Governance and finance

Many leisure-time music groups are required to hold a general meeting (AGM, SGM, or EGM) under the terms of their governing document. This resource looks at what these meetings are for and how they are run, including holding them online.

The minimum requirement for many groups is usually an Annual General Meeting (AGM), a yearly meeting at which members together will:

websiteThis guidance covers VAT registration, rates, what is commonly exempt and fund raising events.

Making Music Corporate Member Hugh Elder Mediation is offering Making Music member groups five hours of free mediation to help resolve COVID-19 related issues, such as venue hire and professional musician engagement.

What is mediation? 

Read our step-by-step help guides, for setting up and using your MM Platform

What is Zoom?

Zoom is an online platform that allows you to have a meeting virtually, where every participant is in a seperate location, but they can still hear and see each other.

Do I need the internet to use it?

Zoom is most commonly used on a device connected to the internet, and if you want to see or be seen then you will need to be online. But you can also dial in to a meeting using a normal phone line, in this case the person on the telephone can hear and be heard but cannot see or be seen.

The majority of our member groups are run by a committee - a group of enthusiastic people who care about their group, want to see it thrive and are willing to take responsibility for making that happen. As well as enthusiasm, a committee position requires good organisational skills, a willingness to give up some spare time and the ability to co-operate with others. And like most things in life, being on a committee will very often give you a sense of achievement and fulfilment – but it can also be tedious and frustrating, especially when things are not going right.

We know one of the biggest worries music groups have is the long-term financial health of their group. Even groups who make a surplus each year can have that nagging thought: ‘what happens if something goes wrong next year?’ More money would mean less worry and more stability, and perhaps more importantly it would mean more opportunities to try new things and ways of enjoying making music.

This handbook will help you manage your charity and answers the most common questions about your responsibility as a committee member (trustee) of a charity.

Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) is a government initiative for instrumental groups (not only orchestras!) where you could receive a payment from HMRC equal to a percentage of your production costs.

Despite being called 'Orchestra Tax Relief':

• the initiative can apply to many types of instrumental group – so don’t be put off if your group is not a traditional orchestra 
• you don’t have to be paying tax to claim it.   

Groups who put on eligible performances can submit a claim to HMRC each year for the payment. 

Free VAT consultation for members