The document details responses from a questionnaire regarding compliance barriers faced by organizations under new governance codes, indicating challenges such as limited funding, trustee capacity, and lack of expertise. It highlights the major risks organizations face, including funding cuts and reputational risks, along with suggestions for impactful changes in the voluntary sector. Additionally, it addresses potential improvements in work-life through better systems, funding security, and reduced stress.

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GRC Event 2020
Results of Questionnaire Responses

5. If you are not compliant what is your biggest barrier to
becoming compliant?
• We had completed the The Wheel's Governance Code assessment and are/were
compliant under that but are yet to review the new Governance Code issued by
Companies Regulatory Authority (CRA). We have until end 2020 to review under
the revised Code of Governance.
• We are on the path to compliance next month, biggest barrier is trustee time
and understanding, and capacity in the office
• Our organisation had embarked on a journey to implement the voluntary
governance code that had been developed by the sector before the Charities
Governance code. So we are currently redirecting effort from the previous code
to the Charities Governance code
• Time to implement actions - all minor
• Lack of expertise and time among the executive

15. What is your number 1 challenge in this area and have you been
able to allocate funding for Strategic Planning
Training/Consultancy?
• Lack of consistency with the Board, turn over of directors
• Funding Issue
• Recent Board re-structure (am implementing changes that take time to
bed down)
• Creating a robust evaluation/ benchmarking framework
• Our new three year strategy is understood by the Senior Mgt team, who
developed most of it, however I don't think this level of understanding is
as deep below this level in our organisation.
• Funding the strategic plan. Funding was allocated in 2019 to develop the
new strategic plan.
• We have an annual board/team strategy day and use an external
facilitator.
• Measuring against objectives
• Capacity and time, no.
• Lack of time and funding

16. What is your number 1 challenge in this area and have you been
able to allocate funding for Strategic Planning
Training/Consultancy?
• Biggest current challenge is how to approach next Strategic Plan (2021-2025) with
limited resources.
• Difficult to mine appropriate data for information purposes
• Buy in at board level and from staff
• No funding available
• We are a very small team
• Change in priorities over the lifetime of the three year plan. did have some training
in 2014 to develop monitoring and evaluation framework and continue to use this
learning
• Having the relevant expertise available to us at Board level
• Prioritising the goals - funding has been set aside
• We have funding support & consultancy this year for our new Strategy Planning.
Compliance has been time-consuming and costly, and unfortunately still takes up
time at board level.
• We do not have funding for this and at times is it a gap from a management level

19. What are the biggest risks facing your organisation?
• Team/ staff risk, Funding, Reputational
• As part of our risk assessment we identified these that would
have most impact: Failure to deliver the Festival programme
and impact on brand, Budget overruns and reduced funding,
failure to comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
• lack of funding / funding cuts
• Economy and environment
• Funding security

20. What are the biggest risks facing your organisation?
• Suitability of all board members
• European reporting
• Have just started compiling our risk register, but quality of
service delivery, over reliance on the Regional Manager are
major risks
• Financial
• Financial resilience (to shocks incl. legal claims), lack of
volunteers
• Government matching funding
• Reputational, funding and recruitment and people
management

21. What are the biggest risks facing your organisation?
• Lack of marketing/promotion inhibits bringing in new business, poor
relationship with potential key funder, lack of suitable building
• Late/Delayed Funding and IT Infrastructure
• Staffing, poor MI on which to make decisions
• reduction in funding
• Loss of key staff
• funding cuts from the HSE, staff absenteeism due to work related stress or
injury, non compliance with regulations,
• Succession planning, membership drop off and over reliance on gov funding

22. What are the biggest risks facing your organisation?
• Reduction in funding
• Reductions in income from main funder. Pay disparity with HSE pay scales
making staff retention a problem. Increased Non-Pay costs e.g. insurance,
transport etc.- no funding increases from main funder to offset Mandatory
pensions - currently operate an opt in approach Challenges to our
commercial division which operates in the retail sector
• Lack of funding would close us down. I am relatively new to the Charity and
am still in the learning process.
• Loss of staff (full employment/competitive environment), compliance with
GDPR and with Safeguarding legislation)
• Funding and staffing issues

28. What single change to theVoluntary sector do
you think would have the biggest impact?
• Grant's toward membership & buildings
• Sustainable funding for front line services
• Cash flow reporting (lack of in-house experience)
• Evidence based impact measurement
• If all private sector businesses/ organisations had some kind of CSR
programme and contributed in a monetary way, or with volunteering a
percentage of their time/ resources to the Voluntary sector.
• Reduce the complexity of Governance for small organisations.
• stop cutting funds
• Streamlining of reporting.
• The level of oversight and reporting is becoming too much for small
organisations

29. What single change to theVoluntary sector do
you think would have the biggest impact?
• Resourcing of governance!
• Fund raising restrictions
• hard to say
• The burden of reporting to various regulators when there is very limited
funding for administration work.
• Better supports, less paperwork
• Multi-annual funding, more reliable funding streams
• Pay parity with the HSE consolidated payscales
• Protection of their exposure to liability when volunteering - the compliance
and governance has become more onerous on them - wider access to
relevant training.
• Improvement of salary scales

31. If you woke up tomorrow and your work-life was noticeably
improved what is the first thing you will notice has changed?
• Homeworking
• Access to software.
• That there is some delegation of responsibility from Regional Manager to
support staff. Currently there is a lack of support for the RM role. Also if the
Board were more well versed in their own governance requirements
• Less Stress!
• Probably, increased sleep and less worry.
• Improvement in my wellbeing
• More freedom to develop new ideas for ways of working in my organisation.

32. If you woke up tomorrow and your work-life was noticeably
improved what is the first thing you will notice has changed?
• All of the systems, processes and policies are in place to help the
organisation operate to the highest standard and to achieve our impact.
• I'd be able to work more efficiently.
• security of funding
• more free time
• More flexibility in timings.
• I might get better sleep
• Less on my to-do list that has been there for more than a month!
• Less tired

33. If you woke up tomorrow and your work-life was noticeably
improved what is the first thing you will notice has changed?
• I had won €100 million Euro millions jackpot
• I won the lottery
• all staff working honest days work and being visible on site
when needed
• The level of stress has decreased.
• Adequate funding to cover budget deficits
• Ability to partake in more pastimes and evening activities.
• Could step back and be more strategic in our planning

34. If I knew then what I know now…
• Applying for Registration with CRA
• Compliance by design
• Board mix
• Strategy and risk hand in glove
• Clear vision and channel for funding