best way to become a charity or get sponorship?

thebook

Hi
I was wondering the best way to become a charity. We are a choir who has been raising money for 38yrs for various local charities and now find ourselves in a situation where we need the charity. What is out there for us, so that we can keep going another 40 yrs???

LittleTinker

thebook wrote: »

Hi
I was wondering the best way to become a charity. We are a choir who has been raising money for 38yrs for various local charities and now find ourselves in a situation where we need the charity. What is out there for us, so that we can keep going another 40 yrs???

Im not sure of the answer.....but I do believe there might be a better place for your question.

There is a charity board on MSE i think.

OddjobKIA

sing better and keep with the times






















only kidding...

the generation of choirs are comming to an end sadly..

very few are still making it worth while in this country..


you can register yourself as a charity but get a good charity specific accountant..

Savvy_Sue

LittleTinker wrote: »

Im not sure of the answer.....but I do believe there might be a better place for your question.

There is a charity board on MSE i think.

True enough, but the one you want is probably the Small Biz & Charity Organisers board. Have a look at the stickies and the recent thread about Sponsorship for community groups.

fengirl_2

Why do you need to register as a charity? This involves a lot of legal hassle and you shouldnt go into it unless you are prepared for it. I always advise groups that I work with to see if there is another solution to their problem.
You would be best having a chat to your local CVS who can advise you of the pros and cons and take your through the process.
Although the Charity Commission won't actually help you become a charity, there is loads of good stuff on their website www.charitycommission.gov.uk

GiveItBack

how much have you raised in the past, for other people, and how much do you need? What's it for? Could you start doing the same things but splitting the cash, half for you, half for the charity.

Savvy_Sue

good advice as ever from those two: I work for a charity and certainly we expect anyone putting on an event for us to take their costs out before passing on donations to us. Also I was in a community choir earlier this year, we made a contribution towards our music, I think other choirs may charge a little to belong.

In fact thinking more about what fengirl said, I'm not sure how you'd demonstrate the public benefit of BEING a choir, which is important now for registering a new charity! Of course I know it's fantastic, and can stave off depression and generally cheer people up, but I'm not sure how I could 'prove' that! :rotfl:

fengirl_2

Advancement of the arts is charitable under the 2006 Charities Act, so I wouldn't have a problem with their registration, I am just questioning why do they need to do it?

november

What the others said. You don't need to be a charity to raise money. Becoming a charity involves quite a bit of paperwork etc as fengirl says and you then have to work within guidelines set by the Charities Commission.