Governance and finance

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:

The constitution will put your music group on solid footing in terms of charity structure, regulation and governance and will be hugely valuable in helping you run your group as well as helping to ensure your registration with the Charity Commission is fast tracked. This guidance explains more about what a constitution is and explains why and how you should use our model constitution, including some notes on creating a separate rules and regulation document to go alongside it.

Making Music published a model constitution with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 2015. We reviewed and updated the constitution in October 2021, with Charity Commission and OSCR approval.

This resource is for groups that are currently using the 2015 version of our model constitution and want to find out about the October 2021 changes. It explains what has changed and the options if they would like to make the same changes. The updated constitution can also be downloaded at the bottom of the page. 

Covid-19 has caused financial difficulties across the board, but the good news is that different types of financial support are now becoming available.

For leisure-time music groups, new or repurposed pots of grant funding are the most viable. There are a whole range of funds to apply for and different amounts available, and a little money can go a long way to making a difference.

For most of our groups the immediate impact of Brexit and the new trade agreement with the EU will be minimal. 

However, it will impact some activities for some groups over the course of 2021. We do now have some clarity in certain areas, but murkiness remains in others. This resource covers areas of potential impact that groups should be aware of – and tries to give information where we have it.

While a group’s committee or trustees are jointly responsible for managing a group’s resources responsibly, the position of treasurer in an amateur music group is an important one – they are the person who receives money and makes payment on behalf of the group, and keeps an eye on the bank balance to make sure that the group remains solvent.

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?