Aggregated External News

2009 was a momentous year for The Wheel, our members, the community and voluntary sector and Irish society as a whole. Find out how The Wheel reacted to meet the changing needs of our members and the wider community and voluntary sector.

Read The Wheel's 2009 Annual Review online

Croke Park Conference Centre on 27 May will see a host of national and international speakers converge to enjoy what promises to be the most thought provoking event in the calendar of the community and voluntary sector in Ireland.

Chaired by conference veteran Fintan O'Toole, the conference will explore the leadership challenges experienced by our sector in these troubled times.  With a keynote address by the Minister of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Pat Carey, TD, this is a conference you do not want to miss!

A big thank you to everyone who supported The Big Give appeal for Haiti. We were delighted to raise over £175,000 for 12 aid agencies, including Medair, British Red Cross and Oxfam, and thought we’d give you a quick update on exactly how your money is helping to save lives.

Initially, Oxfam provided immediate help and equipped local people with tools to help them search for loved ones. Then, as aid began to reach the country, Oxfam concentrated on providing safe drinking water. They continue to do so on a daily basis and are also helping to improve sanitation in the camps, fighting to stop the spread of deadly diseases. They are currently providing clean water and sanitation to around 230,000 people and will provide for around 600,000 in the coming six months.

Medair have been concentrating on providing housing for the thousands who lost everything during the earthquake. The shelters they provide start as steel structures with a waterproof covering and then can later be used as the foundations for a more permanent home. There is a great community spirit as families help each other to build their new homes and real hope as Haitians can finally move out of the temporary camps and into places of their own.

Many thanks to all those who gave to our appeal. These are just a couple of ways that your money is making a real difference and none of this would have been possible without your support.

When: 11 May

Where: Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Time: 09:30-16:30, registration from 09:15

As the recession bites community and voluntary organisations have to find more cost-effective methods of raising awareness and building support for their work. Online marketing and social media provides effective and financially sustainable channels to reach out to your supporters.

Book your place online now!

When: 9 June

Where: Carmelite Community Centre, Aungier Street

Time: 09:30am-12:30pm (registration from 09:15am)

This special workshop will explore how mergers and more stream lined ways of working can allow your organisation to adapt to a different economic environment.  Facilitated by two top HR consultants, the workshops will look at the drivers of successful mergers or partnerships.

Book your place online now!

When: 6 May

Where: Carmelite Community Centre, Aungier Street

Time: 09:30am-12:30pm (registration from 09:15am)

This special workshop will explore how mergers and more stream lined ways of working can allow your organisation to adapt to a different economic environment.  Facilitated by two top HR consultants, the workshops will look at the drivers of successful mergers or partnerships.

Book your place online now!

When: 20 April

Where: Carmelite Community Centre , Aungier Street, Dublin 2

Time: 11.15am to 1.30pm, followed by a light lunch.

The Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising  - which was developed with fundraising practitioners and launched by ICTR in May 2008 - sets out standards for fundraising practice in Ireland.

The Wheel has organised this seminar to present an update on the implementation phase of the project, outline the resources which have been developed, and allow time for consideration and discussion of the resources.

Book your free place online now!

The Vodafone Ireland Foundation (VIF) has just launched their World of Difference programme for 2010, in which four outstanding individuals will be given the opportunity to work for a charity of their choice for one year.

The premise of the programme is simple yet compelling: have you always wanted to work for your dream charity and be paid to do it? For the past three years, VIF has helped a handful of lucky people do just that. VIF has been privileged to work with amazing individuals who have made a world of difference to their chosen charities.

Are you interested in playing a role in how "big picture pan-sector issues" such as charity regulation, good practice standards and effectiveness of outcomes in the community and voluntary sector in Ireland are shaped and considered? If so, then taking on a leadership role which will have an impact across the whole community and voluntary sector could be for you.

When: 16 March

Where: Microsoft , Carmenhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18.

Time: 9.30 – 11:00

Microsoft Office Live Meeting is a tool which allows people to conduct meetings and collaborate over the internet, reducing costs and increasing productivity with ease.  Microsoft is hosting a training session on this invaluable tool in their facilities in Sandyford.  There is no charge for this event, but places are limited, book early to avoid disappointment.

When: 28 April

Where: Carmelite Community Centre, Aungier Street, Dublin 2

Time: 09:30-12:00,  registration from 09:15

Are funding cuts or declining income compelling your organisation to review its employment arrangements? Are you fully aware of your legal obligations and you employees’ entitlements?

This special half-day workshop has been designed by The Wheel to help community, voluntary, and charitable organisations get to grip with the complexities of employment law.

Book your place online now

When: 14 April
Where: Carmelite Community Centre , Aungier Street, Dublin 2
Time: 09:30-12:30 (registration from 09:15)

Charities and community/voluntary organisations are working in a very difficult environment with most organisations having to do more work with less money. Good leadership is more important than ever  - but to lead, we must be very clear about where we are going.

Book your place online now!

The Wheel is continuing to work with our 16 colleague organisations in the Community and Voluntary Pillar to develop and present an alternative national economic recovery plan.  The Government has already stated that budget 2011 will see a further €4Bn fiscal adjustment (to comprise of a combination of expenditure cuts and increases in the tax take) - so the process of ensuring that vulnerable people are protected from the effects of this adjustment starts now.

In a bid to boost the communications and marketing skills across the sector, Mediacontact.ie has announced that it is giving away a media package worth €20,000 to an Irish charity.

NB: The closing date for submissions is Friday, 26 February , 2010 - get your entries in today!

When: 27 May

Where: Croke Park Conference Centre

Time: 09:00-16:00

Incorporating The Wheel’s AGM

The Wheel's annual conference, entitled Building a Better Ireland: Working Together to Make it Happen, will take place at the Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin on Thursday, 27 May. A host of local and international speakers will offer their expertise on the challenges facing organisations in this trying time.

Book your place online now

When: 27 May

Where: Croke Park Conference Centre

Time: 09:00-16:00

The Wheel's annual conference, entitled Building a Better Ireland: Working Together to Make it Happen, will take place at the Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin on Thursday, 27 May. A host of local and international speakers will offer their expertise on the challenges facing organisations in this trying time.

When: 9 March

Where: Mercer Hotel, Dublin 2

Time: 07:45am - 09:15am.  Registration from 07:30am

The stuff of greatness will be the theme for this encouraging and motivational breakfast briefing by Joe McKenna of Venture Advancement to be held in the Mercer Hotel on 9 March.

Book your place online now!

When: 3 March

Where: Carmelite Community Centre , Aungier Street, Dublin 2

Time: 09:30-12:30 (registration from 09:15)

What is advocacy?  Find out at this essential interactive workshop! 

Book your place online now

When: 21 April 2010

Where: Clarion Hotel , Cork City

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Working Better, Growing Stronger is a conference that aims to equip you and your community and voluntary group with the latest information and advice on a number of key issues, including: Governance, The Charities Act 2009, Employment Law, Financial Management, Fundraising, Online Marketing and Social Media. The event will feature inputs from a practising barrister, top facilitators and The Wheel's team of experts.

Book your place online now!

A workshop that examines practical tools to manage finances and grow your funding in a recession.

When: 17 February

Where: Carmelite Community Centre, Aungier Street, Dublin 2

Time: 09:30am-12:30pm.  (registration from 09:15am)

part of our recession-busting supports for organisations.

With statutory funding on the decrease, and fundraising under severe pressure, organisations are now being pressed to rethink how they will deliver on their mission and objectives so that they can do the same with less resources. If they don't change the way they do things, they may find themselves running out of cash.

Book your place online now!