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EVENTS & PERFORMANCES
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OPEN STUDIOS
Building an
Organisation
Working
in partnership with others can be very rewarding but you need
to
be clear about what you are trying to do, and why you are working
together.
What are the benefits - and what are the risks?
If you are
working small scale in the community you can often set up
an unincorporated association. This means you legally exist as an organisation,
not just a group of individuals,
and you need rules. PAVO can help you find an appropriate set of rules,
or constitution. There are also examples to be found on websites.
You will usually need a constitution to set up a bank account.
If you want to take on activity that has significant financial risk you should consider setting up a company limited by guarantee. Information on how to go about it is to be found from Companies House.
If you are not going to share out the profits, but still want to limit the risk, you can set up a Company Limited by Guarantee. In either case the members have to pay only a small amount - usually £5 or £10 - if the company goes bankrupt.
If your purpose is charitable there are certain services your organisation must provide in order to become eligible for charitable status: relief of poverty; advancement of education; advancement of religion; advancement of other purposes beneficial to the community, such as providing public recreation facilities or promoting racial harmony. The Charity Commission has to approve your constitution and you have to make annual returns.
Registering as a Charity has many benefits and may well be an idea you decide to pursue.
It is an indication of trustworthiness.
Some funding bodies will only grant aid-registered charities.
Becoming a charity may mean a reduction in rates.
Charities are exempt from many forms of tax, including
income and corporation tax, capital gains tax and, in certain conditions, stamp duty
and VAT. Charities can be reimbursed for tax
paid through donations made through Gift Aid, Covenants or payroll deductions
If this is an idea you’re interested in then The Charity Commission website has all the information you need on becoming a Charity www.charity-commission.gov.uk and they also provide publications on all elements of running and setting up a charity. Publication CC1 lists all the documents on offer. For detailed information on registering as a Charity see CC21. Publication CC2 - Charities and the Charity commission - gives details of the role and services of the Charity Commission. All of these are a available via their website.
How to Manage the Work
To establish the appropriate constitution you will probably need to set up a management committee. The subject of committees and their membership is a large one, incorporating legal considerations as well as those of the particular needs of an organisation. Links to websites with useful ideas and information are provided below, but you might find it useful to read this article first. It is a personal perspective from Powys Arts Forum chair Ginny Graham.
Click here to read the article.
For detailed information on establishing successful meetings and committees, check out the Voluntary Arts Network (VAN) website at www.voluntaryarts.org (under the topic ‘Governance’ within ‘running your group’).
There is a booklet on Committee Meetings (ref- booklet CC48) which can be picked up from Charity Commission website as a PDF document. Although your committee may not be running for Charity purposes this still has helpful information. It’s highly detailed and offers guidance on the law and good practice of Charity meetings www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications
Effective Meetings: there is document available from the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) on conducting an effective meeting. It offers a six-point strategy for dealing with each subject within the agenda. It can be requested from the PAVO help desk on 0845 009 3288 or e-mail: info@pavo.org.uk
Attracting and Retaining Volunteers
You may find, as small organisations, that you are trying to do everything. Volunteers may be the godsend you need. There are organisations, which may help in your search. Volunteering Wales is a useful site.
Here you can register an opportunity, allowing people looking for voluntary work to contact you. This is useful if you are trying to attract volunteers from all over Wales. If your search is just locally based it will be best for you to contact your local volunteer bureaux. There are 12 volunteer bureaux/community support projects in Powys who will organise for volunteers to work with various groups or individuals in their area of interest. If you are looking for a volunteer you should let these organisations know about your need for help; they will also give individuals help and support in the best ways to attract and retain volunteers.
If your organisation is a regular user of volunteers then you may benefit from a UK recognised award for your commitment, Check out www.investinginvolunteers.org
Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations which involve volunteers in their work. The Standard enables organisations to review their volunteer management in detail, and also publicly demonstrates their commitment to volunteering. Knowing they will be treated well and that their employer’s standard meet the benchmark set by the agency may be useful in attracting volunteers Investing in Volunteers for Employers is a UK award recognising dedication to best practice in employer supported volunteering. Investing in Volunteers for Employers supports you to evaluate your current practice and benchmark your work against a nationally recognised standard.
These Standards are managed locally by the lead volunteer development agency of each individual country of the UK.
If you want to take on activity that has significant financial risk you should consider setting up a company limited by guarantee. Information on how to go about it is to be found from Companies House.
If you are not going to share out the profits, but still want to limit the risk, you can set up a Company Limited by Guarantee. In either case the members have to pay only a small amount - usually £5 or £10 - if the company goes bankrupt.
If your purpose is charitable there are certain services your organisation must provide in order to become eligible for charitable status: relief of poverty; advancement of education; advancement of religion; advancement of other purposes beneficial to the community, such as providing public recreation facilities or promoting racial harmony. The Charity Commission has to approve your constitution and you have to make annual returns.
Registering as a Charity has many benefits and may well be an idea you decide to pursue.
If this is an idea you’re interested in then The Charity Commission website has all the information you need on becoming a Charity www.charity-commission.gov.uk and they also provide publications on all elements of running and setting up a charity. Publication CC1 lists all the documents on offer. For detailed information on registering as a Charity see CC21. Publication CC2 - Charities and the Charity commission - gives details of the role and services of the Charity Commission. All of these are a available via their website.
How to Manage the Work
To establish the appropriate constitution you will probably need to set up a management committee. The subject of committees and their membership is a large one, incorporating legal considerations as well as those of the particular needs of an organisation. Links to websites with useful ideas and information are provided below, but you might find it useful to read this article first. It is a personal perspective from Powys Arts Forum chair Ginny Graham.
Click here to read the article.
For detailed information on establishing successful meetings and committees, check out the Voluntary Arts Network (VAN) website at www.voluntaryarts.org (under the topic ‘Governance’ within ‘running your group’).
There is a booklet on Committee Meetings (ref- booklet CC48) which can be picked up from Charity Commission website as a PDF document. Although your committee may not be running for Charity purposes this still has helpful information. It’s highly detailed and offers guidance on the law and good practice of Charity meetings www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications
Effective Meetings: there is document available from the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) on conducting an effective meeting. It offers a six-point strategy for dealing with each subject within the agenda. It can be requested from the PAVO help desk on 0845 009 3288 or e-mail: info@pavo.org.uk
Attracting and Retaining Volunteers
You may find, as small organisations, that you are trying to do everything. Volunteers may be the godsend you need. There are organisations, which may help in your search. Volunteering Wales is a useful site.
Here you can register an opportunity, allowing people looking for voluntary work to contact you. This is useful if you are trying to attract volunteers from all over Wales. If your search is just locally based it will be best for you to contact your local volunteer bureaux. There are 12 volunteer bureaux/community support projects in Powys who will organise for volunteers to work with various groups or individuals in their area of interest. If you are looking for a volunteer you should let these organisations know about your need for help; they will also give individuals help and support in the best ways to attract and retain volunteers.
If your organisation is a regular user of volunteers then you may benefit from a UK recognised award for your commitment, Check out www.investinginvolunteers.org
Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations which involve volunteers in their work. The Standard enables organisations to review their volunteer management in detail, and also publicly demonstrates their commitment to volunteering. Knowing they will be treated well and that their employer’s standard meet the benchmark set by the agency may be useful in attracting volunteers Investing in Volunteers for Employers is a UK award recognising dedication to best practice in employer supported volunteering. Investing in Volunteers for Employers supports you to evaluate your current practice and benchmark your work against a nationally recognised standard.
These Standards are managed locally by the lead volunteer development agency of each individual country of the UK.
There is a section on the WCVA website on managing volunteers. Click here to view the page.
Marketing and Using the Media
The fear that you wont receive a respectable level of support for your Arts event can be an intimidating prospect. We are, after all, artists and its natural that our priority should be to produce quality work. Unfortunately, in many cases, the quality work we are producing isn’t getting the recognition and support it deserves. Hopefully through the Powys Arts Forum we can begin to support and inform one another in the campaign to promote Arts in Wales. There are organisations whose remit it is to help you. www.audienceswales.co.uk provide tactical and strategic marketing services for artistic organisations. You can also phone 029 203 736 for advice on your individual needs.
VAN are again a useful resource. They have a series of briefings on a range of marketing strategies and are always reviewing and updating their material. The following are currently available:
For a different take on writing a press release then you should contact the PAVO helpdesk on 0845 009 3288 or e-mail them at info@pavo.org.uk . They have produced a document which gives some useful hints and tips with guidance on: structure, content, use of quotation and language style. It offers details of words to avoid and outlines the formalities of information, which must be provided for the editor.
If you work primarily involves the medium of Welsh there is a project which could be of help to you. Audiences’ Wales have begun a long-term project to collect a nation-wide database of Welsh Language event attendees. It will be for the benefit of all companies and venues staging Welsh Language events or who communicate with their Audiences through the medium of Welsh. The database will be held by Audiences Wales and made available to all Arts organisations in Wales.
You can register your interest in this project by contacting Rhys at Audiences Wales rhys@audienceswales.co.uk or ring him on 02920 373736.
A Guide for Treasurers
If you are starting out as a treasurer, or just trying to improve your skills, then there are plenty of organisations willing to help you. The VAN website offers a comprehensive guide called – Who me, a treasurer? (VAN briefing number 26) Click here to download
Many organisations run specialist courses for the treasurers of voluntary groups: keep your eye out for bulletins on the VAN website and contact PAVO for details of any training courses.
OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES
Galleries
This section is in preparation - please bear with us