Celebrating organisations that demonstrate outstanding leadership, accountability and governance across Ireland’s charity, community and non-profit sector.
The Good Governance Awards recognise the standards that build stronger organisations, inspire public trust and create lasting impact.
Great governance creates greater impact.
Strong governance is more than good practice. It builds trust, strengthens organisations and enables meaningful change.
The Good Governance Awards celebrate the people and organisations setting the standard for governance excellence in Ireland. By recognising innovation, transparency and leadership, the awards help raise standards across the entire sector.
Whether you are entering for the first time or returning to showcase your continued progress, taking part demonstrates your commitment to excellence.
Subtitles will go in here explaining about the Awards
A Good Governance Award is a mark of confidence. It's a better reputation. It's about showing how strong is your board, how strong is your staff, how strong are your processes, and they deliver proof of integrity but for the work you are doing.
But it's also to reassure the funders and the public that the organisation is actually strong and solid. Well, for me, an annual report really is a window into the soul of an organisation. It's about style. Clearly it's important that it reads well, that it flows well, that it's clear, that it's concise, but most importantly it's about the substance, and sharing what your organisation does when it comes to financials, when it comes to excellence, governance, transparency and, most importantly, impact.
It was huge for the team. I mean, we have been lucky enough to win two Good Governance Awards in 2021 and 2024 for our annual report. For a small team - we're just 23 people, and only three or four in our finance team - the recognition from the Good Governance Awards was huge.
Carmichael have an excellent range of information resources on their website. They also have really helpful training that you can attend. So I would recommend that any organisation who's considering entering, they visit Carmichael's website and they have a look at the resources.
We found it very, very useful in our annual report. Oh, I would say enter your annual report. It doesn't matter what you think of it yourself. It doesn't matter if you haven't entered previously, because one of the great things is that even if it's not shortlisted, you are going to get feedback, and it'll be very clear where the areas are that need improvement.
So it's a great opportunity, and there are organisations in the past that weren't shortlisted, that got their feedback, implemented it and came back and were either shortlisted or won. So it's a great opportunity to make just even that improvement.
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Supporting stronger governance across Ireland.
The Good Governance Awards are proudly presented by Carmichael, Ireland’s leading support organisation for charities, community groups and voluntary organisations.
For decades, Carmichael has worked alongside organisations to strengthen governance, improve leadership and build resilient organisations that deliver lasting public benefit.
The awards are an extension of that commitment—recognising excellence while encouraging continuous improvement across the sector.
“Good governance is the foundation of every successful organisation.
It creates confidence, strengthens decision-making and enables organisations to deliver greater impact for the communities they serve.
The Good Governance Awards celebrate those organisations that are leading by example while inspiring others to continue raising standards across Ireland.”
Pascal Derrien, CEO, Carmichael
Entries are assessed by an independent panel of governance professionals from across Ireland.
Professor Patricia Barker
Emeritus Professor of Accounting and Finance
DCU
Sheena Horgan
Chief Operating Officer and Principal – Advisory Services
2into3
Michael Wickham Moriarty
Treasurer and Board Member
Core Humanitarian Standards Alliance
Bill Cunningham
Chartered Accountant; Senior Partner (retired)
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Níall Fitzgerald
Head of Ethics & Governance
Chartered Accountants Ireland
Louise Gorman
Assistant Professor in Finance
Trinity College Dublin
Sep 10th
0 days to go
Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your organisation’s commitment to governance excellence.
Celebrating governance excellence.
Every year, the Good Governance Awards recognise organisations that demonstrate exceptional commitment to accountability, transparency and leadership.
Explore the stories behind Ireland’s leading organisations and discover how good governance creates stronger outcomes for communities across the country.
Resources for stronger organisations.
The Governance Hub brings together practical guidance, expert articles and thought leadership from Carmichael and sector experts.
Submit Your EntryGovernance is an ongoing journey.
Discover practical guidance, expert perspectives and inspiring stories designed to help organisations strengthen governance at every stage.
Good Governance Awards Winners 2025 Congratulations to the winners of the Good Governance Awards 2025! The Good Governance Awards recognises and encourages adherence to good governance by nonprofit organisations in Ireland. The…
2into3 works with mission-driven organisations to build capacity, so that they can have a transformative social impact. With offices in Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Galway, we work with organisations across a variety of sub-sectors around the Isle of Ireland. Since 2006, we have worked with over 600 social impact organisations to support them define, fund and deliver on their missions, and to recruit and manage talent. We also seek to inform organisations through our research, gathering and analysing of data to provide the sector with insights.
Website: www.2into3.com
BoardEffect drives efficiency, effectiveness and engagement among board directors, executives and administrators. Helping organisations with different structures, missions and goals, BoardEffect enables boards and committees to be better communicators and collaborators while fueling efficiency at every turn. Taking a modern approach to governance, BoardEffect allows leaders to make informed decisions to power better outcomes.
Website: www.boardeffect.com
Chartered Accountants Ireland is Ireland’s largest professional body representing and supporting a community of 40,000 members in over 100 countries and educating 7,000 students. Its members provide leadership across the public, non-profit, and private sector, bringing experience, trusted expertise, and strict standards to all aspects of their work. Chartered Accountants Ireland engages with key stakeholders including governments, policy makers, regulators, and industry groups on key issues affecting the profession and the wider economy.
Website: www.charteredaccountants.ie
The Department of Rural and Community Development was established on 19 July 2017. Its mission is “to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland.”
Website: drcd.gov.ie
Davy Wealth Management.
Website: www.davy.ie
Originally founded in 1887 as the Ecclesiastical Buildings Fire Office to protect Anglican churches and church buildings against the risk of fire, the name Ecclesiastical has stayed with us as we’ve grown. Today we help care for what truly matters to people across a broad range of sectors, including faith, culture, heritage, education and real estate in the UK, Ireland and Canada.
Website: www.ecclesiastical.ie
The Mason Hayes & Curran charity and not-for-profit law team is Ireland’s leading provider of legal services to the charity and not-for-profit sector. We provide well-known international charities, Ireland’s principal national charities, and many local organisations with bespoke, specialist legal services, including advice on charity law and a host of other legal areas of relevance to our clients.
Website: www.mhc.ie
Mazars Ireland is a leading professional services firm specialising in audit and assurance, consultancy, corporate finance and tax.
Website: www.forvismazars.com
Red Flare provides a comprehensive and practical Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) solution for businesses. Leading companies spanning industry verticals are benefiting from Red Flare’s award-winning practical modular approach which covers GRC, GDPR, ISO 27001 and policy document management. Red Flare is cloud-based allowing your team and partners to access critical information where it’s needed.
Website: redflare.co
Having the right accountant on your team is a critical part of your success and because there’s so much choice out there it can be tricky to find the one that fits exactly with your style and needs. With over 20 years’ experience helping companies like yours to grow, with WDA you have access to partners and staff at all levels, to ensure you get the most up to date information to make the best decisions for your business.
Website: wda.ie
XLeap provides advanced tools in a psychologically safe environment thus letting participants of meetings and workshops share honestly what they think and know without fear of personal consequences. XLeap kindly provide an online platform which facilitates the Good Governance Awards judging process.
Website: www.xleap.net
ProcurementExpress provides purchasing and audit-readiness software designed to help organisations manage spending, strengthen financial controls and simplify compliance.
Website: www2.procurementexpress.com
Boardmatch Ireland is the National Corporate Governance Charity in Ireland. We work to improve governance in the not-for-profit sector by strengthening boards and management committees.
Website: boardmatchireland.ie
We work to create the conditions for a vibrant independent charity sector that attracts increased funding support to deliver positive, tangible social change in Ireland.
Website: charitiesinstituteireland.ie
Dóchas is the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisations. It is a meeting place and a leading voice for organisations that want Ireland to be a world leader in efforts to bring about global justice.
Website: dochas.ie
ENCLUDE brings affordable, trustworthy and effective systems to fellow charities so that they can maximise their impact and make better use of donor funds. Talk to ENCLUDE about your Information Management Needs, including CRM Systems, Office 365, Financial Management and Technology Donations.
Website: enclude.ie
Sport Ireland is the authority tasked with the development of sport in Ireland. This includes participation in sport, high performance sport, anti-doping, coaching and the development of the Sport Ireland Campus.
Website: www.sportireland.ie
The Chartered Governance Institute is the qualifying and membership body for governance professionals. They provide professional development, guidance and thought leadership for individuals and their employers, and work with regulators and policy makers to champion high standards of governance across all sectors.
Website: www.cgi.org.uk
Pobal works on behalf of Government to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion and development.
Website: www.pobal.ie
The Wheel is a support and representative body connecting community and voluntary organisations and charities across Ireland.
Website: wheel.ie
Volunteer Ireland is the national volunteer development agency and a support body for all local Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services in Ireland. Our goal is to make sure that everyone who wants to volunteer, can volunteer.
Website: volunteer.ie
Let’s get started.
The Good Governance Awards celebrate organisations that place good governance at the heart of everything they do.
Since their launch, the awards have become Ireland’s leading recognition programme for governance excellence, celebrating organisations that demonstrate transparency, accountability, effective leadership and a commitment to continuous improvement.
More than an awards programme, the Good Governance Awards encourage organisations to reflect, improve and share best practice across the sector.
Strong governance helps organisations make better decisions, build public confidence and achieve greater impact.
Show Ireland what good governance looks like.
Entering the Good Governance Awards is an opportunity to celebrate your organisation’s achievements while benchmarking your governance against recognised standards.
Whether you’re entering for the first time or returning as a previous participant, the awards provide valuable recognition and an opportunity for reflection and learning.
Entering is straightforward and easy.
Previous winners and examples of governance excellence in action.
Submit your application today.
Good Governance Awards
c/o Carmichael
4-7 North Brunswick Street
Dublin 7
Email: gga@carmichaelireland.ie
Phone: 01-8735702
