Donations

Exchange Dublin works solely from the charitable and kind works of others. For example, all of the staff that work there are volunteers, meaning that they do not get paid for their hard work, instead they do it for the enjoyment of it and the happiness that comes from helping others.

Similarly, the organisation is completely non-profit meaning that any money that is donated or made via fundraising immediately goes straight back into the organisation to better help the community and provide better services for everyone free of charge. This all means that the organisation relies heavily on the input of others and their kind natures. Whatever the community outs in it also then gets it back out in the form of free sessions, events and other unique activities that would otherwise not be available to the public free of charge.

Democracy at its Finest

Because the organisation relies so heavily on the kindness of others and the help of the community it is only fair that the community gets to decide where their donated resources are going and what they are being used for. This is why Exchange hosts weekly meetings in which members are open to discuss anything about the organisation and its resources. These meetings are usually used to propose new activities for the community and new ways of attracting more people to those chosen activities.

Discussions about fundraising and the monetisation of certain events is also heavily discussed between members during meetings. Members are allowed to talk freely, and the meetings are conducted with complete civility, everyone attending the meeting only wants to better help their community they do not want to fight and argue about financials.

How to Become a Member

This may sound like an odd process for a group of volunteers that work for a non-profit organisation, but this is simply just a title that gets given to those that work at Exchange. All that is asked for when becoming a member is a measly one-euro coin. This, of course, goes towards financing the free events and activities for the rest of the local community.

Once a volunteer is officially stated as a member and their small entrance fee is paid they are then free to join in any discussions and meetings that take place such as the weekly meeting to suggest where the donations go and how to create more funding for the organisation. Being a member is no easy task, but it is a very rewarding one as you can go to bed every night knowing that you are helping your community and that you are especially helping those who are desperately in need of it.

Fundraising

One of the most important topics of discussion during the weekly members meeting is fundraising. New ideas are constantly being presented on what the organisation can do to gain monetary support and donations from the community around them.

There have been many cases of fundraising in the past and the vast majority of these events have been highly successful for the organisation and have greatly benefitted the community overall as more activities can be planned and carried out for the public, completely free of charge. This is something that the whole organisation prides itself on. It is something that the organisation strongly believes in and always has, helping those in need and doing so purely for the good of the community and not just a way to get money quickly by exploiting those who are most vulnerable, and unfortunately common business practice in today’s world.