Last Updated: August 2022
Epilepsy Ireland is dedicated to meeting the needs of people with epilepsy and their families. We aim to do this by providing a range of support & information services; offering training & education programmes for both people with epilepsy and health professionals; by improving public understanding of epilepsy; advocating on behalf of those affected by epilepsy and by supporting Irish research to help better understand and treat the condition.
We are grateful for all funding we receive to enable us to meet these objectives and we recognise that public trust in our work and performance is essential. We are committed to providing a high level of accountability and transparency about how we raise and spend our funds.
In 2021, as per the audited accounts for the year (the latest currently available), our total income was €1,532,380. This includes €7,563 in non-cash donations representing media and advertising services donated to the charity for our #EpilepsyDay campaign. The total ‘cash’ income therefore was €1,524,817.
Of the total income, €749,153 (49%) was in Section 39 grants from the Health Service Executive. This statutory funding is operated under regional service level agreements (SLAs) and we provide detailed annual reports to the HSE for each of these agreements.
We require additional funding from other sources in order to continue to provide our services and in 2021, €276,127 was raised through donations, memberships and legacies. This includes the non-cash donation mentioned above and also a substantial legacy donation of €101,500. A total of €148,880 was raised through other trading activities that included raffles, lotteries, campaigns, appeals and fundraising events. Total Fundraising income was therefore €425,007. When adjusted for non-cash donations and the significant one-off legacy donation in 2021, total fundraising income was 6% up on 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on almost all forms of traditional fundraising and fundraising income in 2020 & 2021 is substantially lower than in 2019 when €594,762 was raised.
Income generating services including training services accounted for €157,361 in income. This represents a 63% increase from 2020, highlighting efforts to reorganise our training service to adjust to the changed environment.
Non-HSE grants including those in relation to Training For Success (Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education Training Board); Slaintecare Integration Fund and the Support Scheme for National Organisations amounted to €186,044. In accordance with SORP, funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development Covid Stability Fund (€258,310) was recognised in 2020, although the funds continued to be utilised up to 30 June 2021.
Investment & other income was €14,815 in 2021.
Our total expenditure in 2021 was €1,557,578, meaning that a small deficit of €25,198 is reported. Of every €1 we spent in 2021, 86 cents went to direct charitable objectives, which consists of information & support (43c); training & education (21c); awareness raising (10c); advocacy (8c) and epilepsy research (4c). 14c of every euro was spent on fundraising. It is our belief that we extract maximum value for people with epilepsy, from every euro that we spend. (please see Expenditure charts below).
The nature of our work, providing personalised support services to people with epilepsy and their families is highly dependent on direct staffing resources. We employ skilled, experienced service and training staff to deliver on our objectives in these areas, supported by professional expertise in fundraising and administration. In 2021, the average number of employees was 25 (20 WTE), comprised of 17 in service delivery & training and 8 in administration & fundraising.
66% of all expenditure was pay-related in 2021. The average salary paid was just over €35,000 (€43,000 per WTE). No additional payments or bonuses of any kind are paid to Epilepsy Ireland employees apart from employer pension fund contributions (€57,426 in 2021). Total pay costs were c. €95,000 higher in 2021 compared to 2020 due mainly to the filling of roles left vacant in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 uncertainty.
Since 2016, we are reporting on all salaries over €60,000 in bands of €10,000 as per the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for Charities. In 2021, one employee earned between €80,000 and €90,000; no employees earned between €70,000 and €80,000 and one employee earned between €60,000 and €70,000. Our Board members and members of our sub-committees are all volunteers who donate freely their time, skills and experience.
Epilepsy Ireland publishes audited accounts and an annual report each year. Since 2014, our financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for charities and the FRS 102 accounting standard.
If you have any questions on our sources or use of funds, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@epilepsy.ie.
