For Immediate Release: 1 September 2020
CHARITY IMPACT AWARDS 2020: THE SEARCH IS ON FOR GOOD-NEWS STORIES FROM ACROSS IRELAND
Charities and community groups to be recognised for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Wheel, Ireland’s national association of charities, is calling on all of Ireland’s community and voluntary groups, charities, and social enterprises to share their success stories by entering the 2020 Charity Impact Awards.
Now in their fourth year, the Charity Impact Awards highlight the positive impact of Ireland’s nonprofit organisations, celebrating staff and volunteers who make a real difference — something that has been especially evident in 2020, when their support has helped countless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the Awards in Dublin today (1 September), Deirdre Garvey, Chief Executive Officer of The Wheel said, “The Charity Impact Awards aims to recognise the people and organisations who not only have helped to keep Ireland afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but who support our communities year in, year out. These people and organisations provide vital services in areas such as health and social care, education, community development and poverty relief. Although their work has become more visible in the past months, their contribution is all too often overlooked. We aim to change this by giving organisations and individuals a chance to share their success stories.”
The Wheel received an overwhelming response last year, with over 100 organisations nominated and over 16,000 votes cast for those who do amazing and life-changing work in their communities.
“The inspiring stories we receive never fail to remind me why we do what we do. I have no doubt there are huge numbers of organisations who are carrying out vital work across the sector and would urge them to take the time to apply to give their organisations, and everyone involved the recognition they deserve,” said Ms Garvey.
- Charity Impact of the Year (subcategories for small, medium-sized, and large organisations)
- Trustee of the Year
- Social Enterprise of the Year
The public will have an opportunity to vote for their favourite impact stories between 23 October and 24 November. The winners will be announced at the Charity Impact Awards virtual ceremony on 8 December 2020. The Awards are presented by The Wheel supported by Medtronic and the Department of Rural and Community Development.
For more information, call Gert Ackermann on Tel: 086 176 9287 or email gert@wheel.ie
Note for Editors
- There are an estimated 29,000 nonprofit organisations operating in Ireland.
- Around 10,000 of these are registered charities. The balance are mixture of civil society organisations, which includes sports clubs.
- Ireland’s charity sector has a combined annual turnover of €14.5Bn
- The charity sector employs 189,000 people.
- Around 28.4% of adults volunteer every year.
Sources: Charities Regulator, Benefacts.ie
The Wheel is Ireland’s national association of community, voluntary and charitable organisations. We are a representative voice and a supportive resource that offers advice, training, influence and advocacy for the sector. Visit www.wheel.ie for more information.
