Colleagues, partners, friends
The Giving Ireland Report is an important contribution when we face unprecedented challenges.
Covid-19 has cut off our older people from loved ones, impacts more on those with underlying health problems and it has isolated people who rely on friends, neighbours and family for contact with the outside world.
Getting something from the shop, picking up the pension, meeting for a coffee and a chat – each of these simple things has become a real chore, or for many not possible at all.
It is our sector which then steps into the breach providing a lifeline.
Set against this context the Giving Ireland Report gives valuable insights and information.
The Community Foundation for Ireland
The Community Foundation for Ireland is now heading into its 21st year, marking a period during which it has provided €60 million in grants to partners who share our goal of equality for all in thriving communities.
Whether responding to climate change through local bio-diversity projects, matching donors with inner city youth services to stop our children falling victim to drugs or standing with the frontline services and survivors of rape and abuse to demand policy change – we are there.
What underlines our philosophy is we match donors and grantees who take the longer-term view, who know the value of strategising, planning and organising and will invest in these in addition to meeting immediate need.
Much has been achieved. As many of you will be aware before becoming CEO in July taking up the reigns from our Founder and former CEO Tina Roche, I was a grantee.
As a human rights campaigner, as CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland as well as Women’s Aid I have seen major gift-givers with vision help give us marriage equality, reunite families torn apart by immigration red tape as much as by conflict and war, and change laws and attitudes on domestic violence.
COVID-19
As Covid hit The Community Foundation saw immediate need and a Special Fund was established with our donors coming forward to commit large sums of money.
We have the back of Meals On Wheels, Youth Mental Health Projects as well other community services. Our donors generously have provided the soft ware and the hard-ware to make communities virtual.
RTÉ Does Comic Relief also saw The Foundation break new ground. Together 1.4 Million television viewers, corporate donors and Government raised €6 million.
It will be used by groups across the country to have the digital know how, expertise and skills to run their operations – and also to allow changes in practice which keep volunteers and workers safe as well as the people they work with and support.
I can confirm now that when we tot up our figures for 2020 – the monies raised by The Community Foundation for Ireland will surpass €15 million – almost double the total for 2019.
Philanthropy Policy
The Giving Ireland report rightfully acknowledges the generosity of our people.
Yet despite giving €255 per capita, Ireland has not tapped into the opportunity of philanthropy in any meaningful way.
Compare our €15m raised this year with the €16.4 Billion which the Giving Ireland Report identified as the overall total for fundraising in 2018 – that tells you something is amiss.
There is an absence of awareness among policy makers, the media and it has to be said general society.
As a result we do not have policies which spark, nurture and grow major gift giving – in fact less than 1% of donations here exceed €5,000 with Giving Ireland telling us Trust and Foundations also account for just 1% of all funds raised.
The report compares us with New Zealand, where gift giving or philanthropy accounts for one third of all donations.
We need to ask why is that?
Giving Ireland gives us the answer – we need more favourable tax measures like those in New Zealand. We agree with the report.
The Community Foundation for Ireland has been speaking to, and continues to speak to politicians and officials about simple steps which can be taken.
In 2013 well intentioned measures were introduced to switch tax relief on larger donations from the donor to the charity. It was hoped this would see philanthropy come into its own.
This has not happened – instead most charities do not have the resources to cut through red tape to access this relief, and even for those which do apply some 90% are rejected.
The result is that €50 million intended for communities has instead gone to revenue and into the public finances.
Set this against the backdrop that Foundation donations represent better value for money for charities. The Giving Ireland Report tells us Foundation donations cost organisations just 9 cent per Euro given.
We also want to see greater inheritance and legacy giving, and let me put a plug in here for everyone to support My Legacy month across social media in November.
Such giving could be encouraged by reducing Capital Acquisition Tax on a euro-for-euro basis on any donation to charity.
The Giving Ireland report identifies legacy giving as the cheapest form of fund-raising – costing just 4 cent for every Euro given – nothing else beats that.
These are two simple steps which we believe could provide an important shot in the arm.
However, The Community Foundation for Ireland, Philanthropy Ireland and other philanthropic organisations cannot achieve these alone.
We need to reach out and give voice to those on the ground in communities benefitting from philanthropy. We need collective voices to tell politicians about New Zealand, tell them about the untapped resources and tell them that money intended for communities is instead going into the tax pot.
The Giving Ireland Report
I hope my contribution and my references have shown the value of the Giving Ireland Report.
This research falls into a series over 10-years allowing us to track trends, to identify changes and to be robust in responding.
I congratulate 2 into 3 as well as Philanthropy Ireland.
Conclusion
Finally I want to draw everyone’s attention to the report’s conclusion.
It warns that the tax treatment of charitable giving ‘threatens to stymie Ireland’s adoption of more strategic, sustainable giving’.
If we want to remove that threat, if we want to plan for the long term to end climate change, end inequality, end Covid-19 - then we need the vision, commitment and generosity of philanthropists.
I hope in our 21st year you will all join the Community Foundation for Ireland with Philanthropy Ireland and together as a collective voice we will all achieve the policy goals to make that happen.
Thank You.
See 2into3 for full report.