About Us

About Us

Uplift is a people powered campaigning community of over 342,000 people who take coordinated action for progressive change across Ireland. 

We are a self-supporting independent organisation. We believe that when we work together towards a common goal we can create a better society.

We know that people are not apathetic but desire engagement in our democracy. People want to have a say in decisions that determine the type of society that we live in. By connecting with each other we will help to create a stronger, more powerful voice and have much broader impact.

Campaigns are informed by our shared values; to promote social justice, to defend fairness, protect our rights, preserve the planet and to deepen democracy. Using digital tools and a variety of campaigning strategies, our members participate and take action to advance Uplift campaigns.

Uplift is run by a small team of volunteers and staff experienced in social justice campaigning. The Board of Directors advises and supports the core team.

Uplift is completely independent and not aligned to any political or corporate interests.

People

Staff Team

Siobhan O’Donoghue

Executive Director

Siobhán is a community worker and social justice activist for many years. Her experience ranges from community and youth work, to national policy advocacy and campaigning. She has a particular interest in economic justice, women’s equality, anti-racism, and workers rights. From 2002 to 2014, Siobhán was the Director of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. In 2012, Siobhán completed an M.A. in Applied Social Studies in NUI Maynooth. Prior to qualifying as a community and youth worker, she trained to be a nurse. In 2010 she was awarded the Captain Cathal Ryan Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurship.

[email protected]

Brian Cuthbert

Programme Director

Brian joined the team in March 2022 as Director of Campaigns & Technology. He works closely with the Campaigns team to make sure that Uplift are effective at what we do. Brian has spent years campaigning on Democracy, Human Rights and Climate Justice issues with a number of different grassroots organisations. He is also a certified project manager with experience in management consulting and software engineering. Outside of campaigning Brian’s hobbies include GAA, MMA, a little bit of coding and music.

[email protected]

Alex Barton

Operations & People Manager

Alex joined the Uplift team after having volunteered on the Member Support Team for a number of years. Alex is a mother of three and her background is in digital marketing, PR and event management. Alex grew up in Kenya where she was involved in NGO work in healthcare and education. Since living in Ireland Alex has campaigned for the provision of services and medication for people with Cystic Fibrosis as well as Repeal the 8th campaign.

[email protected]

Patrick_Kelleher

Patrick Kelleher

Campaigner

Patrick joined the Uplift team in January 2024 as a campaigner. His background is in journalism and communications, and he has spent much of his career advocating for the rights of marginalised communities, from LGBTQ+ people to those who have fled their homes to seek asylum elsewhere. Underpinning Patrick’s work is his desire to help build a kinder and more welcoming society for all, where people can be themselves without fear of persecution. At Uplift, his focus is on holding big tech to account so the internet can be a better, safer place for everyone.

[email protected]

Jacob Sosinsky

Digital & Campaigns Support Worker

Jacob joined the Team in February 2023 and works as a Digital & Campaigns Support Worker. He is focusing on making sure the staff team has the tools they need to
empower members to take action to deliver real change.
He is an LGBTQ+ and climate activist. Jacob has experience in empowering communities, leading training and workshops, communication as well as IT and business. He is an active volunteer in Youth and Climate organizations.
Outside of work and volunteering, he is a proud father of 2 cats - Kitty and Dixie.

[email protected]

Shany

Shany Sunder

Accounting Technician

Shany joined Uplift as an Accounting Technician in January 2024. Shany has a background in Financial Accounting and reporting. Shany completed her BCom Accounting Degree at the University of Johannesburg.
Shany is an activist for kids on the spectrum and is passionate about the world embracing the Neurodivergent community is every place. She is a firm believer that our words and actions have the power to shape and frame the essence of our existence.

Saoirse McHugh

Senior Campaigner

Saoirse joined the Uplift team in Spring 2023. Her background is in Agriculture and Food Security and she is passionate about nature and the environment. She has worked at and volunteered with many different groups but keeps coming back to the interaction between who owns the land, how we produce our food, and the effect this has on the natural world. She loves planting trees, even on windy Achill Island.

[email protected]

Ross

Social Media Co-ordinator

Ross joined the team in April 2024 as a Social Media Co-Ordinator, but likes calling himself Social Media Dude.
He enjoys social campaigning and volunteering, enjoys spending time with his dog Simba while gardening, crafting and working on his vintage tractor.

[email protected]

Board Members

Photo of Anna Nolan

Anna Nolan

Chairperson

Anna Nolan is from Northern Ireland and has many years supporting organisations with campaign strategy, creative interventions and communications across the world. Anna was the Director of The Syria Campaign from 2014 to 2018, a human rights organisation that supports Syria’s heroes in their struggle for freedom and democracy.

Photo of Bex Hay

Bex Hay

Director

Bex is Co-founder and CTO at Organise, a UK organisation that helps empower workers with the tools, support and confidence to improve their working lives. Bex has a background in corporate campaigning and previously worked at ShareAction, mobilising people power to make our financial system fairer. Outside of work Bex is usually watching, playing or talking about cricket.

Photo of Anne Gibney

Anne Gibney

Director

Anne is a graduate of Griffith College and a Fellow of ACCA. She has over 30 years experience of financial management in the NGO and private sector. Anne is the Head of Finance & Operations of the National Women’s Council from 2010 – present and is passionate about women’s equality.

Rachel Murphy

Board Member

Rachel is an established fundraising leader with a track record of delivering income growth, transformation and successful campaign delivery.
Rachel has led fundraising teams at Pieta and Focus Ireland and led the brand and marketing team at Shelter UK, as well as working for FMCG brands Baileys and commercial marketing at Diageo.
Rachel has significant board and stakeholder influencing experience including as a board member of Cluid Housing.
Passionate about data and insight-led strategy and campaign planning, Rachel has led high performing teams to deliver impact and income on award winning campaigns such as Shine a Light Night, Darkness into Light, ‘End Youth Homelessness’ and the House of Cards campaign for Shelter UK.

Beatriz Gómez Moreno

Beatriz Gómez Moreno

Board Member

Beatriz is a Spanish Social & Cultural psychologist, and the COO of GORM, an Irish award-winning social enterprise. For more than 10 years, Beatriz has been involved in project management of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives providing psychosocial support to diverse communities, predominantly migrants and people with refugee status in Spain, Uganda, Germany, and Ireland. Beatriz is the co-founder of the Latino-European Social Psychological Network focused on Migration, Displacement, and Inclusion and the GMA Association. She has led research projects funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission, from which she has recently published the first of its kind report on Intercultural Competence in the Irish Public Sector.

Patricia Munatsi

Patricia Munatsi

Board Member

Patricia is an international human rights lawyer with expertise in international law, public policy, strategic engagements, lobbying and advocacy. Patricia is a Public Affairs Manager at Volunteer Ireland, where she is responsible for championing advocacy initiatives, stakeholder engagement, policy development and public affairs. She has worked at the Irish Network Against Racism as the Policy Lead and a former Chair of the Civil Society Coalition for the Implementation of the National Action Plan Against Racism Ireland. Patricia has also previously worked for the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum. Patricia holds a Masters of Law in International Human Rights from University College Dublin and a Bachelor of Law Honors Degree from the University of Zimbabwe. Patricia is the Co-Chair of the Socialist Lawyers Association Ireland and a member of Lawyers Against Racism Ireland.

Laura Sullivan

Laura Sullivan

Board Member

Laura Sullivan is a feminist activist who has spent the last two decades fighting for social and environmental justice from and in Europe. Over that time, she has worked in political roles at the European Parliament, at the global teachers union Education International, and at ActionAid International, based primarily in Brussels with periods in other regions of the world, learning from campaigners and movements in Senegal, Brazil and Peru. She has an MA in Governance and Development with a focus on civil society participation. Her main passions are systemic change thinking, feminist leadership and all things related to music, language and storytelling.

How we are Funded

Uplift doesn’t accept money from the Government or big corporations. We are a fivers and tenners movement and rely on the support of our members. In 2023, a large chunk of our funding came from one off and regular member donations as well as grants from groups such as the Rowan Trust,  The Community Foundation of Ireland, Luminate, and Sunrise. The average member donation is €14. We also partner with social justice groups and trade unions to campaign on issues that Uplift members care about.

Here is a breakdown of our funding in 2023: 

How we spend money

We put a lot of time and effort into running meaningful campaigns for our members and like any organisation we need to keep the lights on and pay things like tax, insurance and audit fees. We keep our costs down where possible and we don’t need lots of money to have impact.

Here’s a breakdown of how we spent money in 2023:

These categories include salary costs. In 2023 Uplift had a team of 6 employees. No one gets paid big bucks but all staff members are paid a decent living wage. Staffing costs include salaries, pensions, working from home allowances and payments to Revenue.

A pie chart of our spending in 2021, showing that we spent 35% of our income on Campaigning, 11 on Community campaigns (MyUplift), 16% on Technology, 15% on Operations and Admin, 13% on Communications and Messaging and 11% on Fundraising and Member Support.

You can view and download our audited accounts here:

Financial Statement and Signed Auditor’s Report (Year-end Dec 2023)

Financial Statement and Signed Auditor’s Report (Year-end Dec 2022)

Financial Statement and Signed Auditors Report (Year-end Dec 2021)

Directors Report and Financial Statement (Year-end Dec 2020)

Directors Report and Financial Statement (Year-end Dec 2019)

Directors Report and Financial Statement (Year-end Dec 2018)

Directors Report and Financial Statement (June 2016 – Dec 2017)

Directors Report and Financial Statement (May 2015 – April 2016)

Directors’ Report and Financial Statements (June 2014 – April 2015)

You can read a copy of our donations policy here.

Our Values

We believe that:

  • People are not apathetic, but by protecting vested interests and powerful elites, our political system has systematically denied us meaningful opportunities to participate in the vital decisions that critically affect us. This has led to a sense of helplessness and powerlessness.
  • A critical mass of Irish people support the progressive values of equality, justice, and sustainability, and are hungry for accessible, effective, trustworthy ways to advance those values in Ireland.
  • Great change is possible when people come together to take action. It is possible to affect change and influence decision makers, including the political system and big business.
  • Leadership is demonstrated in many forms. Leadership needs to come from the people, be accountable, and be directed towards the common good. A healthy democracy requires the critical engagement of people. Asking questions is one of the most powerful democratic acts we can do.
  • Social justice is about the fair distribution of wealth, resources and privileges within society. Uplift members believe in the right of people to realise their full potential. This includes taking a stand on the rights of low paid workers, progressive taxation, challenging exploitation, access to quality health care, and public services.
  • Uplift members believe that discrimination and prejudice need to be challenged so that everyone can participate fully and equally. This includes taking a stand against racism, sexism, classism, transphobia, ableism, homophobia and biphobia. It also means taking a stand for the rights of communities experiencing economic, social, and political exclusion.
  • Our planet is in extreme danger and Uplift members stand up for protecting our natural resources, including our woodlands, by fighting policies and practices that cause climate change and environmental destruction.

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