Code of Practice

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Donor Charter

As a charity seeking donations from the public we, Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI), aim to comply with the Statement of Guiding Principles. Our pledge is to treat all our donors with respect, honesty and openness. We commit to being accountable and transparent so that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in BCI. We promise we will effectively apply your gifts to us for their intended purposes.

We commit that you, our donors and prospective donors will be informed of the organisation’s mission, and of the way the organisation intends to use its donated resources. We also commit that you will be informed of the identity of those serving on the organisation’s governing board and that the board will exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities. You will have access to the organisation’s most recent financial statements. You can be assured that all your gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given and that you will receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition. You can be assured that information about your donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law. All relationships with individuals representing the charity will be dealt with professionally and you will be informed as to whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organisation or hired third-party agents. The agreed procedures for making and responding to complaints will be made readily available to you. Should you wish, you will have the opportunity for any names to be deleted from mailing lists and be informed if the organisation intends to share the mailing lists with third parties. Finally, you will receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers to any questions you might have of the organisation.

Public Compliance Statement

Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI) is committed to complying with the Statement for Guiding Principles for Fundraising and has formally discussed and adopted the Statement at a meeting of Council. BCI confirms its commitment to the principles set out in the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising by a statement to that effect in its annual report and also has a donor charter that is consistent with the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising.

BCI regularly monitors compliance with the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising and compliance reports are received regularly. We consider the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising when planning all fundraising activity and have adopted a policy regarding working with third-party fundraisers (if applicable). BCI provides honest, open and transparent disclosure when fundraising from the public and have appointed a senior member of staff to be responsible for compliance with the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising.

BCI ensures that fundraising staff are provided with information and training on the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising and its implementation. We also provide feedback and complaints procedures consistent with the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising. Feedback is recorded for review by the relevant staff, including the Director and CEO, and all feedback is responded to promptly and appropriately.

BCI prepares financial reports consistent with the requirements of the Charities Act 2009, ensuring that all donations are tracked and recorded and comply with data protection requirements.

Commitment to Standards in Fundraising Practice

Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI) is fully committed to achieving the standards contained within the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising. This statement exists to improve fundraising practice by promoting high levels of accountability and transparency by organisations fundraising from the public. It provides clarity and assurances to donors and prospective donors about the organisations they support.

We at BCI have considered the Statement and believe we meet the standards it sets out. BCI’s report on our fundraising activities is available in our most recent Financial Statements. We welcome your feedback on our performance via any of the contact points provided (see below).

See our Feedback and Complaints Procedure:

Ms Aisling Hurley

Breast Cancer Ireland, Lower Ground Floor, 77 Merrion Square South, Dublin 2

Telephone: 01 516 0331 or email info@breastcancerireland.com

Disclosure Statement

Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI) is open about whether those seeking donations on our behalf are volunteers, employees of the organisation or are third-party agents.
Anyone fundraising on behalf of BCI will ensure that prospective donors are aware of their status – that is, volunteers, employees or third-party agents.

Handling Feedback and Complaints

Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI) is committed to ensuring that all our communications and dealings with the general public and our supporters are of the highest possible standard. We listen and respond to the views of the general public and our supporters so that we can continue to improve. BCI welcomes both positive and negative feedback. Therefore, we aim to ensure that it is as easy as possible to make a complaint. We treat all complaints seriously, whether delivered by telephone, letter, fax, email or in person. We will deal with any complaint quickly, politely and respond accordingly. We learn from complaints and use them to improve and monitor them at our Board.