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Governance and Structure
Cork Simon Community is registered in Ireland as a company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital. Our Companies Registration Office (CRO) number is: 42511.
Cork Simon Community is a Registered Charity with the Charities Regulator – Ireland’s national statutory regulator for charitable organisations. Our Registered Charity Number is: 20022914.
Cork Simon Community is registered as a charity with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. Our Revenue CHY Number is: 9155.
Cork Simon Community has a Memorandum and Articles of Association, which set out how the Community is run, governed and owned, including the responsibilities and powers of our members and voluntary Board of Directors.
Cork Simon Community is owned by its members. Membership is open to any person who embraces the values of Cork Simon and has volunteered with the Community. Membership is also open to our tenants and to people who use our services.
Our voluntary Board of Directors is elected from among the membership of the Community. The CEO of Cork Simon reports directly to the Board.
Our voluntary Board of Directors works to a Governance Policy Manual and has signed-up to:
- The Charities Governance Code of the Charities Regulatory Authority.
- The Standards for Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA).
Our CEO, Dermot Kavanagh reports directly to the voluntary Board of Directors. The Leadership & Strategy Team works with Dermot in running Cork Simon’s day-to-day operations.
Voluntary Codes and Practices
Cork Simon follows a number of voluntary codes and practices, including:
- Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public issued by the Charities Regulatory Authority.
- Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).
- The Charities Governance Code of the Charities Regulatory Authority.
- The Standards for AHBs – The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA).
- The National Quality Standards Framework (NQSF) for youth work.
- Putting People First.
Guidance for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public
Cork Simon is fully committed to achieving the standards contained within the Guidance for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public.
The Charities Regulator Guidelines exist to ensure accountability to donors, beneficiaries and the public.
The Guidelines are underpinned by the following principles:
1. Respect.
2. Honesty and integrity.
3. Transparency and accountability.
We have carefully considered the Guidelines and believe we meet the standards it sets out.
Respect
- All fundraising will respect the rights and dignity of donors, beneficiaries and the public.
- Fundraising activities will not be unreasonably persistent, intrusive or place undue pressure on people to donate. Should someone not wish to donate, or wish to cease making a donation, that decision will be respected.
- Beneficiaries will not be presented in a disrespectful way in promotional activities and, where possible and appropriate, clients and beneficiaries will have an input into the promotional strategies of the charity.
Honestly & Integrity
- Fundraising will occur in an honest and truthful manner.
- Fundraisers will act with integrity and not misrepresent the charity, its need for funds or how they will be applied.
- Questions about fundraising activities and fundraising costs will be answered honestly and in a timely manner.
- Information about the charity’s charitable purpose and activities will be made freely available.
- Charitable donations and gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were donated.
Transparency and Accountability
- The charity will take responsibility for its actions and will be capable of explaining, clarifying and justifying those actions.
- The charity’s trustees and management will explain and account to donors and the public for the charity’s actions.
- The charity will operate in an open, frank and honest way and will ensure that transactions, operations, information and communications are easily understood by donors and the public alike.
- The charity will clearly identify to donors and the public the cause for which the fundraising is occurring and how donations will and are being used.
- The charity will provide ways whereby those interested can easily contact the charity.
- The charity will have a procedure in place to address complaints.
Principles of the Charities Regulator Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public.
Cork Simon Community is a member of the Triple Lock Standard of the Charities Institute of Ireland. The Triple Lock Standard embraces best practice in Ethical Fundraising, Annual and Financial Reporting, and Governance.
Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP)
Cork Simon Community’s annual accounts are independently audited every year by PricewaterhouseCoopers. We prepare our accounts in accordance with Irish accounting standards and with reference to the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for charities.
This is a comprehensive framework that enables us to explain what we aim to do, how we go about it and what we achieve.
Charities Governance Code
Cork Simon Community’s Board of Directors have signed up to the Charities Governance Code of the Charities Regulatory Authority. The Code underpins good governance, which involves putting in place systems and processes to ensure charities achieve their charitable objectives with integrity and are managed in an effective, efficient, accountable and transparent way.
