Charitable Status
Hello all - I am hoping you might be able to clarify this for me. I am aware that some choirs are registered as a charity and I was wondering what implications/benefits/draw-backs this might have.
I started a little online singing group during the lockdown in 2020 and it has turned into a fully-fledged choir since then, with 50 members and a live band. It's genuinely the best thing I've done - I love it! I run it as an extension of my own vocal coaching practice (I am completely self-employed); I am solely responsible for everything, which is challenging, but not impossible....
My question is, if I was to register the choir as a charity, would it still be *my* choir? I understand that a charity has to have a board of trustees etc. and I wonder what that means in practise. Could someone shed some light?
Thank you so much!
5 comments
Addition - I am also unclear as to whether I would even be able to apply for charitable status for the choir as I run it as a business. Thanks again.
I think if you run your choir as a business (presuming you are in England/Wales as that is what I know about!) - then you won't be able to get charitable status. Charities have to prove they are not-for-profit through a rigorous application process. That is not to say you can't be paid if you work for a charity of course, but you wouldn't be able to be a Trustee. The challenges you mention I don't think would change if you run it as a charity - I have both, choirs I run as a business (self-employed sole trader), and a completely separate charity that I founded and run music-making programmes through such as a dementia choir. Unless you can employ people to help you run the charity you would still be on your own - unless you can get extremely reliable and conscientious volunteers - it is not the job of the Board of Trustees to help you run it on a day to day basis. I hope this is of some help .... and I don't know exactly how you see it being but just my experience :)
Hi Maia. First of all, congratulations on your achievement. Your choir sounds amazing.
I'll echo what Kathryn says. Running a charity is demanding and the rules are strict. The choir would not be 'yours'. The biggest downside, in my opinion, is that you wouldn't any longer be able to do anything that was specifically for the benefit of the members of the choir. That's because when you're a charity, you have to carry out exclusively 'charitable purposes', which are limited. Here's a handy overview of the pros and cons from The Guardian (albeit from a while ago).
I will read the article. I am not sure the charitable status would be appropriate for our choir, given your and Kathryn's responses, so I'm glad I asked!
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