History of The Wheel
The Wheel was an idea articulated for the first time in 1998 by people across the sector who felt that a connecting network would be a good idea for groups working both locally and nationally.
The initial spark came from an article that solicitor and founder of the Hospice Foundation, Mary Redmond, placed in a national newspaper in late 1998 on the topic of social entrepreneurship and what was needed to foster it in Ireland.
The Wheel has consistently kept true to its initial remit as a connecting mechanism across the broader community / voluntary / charitable sector.
Funding was secured from The Atlantic Philanthropies and five consultation conferences were organised throughout 1998 and 1999 about:
- Whether it should exist at all?
- What its role should be?
- And what would do in the sector?
The outcome was the establishment of a vision, mission and values which are still apt today.
An office with a CEO was established in October 2000 based in the Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups in Dublin. In 2002 the office moved to a rented premises in the Irish Social Finance Centre in Dublin 8. Over the years the number of people employed with The Wheel has fluctuated between five and ten people, depending on projects and funding.
The Wheel has consistently kept true to its initial remit as a connecting mechanism across the broader community / voluntary / charitable sector.
We developed the initial workshops into a full annual programme of learning and networking events. Upon invitation by the Government to become a Social Partner in 2003, we accepted and developed the representation element of our work with members and the wider sector. We have successfully lobbied Government for additional funding for the sector, for supportive charity regulation and for a more structured relationship between the sector and the state. More than 2,500 people attend our events annually and the profile of our membership base reflects the profile of the sector itself so we are well rooted to understand and promote solutions to the sectors’ needs.
Initial funding came from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Michael Smurfit Foundation with the funding relationship with The Atlantic Philanthropies ending in 2007 at the end of a 5-year grant agreed in 2002. Currently 25% of our funding comes from our members through subscriptions and fees for services, 50% comes from various state grants and 25% comes from fundraising partnerships with corporations and foundations.
Our legal company name is Rotha Teoranta (Irish for ‘The Wheel Limited’) which was registered as a legal entity in 1999.
