By Business & Finance 
Áine Myler is CEO of Charities Institute Ireland, the representative body for Ireland’s leading charities, working to build recognition for the economic and social value that charities deliver.
What are your main priorities and goals in your role?
As the representative body for Ireland’s leading charities, our goal is to build confidence in and recognition for the amazing services and impact our members deliver. Charities are businesses, delivering public benefit, employing 1 in 9 people in Ireland and facing all the same challenges, along with an extra layer or two of significant regulation. In 2025, we’ll provide updates and guidance on issues as diverse as the Pension Auto-Enrolment, the new Gambling Regulation Act and the Pay Transparency Directive. Developing philanthropic giving is a key objective, working collaboratively with stakeholder organisations to accelerate funding, harnessing the momentum already underway to solve the critical social issues we face as a country. Operationally, growing membership and profile, upgrading our digital platforms and nurturing our positive, can-do work culture are all core to achieving our objectives.
What are your biggest challenges as CEO?
I should really have cracked the time management/work-life balance challenge at this stage of my career but working in such a purposeful and diverse sector means I am often at the desk well past when I should be. Thankfully, I am old enough to no longer feel the need to know everything, but I’m curious by nature and like to stay informed about the issues bubbling up that might impact on our members, all the better to support them. I view AI as one of those big issues. In a sector that’s already under-resourced of people and funding, the use of AI could be game-changing, but the challenge to build the guardrails to harness its potential is stymieing its adoption.
I’ve spent much of my career as a consultant and have honed the art of quickly identifying what’s important and what’s not, but some days it seems like everything is on the priority list! That’s when working with a great team of supportive people really matters.
What have been your highlights in business over the past year?
For a small team of six, we really get things done. Hosting our first two-day Fundraising Summer School, bringing together over 40 international speakers and hosting over 380 delegates was a real feat and a great success. On the advocacy front, we successfully lobbied for changes to the Gambling Regulation Act which would have seriously undermined charities’ fundraising campaigns using lottery tickets. In October, we welcomed 475 guests to our Charity Excellence Awards and in December, we’re launching the first edition of our new magazine, Charity Leader. So, it was a busy but very productive year.
Where do you want your business/brand to be this time next year?
A key stakeholder audience for us is the business community. We work with some fantastic corporate partners, and businesses support many of our members. Our Triple Lock standard, a symbol of best practice in fundraising, financial reporting and governance, is a well-established quality mark, and over 150 of our 320 member organisations have achieved the standard to date. Many corporates already use the Triple Lock standard as part of their due diligence when partnering with charities and we plan to work with business representative bodies, like Chambers of Commerce, to build greater recognition for the Triple Lock and the assurance it brings to partnerships.
What new trends are emerging in your sector?
There are some great organisations leading the way on digital transformation, optimising the use of technology to streamline their services, including using AI tools. This is vital to recruit and retain new talent, these so-called digital natives who expect to work in agile, tech savvy environments. Obviously, data protection and cyber security are always a challenge, particularly for a sector that can be a target as we publish full financial statements, including reserves, but don’t have the resources available to big corporations to repel cyber criminals. We started a Data Intelligence network for members last year and the meetings are some of our best attended sessions. I’m always impressed at how willing individual organisations are to share what they’ve learned on their digital journeys, including what went wrong, as there’s often more to learn through failure than success.
What are the challenges facing the sector going forward?
Like every sector, uncertainty everywhere in the world is having an impact. There is a nervousness about how changes in the US economic outlook will affect Ireland, and how quickly. Already the cost-of-living increases have impacted on individual giving and, although corporate giving has grown in recent years, this could quickly contract in the event of an economic downturn, as would government funding. But considerable wealth has been generated in Ireland in recent years and with the recent publication of the National Philanthropy Policy, we have an opportunity to build a culture of philanthropy. Philanthropy can take more risks and move more quickly to find sustainable solutions to some of the most intractable challenges that we all face, like health, housing and education.
Are there any major changes you would like to see in your sector?
I’d like to see the charity sector achieve the economic and social value recognition it deserves. Charities make a vital contribution to our economy, with one in 9 people employed in the sector. Charities provide opportunities for communities to connect, creating the relationships and social capital that our society needs to function. While wealth is consolidating into the hands of fewer and fewer people, our economic equality depends on a thriving and valued not-for-profit sector to deliver services and resources for everyone who needs them. I wish we could find another term for charity, as it can be perceived as lacking professionalism or ambition, which is clearly not the case. ‘Profit for Purpose’ is an increasingly popular term that merges the financial sustainability and scalability we associate with for-profit businesses with the mission-driven focus of the charity sector. ‘Profit for Purpose’ changes the message: that purpose-driven organisations harness business principles, attract capital, and operate with an entrepreneurial spirit, while delivering their core social mission. The definition of success for charities is high impact, and not low overheads, releasing charities from the starvation cycle of underinvestment.
And people often underestimate the impact that charities have on their own lives; it will be a charity that rescues you from the side of a mountain in bad fog or if you’re caught in a storm at sea, who will be there when you need end-of-life care, or when you feel life is not worth living. It’s charities that advocate for social justice, human rights and climate action. As we mature as a society, we will see the value of strong public, business and non-profit sectors working in collaboration to drive positive change for everyone.
As an employer are you finding any skill gaps in the market?
I am fortunate to work with an incredibly resourceful and agile team of people, who are constantly curious about how to do things better. If anything, matching a new hire with our ‘can-do, what’s next’ culture is probably our biggest challenge. We contract expert project support when we need it and there’s a wealth of talented consultants working in the sector. You always have one eye on funding sustainability and financial viability, so most not-for-profits operate with lean team structures. You’ll hear a lot about people wanting to work somewhere with purpose, but when there is wage constraint and none of the financial perks found in the corporate sector, it is an ongoing challenge to hire and retain the right people in this full employment environment.
How do you keep your team/staff motivated?
Working in an ever-changing landscape inspires us to constantly learn and improve. Being a trusted advisor and support to members brings great satisfaction to the team, because they are our raison d’être and they’re often our greatest advocates.
Our team is highly motivated, and self-starting and I believe in trusting people with the scope and the space to achieve and grow. The breadth of work and life experience that the team brings to the table is impressive and we work hard to deliver our goals, while recognising that not everything works out and that setbacks are part of the journey on the way to success. Celebrating the small wins is as important as the big ones and everyone is clear on what part they play in delivering our purpose.
What is the best advice you have been given, or would give, in business?
I’ve been lucky to work with some inspirational people over my career and I often wish I had taken their advice to heart sooner. One that stays with me is not to let perfection be the enemy of good. Yes, everything can be improved on, but time is a precious resource and good is often good enough.
Having weathered several economic cycles, I like the analogy that life and business are like the waves on the ocean. For every down, there is an up. When you are down, be glad that good times are ahead. Don’t take good times for granted, as they will inevitably peak and eventually crash.
And one final one – doubt is good but learn to turn down the volume!
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