Donor charter

Purpose

Children’s Books Ireland seeks to develop partnerships with donors that reflect our core values of excellence, connection, warmth and joy, and those that align with our vision: every child a reader. The purpose of this policy is to outline the ways in which we commit to selecting, working and engaging with donors. 

This policy statement expresses our values, principles, expectations and commitments around our engagement with donors and acts as a commitment to our donors of our own adherence to such principles. This policy serves as a guide for how we interact with donors, ensuring transparency, accountability, and ethical practices.

Children’s Books Ireland complies with the Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public set out by the Charities Regulator. 

Terms 

By ‘donors’ we mean any organisation or person who donates or commits funds to Children’s Books Ireland for the purpose of funding our work. This term refers to all corporate partners, trusts and foundations, charitable givers, non-governmental donors, and individual givers. This policy may not apply in all cases to donations received via our website and donor management system where the origin of donations cannot be ascertained, and separate engagement processes are in place. 

By ‘donations’ we refer to all monies committed to us via the above means. 

Objectives

The key objective of this policy is to outline our commitment to fundraising in an honest, open, respectful and accountable manner. 

Scope 

This policy sets out Children’s Books Ireland’s commitments in fundraising, the guidelines we follow around solicitation, acceptance and engagement of donors, and the practices we engage when building donor relationships. 

The scope of this policy includes corporate and other non-governmental funders, individual contributions and community fundraising, grants, funds and foundations, event sponsorships, partnerships and other strategic partnerships with a funding component.

The policy applies to all board members, employees and volunteers of the organisation. 

Principles 

Children’s Books Ireland seeks to develop partnerships and relationships with corporations, trusts, foundations and individuals in support of our mission. We will ensure we can clearly and confidently demonstrate that these partnership and relationships are aligned with our mission and values and support the Strategic Plan (2024–2028).  

Our engagement with donors is grounded in shared goals and measurable impact. The following constitute the core principles we endeavour to follow in our relationships with donors and in relation to donations: 

Respect 

As a charity we rely on funding for our activities. We value the donors who help us to achieve our mission. Respect for our donors is one of the primary commitments we make to acknowledge and cultivate these relationships. Children’s Books Ireland commits to recognising and valuing the rights and dignity of our donors and the beneficiaries of those donations at every stage of our journey together. We promise the following:  

• Fundraising activities will not be unreasonably persistent, intrusive or place pressure on people to support. If someone does not wish to donate, that decision will be respected.
• Beneficiaries of our fundraising efforts will be portrayed fairly, with dignity and in a respectful way. We will integrate ways for beneficiaries and stakeholders to input into the strategies of the charity.
• We will utilise engaging donor stewardship practices to recognise and involve our donors where appropriate. Where mutually agreed we will recognise our donors in our public communications and thank them for their contribution. We commit to building in appropriate and genuine opportunities for donors to witness the impact of their funding and to retain the privacy of donors who wish to remain anonymous.
• We will endeavour to provide donors with the tools to communicate their support of our work to their stakeholders.
• We will listen to feedback from our donors and record and share it with our wider team.
• We will report on the impact of donations at regular intervals through donor reports, campaign evaluations and impact reports. We will publish an impact report for the previous year annually.
• We will begin every new donor relationship with a set of clearly defined, measurable objectives. At the outset of new donor relationships – excluding one-time individual donations – we will agree a timeline of reporting to keep donors fully appraised of activity relating to their donation and feedback on the use of and impact of that donation. At a regular agreed point (for example at the end of a specific piece of funded activity, the close of a Donor relationship, or the end of the year) we will supply a summary report for the Donor that outlines the direct impact of the contribution where possibly measurable. We will evaluate the activity and donation against the set objectives and share this information to communicate the impact. Where appropriate we will use available data, stories, testimonials and metrics to illustrate the difference a donor’s support makes. We will also, on request, supply summaries of the impact that can be used by donors to demonstrate their support for Children’s Books Ireland. 

Honesty

Children’s Books Ireland knows that public trust and confidence in our charity is one of the key contributors to our mission and will ensure we maintain that trust by committing to the following: 

• We will never deliberately misrepresent the needs of our beneficiaries or the impact of our work.
• Our projects and programmes will always be need- and evidence-based.  
• We will endeavour to use candid, appropriate and honest imagery in our communications so donors can be confident the images we share reflect the reality of what we do.
• Our fundraising activities will be carried out honestly and our fundraisers will act with integrity at all times.
• Questions about donations and our fundraising activities will be answered freely, honestly and in a timely manner and information about them will be made freely available on our website.
• Charitable donations will be used for the purposes for which they were donated. 

Integrity

We will ensure we act with integrity when assessing opportunities for new partnerships and accepting donations from third parties. The nature of a Donor’s industry or business is fundamental to the assessment of a proposed partnership’s suitability. We commit to the following: 

• Children’s Books Ireland will endeavour to assess potential donors through a due diligence process in advance of completing agreements, in order to be assured as much as possible of the provenance of funds donated. The due diligence process will highlight any incompatibilities or potential risks to the organisation.
• Risk analysis of a potential donation will be weighed against the potential for advancement of our mission. When any actual or perceived risk to our brand or stakeholders is detected, the CEO will exercise their discretion to consult with the Board for its advice.
• All partnerships are approved by the CEO and Deputy CEO, along with a third party from the organisation. A partnership assessment checklist is applied to all potential partnership considerations at this stage to ensure it meets the needs of the organisation, and will provide demonstrable impact in the communities we serve.
• We will never work with donors from sectors that are incompatible with the mission of Children’s Books Ireland, including those that may cause harm to children or the environment in which children live. Potential partnerships will be carefully assessed, and Children’s Books Ireland will not work with donors whose involvement with the charity would tarnish our reputation or hamper our strategic aims. We commit to never accepting funding (outside of individual giving which cannot be assessed in this way) from brands that are closely aligned with tobacco, alcohol, gambling, or the sale of any items that may be determined as harmful or engaging in the exploitation of children or grounded in principles of discrimination based any of the nine protective characteristics of The Equal Status Acts 2000–2018. Where possible, we aim to prioritise donors who have committed to nationally recognised standards and charters in the areas of equality, diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability and the protection and promotion of children’s rights.
• We always aim to accept donations where there is charitable intent. The most desirable gifts for advancing our mission are those with the least restrictions, as unrestricted funds allow us to address the most pressing needs. Children’s Books Ireland will not accept gifts that are overly restrictive in purpose, that inhibit us in seeking donations from other donors or that require us to make undue expenditures.
• In the event of a material change in the partners’ business, operations, or ownership, an assessment will be undertaken, and Children’s Books Ireland reserves the right to return any funds if, in the course of the relationship, it is determined that the partnership may breach any of these principles. The outcome of an assessment that finds a funding partnership to be acceptable shall not be an endorsement of that entity’s entire range of activities, nor of a particular product or service.
• Our CEO and Board of Directors will ensure that the organisation complies with all relevant legislation and appropriate charity governance codes. These are: our own Financial Policy and Procedures, our Ethical Fundraising Policy, the Charities Regulator’s Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public and the Charities Governance Code.

Transparency and Accountability 

Children’s Books Ireland commits to providing accurate and honest information to our donors, beneficiaries and the public in all our communications. We will take responsibility for our actions and work in a transparent way so that stakeholders can have full confidence in us.  We commit to the following:

• We will make every effort to fully comply with the agreed requirements of our donors via our agreements, both in the management of funds received and in our reporting on this.
• We will ensure transparency when outlining the potential benefits of supporting our work to our donors by clearly stating at the outset the terms and parameters of the partnership in a Partnership Agreement/Acceptance of Funding Agreement.
• We will seek approval from donors of variations in spend above 10% of the total funding that falls outside the agreed determinations in the cases of restricted funds, or comply with the stated requirements of the donor should they differ from this.
• We will provide receipts for all donations received, including once-off online or offline donations and larger donations from corporate partners, trusts, foundations and other charitable gifts.
• In kind donations will be recorded as such in our annual accounts with a fair market value of the gift included.
• We will report publicly on all donations (grants, funding, and charitable giving) in our annual report. Where appropriate, donors may wish to be anonymised, and this will be respected; however, board members will have full oversight of all donations.
• All donations made to the organisation, outside of our online donation management software, are logged by the CEO and Development Managers in our Fundraising Budget and updates are circulated to Board of Directors on a regular basis. 

Privacy 

Children’s Books Ireland respects the privacy of our donors and complies with all legal requirements around data protection legislation. The operation of Children’s Books Ireland requires the maintenance and management of extensive Donor and Prospect records that may contain sensitive information. To carry out our responsibilities these records may need to be shared with or developed by Children’s Books Ireland employees on a confidential basis. We commit to handling information about donors and donations with respect and confidentiality and in accordance with GDPR regulations. Our Privacy Policy is readily available on our website. 

We commit to the following: 

• At the outset of new donor relationships, Children’s Books Ireland will agree with donors the preferred recognition and wording for crediting donors.
• All employees will be trained in the appropriate data protection policies to enable them to respect and protect the confidential nature of these records.
• At the centre of our work is an inalienable belief in the importance of protecting and promoting the fundamental rights of children. We recognise the critical importance of maintaining the privacy, safety and wellbeing of children in all donor-funded activities. Our Child Protection Policy and Child Safeguarding Statement can be viewed here.

Summary 

This statement of policy is meant as a working guide for Children’s Books Ireland and will be subject to regular scheduled review, every three years. Any final decisions will be governed by the CEO and may be referred to the Board of Directors as needed. 

If you have feedback or complaints about any aspect of our work in relation to this policy, you can contact us in writing or by telephone. In the first instance, your complaint will be responded to by the member of staff you have contacted. If you contact us via our info@childrensbooksireland.ie address, you will be contacted by the member of staff responsible for the project to which your complaint is related, or by the CEO if your complaint relates to the organisation in general. Please let us know how you would like us to respond, with relevant contact details.

Contact details:

POST: Children’s Books Ireland, First floor, 17 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1, D01 R2F1, Ireland. Email: info@childrensbooksireland.ie or for email addresses of each team member please click here.