How to Use this Code

Once your organisation has made a decision to adopt, and ultimately comply with this Code, there is a clear set of steps, outlined below, to follow.

The Working Group invites all organisations which decide that they wish to adopt the Governance Code and work towards compliance with it to contact us at info@governancecode.ie so that we can add your name to the list of organisations 'on the journey' to compliance with the Code.

We will maintain a publicly available list of the organisations that are ‘on the code-adoption journey’ to act as an incentive and inspiration to others.

Step 1

Read the Code.

Step 2

Identify your Organisational Type from the three categories provided.

Step 3

Read the guidelines and actions for your own Organisational Type. Fill in the appropriate checklist for your organisation Type. This is available to download from this website. Identify the actions you think you need to take to comply with each principle. Rank the actions and do them in a timeframe that is reasonable for your organisation.

(We are aware that completion of the identified actions and thus, compliance with the Code may take several months or sometimes even longer, depending on the level of change required in the organisation.) If your board believes that the organisation then complies with the Governance Code, and has made a decision about this that is minuted at a board meeting, then proceed to Step 4.

Step 4

Sign the one-page Governance Code Principles Statement and display publicly, e.g. office wall, on website.

State in your public materials: “We confirm that our organisation complies with The Governance Code for the Community, Voluntary and Charitable Sector in Ireland”. (Please do not use the logo or any graphics from this website or the downloads.

If you have chosen not to implement certain implementation actions but still believe that you comply with the Code, explain in the same place, as the public statement, which actions you are not doing and why you are not doing them. Providing the explanation means you comply with the overall Code.

Step 5

Email a copy of the signed one-page 'Governance Code Principles Statement' to info@governancecode.ie along with the date when the board made the decision that the organisation is compliant with the Code.

When we get this information, the Working Group will add your organisation’s name to the publicly available Register of Compliance with the Code, available on this website (note that every organisation’s name will only remain on the Register of Compliance with the Code for 3 years unless you send us a new signed one-page 'Governance Code Principles Statement'.)

Step 6

Every year conduct a review of the organisation's compliance with the Code. Ensure that this review is done by, or approved by the board and that approval is minuted.

Sign a new 'Governance Code Principles Statement' and display prominently and/or on the relevant section of your website. Remember to check that your organisation's name is on the Register of Compliance with the Code.

Repeat this ‘step 6’ annually.