Irish Charity Shops Association

Become a Member

Benefits of Membership of the ICSA
The ICSA provides support and information for the Charity Shop Sector that is not available anywhere else.
So join us so that you can compete and grow your business for the future.
Here are the vision, mission and values as defined in our Strategy 2010 - 2014.
VISION 
 Our Association's vision is a thriving and diverse charity retail sector in Ireland, which supports both individual charities and the Association.
MISSION
Our Association's mission is to provide leadership and support for charity retailing in Ireland.
VALUES
Inclusive
We represent small and large charity retailers
We promote equal opportunities
Democratic
All our activities are approved by the members
Everyone has a voice
Each charity has an equal voice irrespective of size
Practical - we provide networking opportunities for our members through:
Meetings
Workshops
Annual Conference
Website
Credible
Representative of the sector
Experts in our field
Standard setting
Trustworthy
Act in the interest of the whole membership
Value for money 
Keep members informed of new legislation

WHAT WE DO
We are the voice of charity retailing; we are developing a Code of Charity Retailing to promote best practice. We promote public awareness and lobby on charity retail issues. Specific activities are:
Talking Shop - networking
We hold informal members meetings three times a year. You can meet people from other charities over a cup of coffee. The meetings are on a topical theme, sometimes with a speaker, and a forum for members to express their views and get involved.
Training and Development of your Business
We run regular workshops on issues that face charity shops (Health and Safety and Security) or subjects that help to sell more goods (PAT testing machines to sell electrical goods, Antiques/Collectables training)
Annual Conference
There is a conference each year on a subject relevant to the running of charity shops. The 2009 Conference was entitled "Charity Shops.....the challenges ahead". This is our most popular event and is another great opportunity to network.
Benchmarking Survey
The annual Benchmarking survey is now in its fifth year. This survey provides an industry norm against which individual charities can measure their own performance.
Website www.icsa.ie
This is a channel for members of the public to find out about charity shops, where to donate and where to buy. Put your shop information up on the website. In 2009 the site was visited 26,000 times with 100,000 pages viewed. There is also a members' area where all information about the ICSA and other members can be found and information downloaded.

Our main aims for 2011 are:

  • Launching and implementing the Strategy
  • Growing the membership
  • Launching the Code of Charity Retailing
  • Developing new income streams

So join us and help "to create a thriving and diverse charity retail sector in Ireland" 
The best value-for-money investment your charity will make this year
If you would like more information on becoming a member then please email us

Or download and APPLICATION FORM here
Shop Details Form (to be filled in with your application)