Who we are

Charity Retail Ireland is the all island umbrella organisation which provides information, support and networking opportunities for registered charities who operate in the Charity Retail sector.

Some of the many benefits of joining us include access to:

  • Charity Retail Week which highlights the economic, social and environmental value of the charity retail sector.
  • Our annual member awards that set high quality national standards within the sector.
  • Our social media platforms, promoting our members’ charitable businesses.
  • Great networking opportunities with other charities who operate shops at our meetings and events throughout the year.

Charity Retail Ireland members are charities that are registered with the Charities Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and who operate on the island of Ireland.

Join us so that we can help you to promote and grow your charity shops to benefit many communities, nationwide and beyond.

Find out more about what we stand for – Go to our Vision, Mission and Values here

Want to know more? Read our member testimonials below.

What our members have to say:

“Since joining Charity Retail Ireland we have found the service invaluable to the success of our Shop. Starting with the assistance we needed in setting up the shop to the training and support we received through the members meetings. We also found the annual awards as a great way to recognise the efforts of our staff and volunteers but the most beneficial p[art we found was the networking and support around the time of Covid in respect of getting financial aid and how to cope with the downturn. Having been supported throughout the pandemic we have emerged from that stronger than before and that is in no small part due to the support of Charity Retail Ireland. I would have no hesitation in advised every Charity Shop to become a member it is well worth the investment.” – Brendan McCarthy, CEO, Aurora, Cork Mental Health Foundation

“Membership of Charity Retail Ireland has been of great assistance over the years to Barnardos. We have benefited from training, networking and donations as a result of our membership. The C R I awards are very popular with all team members  across our retail operation and a great opportunity to showcase the impact of our Charity shops in the community in addition to the talent and commitment of our staff, CE participants and volunteers.” – Colette Miller, Business Development Manager, Barnardos

“Membership of Charity Retail Ireland is great value for money. It has been invaluable to our charity by allowing us to connect, network and share our journey with other members. Participating in CRI national annual awards has also helped to raise our national profile as a single independent charity shop in the west of Ireland.” – Mairead Mannion, Manager, Clare Haven Horizons, Ennis

“Being a member of Charity Retail Ireland is incredibly important to Oxfam Ireland. It gives us a collective voice to influence policy, promote reuse, and champion the vital role charity retail plays in sustainability and social impact. The network offers valuable opportunities to share knowledge , best practice, collaborate with peers, and stay ahead of developments affecting the sector. Through Charity Retail Ireland, we can advocate , as a group ,  more effectively for circular economy solutions, engage with government and industry stakeholders, and help raise standards across the board. It’s an essential platform that strengthens our work and amplifies our impact across communities.”           – Mark Sweeney, Donated Goods Strategy Manager, Oxfam

Benefits of joining us

 

Member Services

Receive your fortnightly newsletter update straight to your inbox to keep you up to date on members’ news and promotions, stock opportunities, developments in the sector and the latest research. We provide practical help on how to run your shop through the dedicated members’ area of the website (see below). The Secretary is available to provide information and resources and to connect members to each other.

Learning and Development for your shops
We have run regular workshops on issues that face charity shops e.g Health and Safety and Security and subjects that help you in the running of your shop; Antiques Awareness training, social media training, VM training. We plan to offer more workshops online through a webinar series.

Charity Retail Impact Survey and Report

We started our Benchmarking Surveys in 2005 and they have grown into the Charity Retail Impact Report of today. This demonstrates the financial, social and environmental value of our members’ retail operations. This annual survey also provides an industry norm against which individual charities can measure their own performance. Our Charity Retail Impact Report is launched annually at the Gathering Event and is downloadable from the dedicated page on our website.

Website

Our website is a channel for members of the public to find out about charity shops, where to donate and where to buy. We only list Charity Retail Ireland members’ shops. Stats from 2023 are:

  • 135,000 pages viewed
  • 280,000 events or activities on the site
  • 50% of visitors are searching for a charity shop
  • 84% of our visitors are via mobile phone

The exclusive members’ area is a forum for members only, where all information about Charity Retail Ireland and members’ activities can be found. There is also information to help you to run your shop and other useful links. Username and password are provided once you become a member.

Social media

We have a very active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and LinkedIn, which you can use to promote your shop and your charity’s events. We run several public window competitions throughout the year which generate good traffic and highlight our members fabulous window displays. Our social media is managed by an expert content creator, Shelly McLoughlin of Shell.McMedia.

Media coverage, public awareness and lobbying

Charity Retail Ireland is now recognised by the media as the representative body for charity shops and this generates coverage for our sector. We are registered as a lobbyist with Lobbying.ie. We successfully lobbied government during the pandemic to highlight the need to support the charity retail sector.

We operate an online reporting form to enable members of the public to send us details of any suspected bogus/unregistered activity. This is supported by the Gardai. More info here

Advocacy for the Charity Retail Sector

Charity Retail Ireland is very active in advocating for our sector with the Department of the Environment and the EPA on resource management policies, changing consumer behaviour and the vital part that the charity retail sector can play. We have fed into policy making through the Textile Advisory Group and the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy. We are also involved at a European level through RREUSE in influencing the Waste Framework Directive and the subsequent revisions.

How to join us

  1. Complete this online application form.
  2. You must be a charity registered with the Charities Regulator or the Charity Commission of Northern Ireland,  based on the island of Ireland and operate charity shop(s) to raise funds for your objectives. Your shop(s) must be run directly by the charity and all proceeds must go towards your charity’s purpose.
  3. Once you’ve completed the application form your credentials are checked.
  4. We’ll send you a sign up form to confirm that you comply with the Code of Charity Retailing. (More info below)
  5. Once you’ve signed up to the Code you will be sent an invoice for your membership subscription.
  6. When payment is received you will become a member. 

You will receive a welcome email with all the info you need to engage with CRI including:

  • Access to the members’ area of this website with all the latest news and loads of info to help you to run your shop(s)
  • A monthly email update with member news, stock opportunities and what’s happening in the Charity Retail world
  •  A shop listing on our website.
  • You will receive membership stickers (as shown above) to put up in your shop(s)

Membership fees are based on how many shops your charity operates.
€180/£150 for 1 shop
€150/£125 per shop for 2-5 shops
€130/£110 per shop for 6-10 shops
€120/£100 per shop for 11-24 shops
€2,950/£2,500 flat fee for 25-99 shops
€3,250/£2,750 flat fee for 99+ shops

CRI Code of Charity Retailing

The Code of Charity Retailing was developed by members for members, who are all signed up to the Code and it is a condition of membership for all charities who wish to join Charity Retail Ireland.
Click here for more information and the full text of the Code.

The Code of Charity Retailing is an assurance to our customers and donors that all Charity Retail Ireland members are operating to the standards set out in the Code. The aims of the Code are:

  • To promote good practice and high standards in charity retailing
  • To promote public confidence in, and support for, charity shops
  • To increase donations to charity shops, both directly into shops and through house-to-house collections.
  • To get positive publicity for charity shops
  • To promote awareness of legitimate charity shops and to help stamp out dishonest and bogus activities