Judging Criteria

Please note:

1. For organisations in categories 3-7, the application of Charities SORP is considered a minimum requirement.  Financial statements submitted by organisations in these categories which are not prepared in accordance with Charities SORP will not progress beyond Stage 1.
2. Annual reports which apply FRS 102 Section 1A and/or include abridged accounts will not progress beyond Stage 1 of the judging process and are not eligible for inclusion on the short-list. Non-profits have a particular responsibility to demonstrate their transparency and accountability and only annual reports which include full, unabridged financial statements can be considered for the Good Governance Award.
3. In 2022, the format for the judging the shortlisted larger organisations, Categories 6 and 7, will be different from previous years. The judges in these 2 categories will be focusing on two key areas of the annual report: (1) how the organisation has communicated in its annual report the impact it is making for its beneficiaries and (2) how the organisation has addressed the risks facing the organisation.

1.       Transparency (40 points)

1. Is it clear what the organisation’s vision is?
2. Is it clear what the organisation’s mission is?
3. Does it clearly outline the organisation’s values?
4. Is the organisation’s operating/environmental context described?
5. Are the origins of the organisation clear?

2.       Governance (60 points)

1. Does it outline the organisation’s structure? (unincorporated association/company limited by guarantee/charity/co-op)?
2. Is the role of the Board described?
3. Is the role of Board committees explained?
4. Does it provide details of board meeting attendance?
5. Does it provide details of board committee/subcommittee attendance?
6. Does it provide a profile of the skills and experience of each Board member?
7. Is the registered office listed?
8. Are the accountants/auditors listed?
9. Are the solicitors listed?
10. Are the bankers listed?
11. Does it name the Chairperson?
12. Does it name the Company Secretary?
13. Does it name the CEO/Manager?
14. Does it specify the term limit for Board members?
15. Does it state that there is conflicts of interests policy in place?
16. Does the report state that this conflicts of interest policy was reviewed by the Board within the last 3 years?
17. Does it provide details of how the organisation engages and communicates with its stakeholders?
18. Is it clear that the CEO is not a member of the board?
19. Is the CEO’s remuneration package disclosed?
20. Are the salary bands of those earning over €60,000 per annum disclosed?
21. Does it detail how Board members are recruited?
22. Is it clear that induction training is provided to all new Board members?
23. Is there a clear commitment to the ongoing training of Board members?
24. Does it provide details of the organisation’s delegation of decision-making powers?
25. Is it clear that the organisation has a risk register in place?
26. Is it clear that the organisation has a risk management policy in place?
27. Does the report provide an insight into the organisation’s top risks?
28. Does the report provide an insight into how the top risks are managed?
29. Does it describe the organisation’s approach to remuneration?
30. Does it describe the organisation’s approach to performance management?
31. Does it describe the organisation’s approach to investment policy?
32. Does it provide summary profiles of key employees/volunteers?
33. Does it state that the organisation in compliance with a Governance Code (for Charities, Sports Organisations or Approved Housing Bodies)?

3.       Strategy, Performance & Impact (110 points)

1. Is it clear that the organisation has a multi-year strategy in place?
2. Does the report identify key strategic objectives/goals/actions/activities for the period of this report?
3. Do the actvities mentioned in the report clearly align with the mission, vision and values of the organisation?
4. Do these activities have targets or definitions of success?
5. Does the report give a clear indication of the organisation’s performance against the targets or definitions of success laid out in the report?
6. Does the report give an insight into challenges faced in meeting these targets?
7. Is the organisation’s performance this year compared to the performance in the previous year?
8. Is there a comparison of this years’ performance against more than 1 previous years’ performance?
9. Does the report demonstrate the difference/impact in concrete numbers and targets the organisation has made in the year?
10. Does the report demonstrate the organisation’s impact in the form of testimonials or case studies?
11. Has reference been made in the report to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the annual report?
12. Does the organisation refer to or state that it produces a separate gender pay gap report?
13. Does the organisation reference an EDI committee or EDI being part of the remit of a wider committee or working group?
14. Is it clear from the report that the organisation has an EDI policy?
15. Does the report reference environmental sustainability (e.g. reducing negative environmental impact of organisation, carbon footprint etc.)
16. Does the report demonstrate the organisation’s awareness and commitment to address either or both of its impact on the following sustainability factors: (1) Climate related matters (2) Its affected communities and ensuring community stakeholder engagement.

4.       Financial Information (70 points)

1. Are the financial statements complete (i.e. not abridged)?
2. Are the financial statements complete (i.e. not applying “Section 1A” or the “small entities exemption” of FRS102?)
3. Do the financial statements submitted include an audit report?
4. Are the financial statements prepared in line with charity SORP?
5. Is there a clear statement of the sources of income?
6. Does it provide commentary analysis or explanatory information on key movements in funding from the previous years?
7. Does it set out planned actions to be taken to improve/ensure sustainability of future funding?
8. Does it comment on continuing availability of funding and highlight any risks/challenges to future funding?
9. Are the main expenditure items listed?
10. Is there a consistent story being told throughout the activity report and the financial statements?
11. Is there a discussion of the surplus, breakeven or deficit position and how it happened?
12. Where an organisation incurs a loss or deficit, is there a clear description of actions to be taken to address this?
13. Is it clear that there is a reserves policy in place?
14. Does the report specify the minimum reserves target for the organisation?
15. Does the report outline a reasonable and prudent approach to determining this target? (e.g. reserves target is based on 3 months average expenditure)
16. Is there a reserves disclosure note explaining movements in the reserves?
17. Does the report outline a clear plan to address a situation where the organisation is above or below the target minimum reserves?
18. Are the reserves at or very near to the set target?
19. Are there any significant mistakes in the financial statements?

5.     Overall Quality of the Report (20 points)

1. Does the report read as one coherent document with minimal repetition?
2. Overall quality of the report in terms of clarity, transparency and comprehensiveness