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Working with, and for, Older People through Philanthropy-Funded Non-Profit Organisations in Ireland

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Abstract

This case-study examined the role that philanthropic funding has played in enhancing the capacity of national NGOs in Ireland to advocate for, and with, older people. There was a relative lack of strategic focus on older people before the philanthropic work began (in 2003) and advocacy was only small-scale and uncoordinated. Philanthropic funding has enabled NGOs in Ireland to implement a considerable range of activities over a 7-year period (2007–2013). Three central findings emerged from a cross-sectional survey and documentary analysis including: 1) the value of developing more collaborative ways of working; 2) the importance of research and evidence to support policy and planning; and 3) the development of structures that promote the active involvement of older people in their communities. These factors have proved essential in strengthening the work of the NGOs and have enabled them, with support from others, to secure political commitment for key policy initiatives, including the development, for the first time, of a National Positive Ageing Strategy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Co Kildare, Ireland

    Andy Cochrane & Sinead McGilloway

  2. Centre for Public Health, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Michael Donnelly

Authors
  1. Andy Cochrane
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  2. Sinead McGilloway
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  3. Michael Donnelly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andy Cochrane.

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Conflict of Interest

Prof. Sinead McGilloway received finding from Atlantic Philanthropies to conduct an independent evaluation of their Ageing programme. Dr. Andy Cochrane and Prof. Michael Donnelly declare no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

Ethical Treatment of Experimental Subjects (Animal and Human)

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Cochrane, A., McGilloway, S. & Donnelly, M. Working with, and for, Older People through Philanthropy-Funded Non-Profit Organisations in Ireland. Ageing Int 43, 464–476 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9294-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9294-6

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