MINISTER of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Sean Kyne, visited Fingal County Council’s headquarters in Swords recently to launch a website which contains comprehensive information about Ireland’s non-profit sector.
Benefacts.ie is a free public website that provides the public with the most comprehensive and up-to-date information about Ireland’s non-profit sector. It also provides information about non-profit organisations’ sources of income, including Government funding.
With assistance from Fingal’s Public Participation Network, Benefacts have been able to assimilate data from the County Register to provide more information about smaller, local non-profit organisations.
Speaking at the launch, Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin, said: “We are delighted to launch the new Benefacts website here in Fingal’s Council Chamber. The updated online database is a valuable tool for citizens, community and volunteer groups, local authorities as well as Government.
“The comprehensive information made available by Benefacts allows for greater collaboration across all sectors.”
Minister Kyne said he was particularly pleased to have been asked to launch the upgrade to Benefacts’ “excellent website”.
“This is just the kind of infrastructure that community and voluntary organisations need to be better able to achieve their full potential in the important work they do in every parish in Ireland,” he said.
“Benefacts is a tangible example of how Government can work in partnership with the community, voluntary and philanthropic sectors to design and deliver new services that benefit our citizens.
“I would like to commend Fingal chief executive Mr Paul Reid for embracing this opportunity with such energy and enthusiasm – I’m sure they are already seeing the benefits of this excellent Open Data project.”
Mr Reid said: “The reforms made to Local Authority Legislation in 2014 require us to consult with and promote effective participation by the local community in local government.
“Fingal has been very proactive in this area with an engaged Public Participation Network and collaboration between multiple departments and local community groups.”
Chief executive of Benefacts, Patricia Quinn, explained why they chose Fingal to host the new Benefacts website.
“Fingal has been a leader in Open Data adoption, and a role model for Benefacts when we started building our own database from open data sources in 2015,” said Ms Quinn.
“Fingal County Council offered practical support to Benefacts earlier this year, when we realised the potential of county register/public participation network data to augment the Benefacts Database of Irish Nonprofits.”