Dóchas Members Handbook
Getting Involved in the Network
Connect, Coordinate, Collaborate.
The primary aim of the Dóchas Network is to Connect, Coordinate and Collaborate to maximise impact for the sector. As a member you are eligible to take part in our wide selection of fora and events. Join thematic working groups, capacity-building initiatives and peer learning events, where members share best practices, build new partnerships, and explore innovative solutions together.
Our regular and ad hoc groups remain the most active and formal spaces for both shared learning and influencing policy. They offer spaces to:
- Share, learn and create solutions to common challenges
- Develop models of best practice and innovation
- Identify and represent the needs of the sector with stakeholders such as donors, the Charities Regulator, etc. in relation to specific thematic issues.
To see how you can get involved, visit our Members’ Portal for more information on the groups and spaces we offer.
Working Groups and Ad Hoc Fora on Dóchas Member Portal
As an employee of a Full or Associate member, working groups are open to your participation. Dóchas generally has at least ten active groups at any one time. We also create spaces for more informal, ad hoc collaboration as the need arises. These are generally for a shorter period of time, and may be aimed at facilitating collaboration on a specific campaign, policy development for a specific thematic, or in advance of a particular event. On occasion, non-members who have a role in the sector and can constructively contribute may be invited to join groups for a period, in consultation with the Secretariat, to achieve a specific objective.
Groups Communicate in a variety of ways
How frequently groups meet or interact, and in what format, is driven by their objectives and varies according to need, based on requirements for the sector. The Working Groups generally meet three to four times a year, though some meet more often. Groups also interact online through the Dóchas Member Portal on a regular basis, where relevant discussions and documents are accessible in a dedicated, secure space.
Groups are Member-led: Chairing a Group or Forum
While the way in which a group operates is driven by what it sets out to achieve, groups often choose to appoint Co-Chairs to help facilitate engagement. As a Co-Chair, you can play a valuable role in:
- Overseeing, supporting and leading the work of the group
- Setting the tone for the group’s work
- Convening meetings, coordinating follow up with members and liaising with wider stakeholders
- Ensuring that group members have the information needed to fulfil their aims
- Working closely with Dóchas staff to ensure the smooth running of the group
We ask that you keep us informed of who your focal points are for the main thematics in your organisation, and update us when there are changes. Please also nominate a main point of contact, and let us know who we should speak to regarding the status of membership, fees and information related to governance matters.
Convening Spaces - Stay Up to Date with Sector Developments
Participate in Dóchas convenings, webinars, and briefings, access research, and stay informed about national and global trends.
Convening Spaces
Throughout the year the Dóchas Secretariat convenes spaces for members through webinars, online and face-to-face meetings on particular topics or with key stakeholders in the development, humanitarian and Global Citizenship Education (GCE) spaces.
It also helps to bring together civil society representation for meetings of the wider sector, where government, intergovernmental, UN agencies or other stakeholders form part of convenings. We encourage you to participate in as many spaces as you can.
Events and Convening Spaces on Dóchas Member Portal
Dóchas AGM and Conferences
Dóchas brings all members together through our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and conferences. Civil society, government representatives, academia and a diverse range of internationally-regarded speakers and experts come together to discuss challenges, celebrate successes and inspire greater collaboration. Themes for our annual event(s) are drawn from the prevailing context within the development and humanitarian sector and are an exceptional opportunity for you to network with other members and exchange with peers and experts in the international arena.
Dóchas-Led Training and Expert-Led Learning
From time to time Dóchas offers structured training to members, such as the 2025 Leadership and Innovation Training Course run in conjunction with the UCD Innovation Academy. In addition, regular webinars bring invited speakers to engage on themes relevant to the membership, ranging from artificial intelligence and data protection to safeguarding, disability inclusion and human resource planning for the sector.
We ask that you keep us informed of who your focal points are for the main thematics in your organisation, and update us when there are changes. Please also nominate a main point of contact, and let us know who we should speak to regarding the status of membership, fees and information related to governance matters.
Help Represent Your Sector
As a national voice for the International Development and Humanitarian Sector in Ireland, being part of the Dóchas Network allows you to influence policies and behaviours for a better world. We encourage you to take part in forming the Dóchas voice and contributing to collective advocacy and policy dialogue. Our strength lies in combining policy and advocacy expertise and the experience of our members with our convening power, to exert collective influence.
Dóchas also supports you as a member to strengthen your ability to advocate on particular niche issues via channels such as the Working Groups and other peer collaboration and learning fora.
What does this mean in practice?
We develop coordinated policy positions and messaging and bring members together for collective action and joint advocacy initiatives on key issues of relevance to the sector. The Network takes a lead on analysing key trends in the sector, monitoring relevant national Government policies and developing strategies to influence policy and decision-makers. It also monitors developments at an EU and international level, primarily through alliances and global networks of which it maintains membership, such as CONCORD1, CIVICUS2 and Forus3, as well as with key stakeholders such as the Charities Regulatory Authority. We do this either through the Secretariat or by nominating representatives from amongst the membership.
For more detail on how we approach representation, please see the Principles of Engagement in the Network section of this Handbook.
- European Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs. https://concordeurope.org/
- Global alliance of civil society organisations and activists working to strengthen citizen action and civil society https://www.civicus.org/
- Global network of Civil Society Platforms http://forus-international.org/
Examples of Collective Action
We encourage you as a member to contribute to forming joint policy positions, where feasible, and to developing key messaging. The strength of the Network remains in the active participation and contribution of all our members.
The Dóchas Secretariat is available to support the creation, development and growth of collaboration between our members, in whatever format this may take. We are happy to facilitate meetings virtually or physically, as well as to maintain the digital systems that facilitate collaboration across the Network.