Governance and finance

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? 

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.