Governance

The organisation keeps detailed financial records, maintains strict financial controls and is transparent in its audited financial statements. The most recent statement of audited accounts (2021) is available here.

• We are working towards compliance with SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice). Read about our policy on Reserves.
• The organisation complies with all regulatory requirements and operates in accordance with its Memorandum of Association.
• The CAF Conflict of Interest Policy was updated in 2020. The business is managed by a Board of Directors.
• In compliance with the Children First Act 2015, you can find our Child Protection Policy Statement and policy.
  
• We are committed to paying artists fairly. You can read our policy on artists’ pay.
• Read our 2021 Annual Report.
• Read our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policy.
• We support Safe to Create's mission to provide safer working conditions for all workers and have adopted Safe to Create's Code of Behaviour.

Senior Staff Renumeration
Band €50,000 – €59,999 Artistic Director & CEO / Executive Director

Fundraising Compliance
Carlow Arts Festival, as a registered Irish charity, undertakes fundraising. We are fully committed to achieving the standards contained within the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising. We have considered the Statement and believe we meet the standards it sets out. We commit to doing this by:

• Maintaining good fundraising practice
  
• Providing high levels of accountability and transparency to our donors and prospective donors from the public
  
• Providing clarity and assurances about how we spend your money

We are fully committed to achieving and maintaining the standards contained within the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising developed by the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group (ICTR).

Carlow Arts Festival's Donor Charter
We commit to being accountable and transparent, so that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in Carlow Arts Festival.
Our pledge to donors is that we promise to treat all of our donors with respect, honesty and openness.

As a national charity that relies on the generosity of the public, we promise to effectively apply your donations to us for their intended purposes.

We will also handle all donations and donation information with respect and confidentiality.

Feedback & Complaints Procedure
We welcome any feedback you may have about our organisation. Carlow Arts Festival is grateful for the generosity of its supporters and the public. As a valued supporter of Carlow Arts Festival, we know that we should facilitate any feedback or complaints that you may have. We are committed to ensuring we live up to our reputation as a respectful, honest and open organisation, and we aim to continue to achieve the highest standards in fundraising practice. Carlow Arts Festival listens and responds to the views of the public and supporters, so that we can continue to improve.

If you feel aggrieved, we will endeavour to do our best to ensure that we achieve a satisfactory solution. Therefore, we aim to ensure that:

• It is as easy as possible to make a complaint.
  
• We treat as a complaint, any clear expression of dissatisfaction with our operations, which requires a response.
  
• We treat any feedback or complaint seriously, whether telephone makes it, letter, email or in person.
  
• We will deal with it quickly, politely and respectfully.
  
• We will respond appropriately and accordingly to the situation.
• We learn from our complaints, use them to improve and monitor at Management level.

If you do have a complaint
If you have a complaint about any aspect of our work, you can contact Carlow Arts Festival by email, post, telephone or in person. In the first instance, your feedback or complaint will be dealt with by a staff member who may resolve the issue, or forward it to the most appropriate person to respond. Please give us as much information as possible, and let us know how you would like us to respond to you, providing relevant contact details.

If your complaint is received over the phone, we will endeavour to resolve it there and then (where possible). If it is received by email or post, we will acknowledge it within 5 days and do everything to resolve any complaints within 10 working days.

Write or Email to:
Benjamin Perchet
Artistic Director & CEO
Carlow Arts Festival
C/O VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art
Old Dublin Rd,
Graigue,
Carlow,
R93 A3K1,
Ireland

Email: director@carlowartsfestival.ie
Or telephone: 086 043 5671

If you are unhappy with our response, you may contact us again by writing to the Board of Carlow Arts Festival. The Chair will ensure your appeal is considered at Board level, and will respond within two weeks of this consideration by Board members.

You can also contact The Charities Regulator, Ireland's national statutory regulator for charitable organisations.