Sir, – I am a director and honorary treasurer of a number of charities. I give of my time freely and without compensation for expenses of any kind. I am glad to do so and feel honoured to have the opportunity to be of assistance. But I am also a hostage to fortune. I rely entirely on the integrity of the salaried staff to provide me with accurate information so that the board can make wise and informed decisions.
One of the fallouts of recent scandals is that charitable donations have declined precipitously. However, another and less publicised consequence is that it is increasingly difficult to find anyone with suitable skills to volunteer to serve on the boards of charities in general. I have offered my resignation on several occasions because I feel it is time to give others the opportunity to serve, and yet there are never any replacements available.
The responsibilities of directors are increasingly onerous under both company law and the Charities Act, and few people feel they have the time or expertise to take them on. Others may feel discouraged by the prospect of finding themselves at the centre of a scandal should some irregularities be discovered in the running of their organisation. Irregularities for which they may be found to be legally responsible, even if they have been kept in the dark by those who have committed them. Not many people have the skills of a forensic accountant to uncover those irregularities by themselves. We rely on trust, verified by information wherever possible.
As a result, the voluntary and community sector in Ireland is in freefall. Those charities that have not closed have generally downsized substantially in recent years. The needs they served are now either unmet, or are being met at much greater cost by statutory or private for-profit enterprises. It would be a pity if our rich tradition of voluntary work were to die out because of the scandals at a few charities.
I urge people not to tar all charities with the same brush, and to treat each on their own merits. More importantly, if you do have the time, energy and expertise to serve on the boards of such charities, I urge you to volunteer to do so. It is the lack of such management expertise, as much as any reduction in donations, which is driving the decline of the sector. – Yours, etc,
FRANK SCHNITTGER,
Blessington, Co Wicklow.