At the Board Meeting of the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland on the 9th October 2011, the Directors of the Association endorsed the Statement of Guiding Principles as published by Irish Charities Tax Research (ICTR). The core principles of this statement are listed below, while a full explanation of Statement of Guidelines can be found through the link below.

Principles of Fundraising

Respect

The Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI) and its subsidiaries shall respect the rights, dignity and privacy of its supporters, clients and beneficiaries. It shall not put undue pressure on anyone to make a gift and where someone does not want to give or wishes to cease giving, that decision will be respected. The charity will not represent their clients or beneficiaries in a disrespectful way in their promotional activities, and where possible and appropriate, clients or beneficiaries will have an input into the charity’s promotional strategies. The charity will take care not to cause unreasonable nuisance or disruption in its fundraising efforts.

Honesty

The charity will always act in an honest manner and will be truthful in all its dealings. It will answer honestly all reasonable questions about its fundraising activities and fundraising costs and it will do so within a reasonable timeframe.

Openness

The charity will make information about its purpose and its activities freely available. It will be transparent about who it is, the work it performs and how any support is used. The charity will be accountable and will provide a number of ways whereby those interested can contact the organisation and receive a reasonably timely response. The charity will have a procedure to address complaints, a copy of which will be available on request.

As a charity we are mostly self funded and rely heavily on donations from our members and members of the public to continue our work at the association, which we have been doing for over 40 years.

Current fundraising Activities:

Church Gate Collections – The DDAI collect at various church locations throughout Ireland on a regular basis, keep an eye out for one of our volunteers and please give generously.

Spring Draw – We have been running our spring draw for many years and it continues to be well supported by our members.  Our next spring draw will be February 2013. Thank you for your continued support.

Annual Super Draw – Again this draw has run for over 20 years and each year we raise much needed funds to continue with our work at the association.  We will be announcing the 2012 super draw in early September which will give everyone plenty of time to get selling tickets for the draw in December.  Prizes to be announced. Again thank you for your continued support.

Online Donations – It couldn’t be easier! Follow this link and donate!

Marathons – This is a fantastic way to raise funds for a charity.  If you know someone who is running/walking any marathon in Ireland why not ask them to do it in aid of the DDAI.

Pub Quiz – Why not hold a pub quiz with a few friends or colleagues, it can be a fun way to spend an evening and raise some much needed funds at the same time.

Coffee Morning – Another great way to get together with some friends or neighbours and raise a few bob in the process.

Bag Packing – Why not contact your local supermarket and see if they would allow you do a bit of bag packing some weekend.  Local school children are always at hand to give a helping hand!

Corporate Donations – If you own or run a company why not make a monthly/annual donation.  Any donation over €250 can be written off against your tax.

Golf Classic – Do you play golf? Are you a member of a golf club? A fun and easy way to get some exercise and raise money at the same time.

Any ideas? If you have any ideas of ways to fundraise please contact us, we’d love to hear form you.

If you need any information about the DDAI (information material, tickets) to help with your fundraising please let us know and we will be only too happy to help.