Video story competition launched to boost support for Irish charities

Wednesday 21^th September 2016 – A national initiative to help build support for charities by giving these organisations an opportunity to demonstrate their impact and commitment to transparency through short online videos has been launched at the Mansion House in Dublin today.

The Better Together Campaign is coordinated by The Wheel, the national representative body for charities, and supported by Medtronic, the global leader in medical technology.

Charities, community groups, clubs and associations are invited to post short video stories on the campaign website www.bettertogether.ie until the 7^th of November. Participating groups will be required to submit a short statement outlining their commitment to transparency and accountability.

Members of the public can visit the website from today to show their support for good causes in their communities by voting for their favourite videos, volunteering or donating. The videos with the most votes will be shortlisted for six cash prizes of €1,000 each. The winners will be announced at the Better Together Awards in Dublin on the 14^th of December.

Speaking at the launch, Donal Balfe VP of Operations at Medtronic, said: “Medtronic has a long legacy in supporting and implementing philanthropic programmes globally. Our core focus is on supporting health and health access initiatives in communities where Medtronic employees live and give. As a company we recognise that in order to achieve these objectives we need to support the non-profit organisations operating across the country. Our Medtronic employees here in Ireland are delighted to support the Better Together campaign and help shine a spotlight on some of the great work happening behind the scenes in communities across the country. I hope members of the sector and the public will take part in the campaign and I wish all the participants the best of luck in the coming weeks.”

Also present at the launch was Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel, who added: "Charities are currently operating in a very challenging climate; donations have declined, while demand for many organisations’ services are on the increase. It is therefore critically important that charities rise to the challenge by actively communicating their impact and commitment to transparency and accountability. The Better Together Campaign is the ideal vehicle for this."

About The Wheel
The Wheel is a national organisation that represents and supports community, voluntary and charitable organisations in Ireland. Founded in 1999, we currently have almost 1,300 members across Ireland, reflecting the enormous scope and scale of this vibrant and diverse sector. See www.wheel.ie.