Governance and finance

How Basingstoke Ladies' Choir transformed their communication and strengthened their community — Hazel Green shares their experience. 

How did you manage the group before?

Our group had a very limited website, which made members feel a little distant from the choir; it wasn’t easy to use or edit and felt uninspiring, containing only three back-end sections.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) plays an important role in the character and culture of your group. It shows your members, potential members and the world in general that you are taking action to ensure you are an open, inclusive and welcoming group.

This guidance specifically covers Finances in the Making Music Platform. Before reading this, please ensure that you have read our help guide on Getting Started with your Making Music Platform.

All of the Making Music Platform help guides and latest Platform News can be found on the MM Platform Service Hub page.

We have put together an accounts template to help you manage your finances.

Gift Aid is a government tax relief that allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 that an individual donates. There are rules within the Gift Aid legislation that also allow charities to claim Gift Aid on membership subscriptions, even though they are not donations. This guidance is about claiming Gift Aid on membership subscriptions.

These days, in most cases all it takes is a quick swipe of plastic to pay for something. With people increasingly expecting to pay by card, it can be extremely worthwhile for a leisure-time music group to take card payments. 

Whether payments are being made for member subscriptions, on the door ticket sales, donations or for merchandise such as CDs, a card reader and Point of Sale (POS) system can be very handy.

This guidance describes the current situation with regard to Gift Aid and the voluntary music sector. Please note that Gift Aid is available to UK recognised charities, regardless of whether or not they are also registered charities.

When it comes to choosing the best bank account for your not-for-profit organisation, the prospect may seem a little daunting. Questions like – 'which bank should we use?' 'what does each account offer?' 'what is the best account for our group?' – can all make the process seem overwhelming. But don’t fret! This guidance looks at the key considerations when choosing a bank account to help you decide on the best option for your group.

Creative Tax Reliefs Limited offers expert accountancy and tax advice for orchestras and instrumental ensembles. It was formed in 2017 by Graham Suggett, former Lead Tax Specialist with HMRC’s Creative Industries Unit, and specialises in helping companies claim Creative Industry tax credits.

The Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) scheme was introduced in April 2016 to encourage and support the creation of orchestral concerts. However, despite being named Orchestra Tax Relief, it can apply to other instrumental groups.

To qualify: