corporate social responsibility] strategies with sustainable development goals (SDGs) to ensure that their chosen charity partner reflects their values,” says Grainne Kennedy, the charity’s head of partnerships and philanthropy.
“At Focus Ireland our partners are typically committed to goals like SDG 1: no poverty; SDG 3: good health and wellbeing; and SDG 10: reduced inequality. This alignment allows both Focus Ireland and our partners to focus on shared goals and enhance the positive social impact we deliver together.”
Through corporate partnerships with Focus Ireland, businesses are helping to ensure that essential services are available all year round.
“One of the most powerful things that corporate social responsibility does is to help charities sustain consistent donations, meaning that the charity can plan for the future,” says Kennedy.
While donations are a primary component of CSR partnerships, Focus Ireland has also benefited from non-financial forms of support, such as the mentoring programme offered by Barclays to Focus Ireland staff. Barclays also provides annual funding to the charity’s Preparation for Education, Training and Employment programme which “assists individuals experiencing homelessness in accessing education, training and employment opportunities, which are vital to breaking the cycle of homelessness”.
This Christmas business can support Focus Ireland through the Sponsor a Star campaign, another example of the charity finding innovative ways to interact with enterprise. By sponsoring a star and having the company logo displayed on one of the Focus Ireland Christmas trees in Cork’s Kent Station or Dublin’s Grafton Street, as well as on a virtual Christmas tree, businesses can demonstrate their support for Focus Ireland and their commitment to ending homelessness.