Almost 200 complaints made about potentially bogus charities in Ireland 

Patrick Hopkins, chairperson, and Helen Martin, chief executive of the Charities Regulator, at the publication its annual report 2021. Picture: Maxwells

The charities regulator of Ireland has said charities need to do more to boost public confidence after more than one in three failed to file their annual reports on time last year. 

In a report released on Wednesday, the regulator revealed only 64% of registered charities managed to file their annual reports within 10 months of the end of their financial year. 

The report further said 196 complaints were raised questioning the legitimacy of charities in Ireland. 

Chief executive of the Charities Regulator Helen Martin said legitimacy had become a huge issue, and the regulator was working with gardaí to track down bogus operators. 

"We always urge the public to check the register to make sure that the organisation you are donating to, be that with your money or time or goods, is actually a registered charity," she said. 

Filing accounts on time is a legal requirement. They provide an overview of a charity's finances and activities in the previous year and are published on the public register. 

Ms Martin said filing reports was an issue of affordability for some smaller charities. 

“The question for charities is whether they can afford not to comply with the requirement to file annual reports. Funding is the number one concern for charities we surveyed last year, and as inflation brings an increased cost of living, it will remain so," she said. 

She commended charities on their hard and essential work during the pandemic in 2021. 

“Notwithstanding these challenges, we were heartened to see the level of positive engagement by registered charities with the Charities Governance Code," Ms Martin said, reflecting on the first year charities reported on their own compliance with the code. 

However, she said the "decline in the number of charities filing their annual reports within the required timeframe is disappointing and remains a concern, particularly given that research shows the reporting requirements are not considered to be unduly onerous by the charity sector".

In its seventh year of operation, the regulator saw two statutory investigations opened in relation to North Inner City Homeless and Birdwatch Ireland. 

Two investigation reports were also published relating to Childfund Ireland and Cabhrú Housing Association Services. 

Protected disclosures

Eight protected disclosures were also submitted to the regulator in 2021, which were assessed by their compliance and enforcement team. 

There was a 22% increase on the number of complaints made to the regulator last year, as 568 complaints were made overall. 

Although concerns relating to unregistered charities remained high, 209 complaints were made about the governance of registered charities, 196 about legitimacy, and 107 about financial control and transparency. 

Minister of State for Charities Joe O'Brien said the regulator's annual report showed the organisation's commitment to "strengthening public confidence in our registered charities." 

"While recognising there is more to be done, the sector’s positive response to the Charities Governance Code demonstrates the will and determination that exists to further develop and augment standards and practices. The progression of the Charities (Amendment) Bill will also be of critical importance in assisting both the regulator and our charity trustees in this regard," he added. 

282 new charities were registered last year, bringing the total number in the country to 11,426. 

Dublin is home to 3,140 charities, followed by Cork which has 1,177, and Galway, which has 661.