Big Give Christmas Challenge - 4 days to go
We are grateful to all our supporters who helped us raise £6,100 (over half of our match funding target) in the first half of The Big Give Christmas Challenge. Please keep spreading the word and help us raise the remaining £3,900 in online donations to reach our goal of £10,000 by 12pm, Tuesday 10th December. All donations will be matched giving us the chance to receive £20,000 in total if we meet our goal!
First day of the Big Give Christmas Challenge
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we raised £1,715 on the first day of The Big Give Christmas Challenge. Please help us spread the word and help us raise the remaining £8,285 in online donations we need to reach our goal of £10,000 by 12pm, Tuesday 10th December. All donations will be matched giving us the chance to receive £20,000 in total if we meet our goal!
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is NOW OPEN!
Help us bring live music into schools by supporting Apollo Music Projects in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2019!
Opening soon!
We are thrilled that the Childhood Trust has chosen to support Apollo Music Projects in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2019, our annual campaign to raise money through this matched-funding platform!
From midday on Tuesday 3rd December until midday Tuesday 10th December, all donations made to Apollo Music Projects will be matched by the Childhood Trust and Friends of Apollo Music Projects, Pauline & Ian Howat. We are aiming to raise £10,000 during this week-long campaign and if we reach our goal, we will receive £20,000 through matched funding.
This is our only major annual fundraising campaign and we hope you will consider donating during this time. Every donation (up to our goal amount) will be automatically doubled, making your gift have twice the impact!
Our campaign page will be live in the coming days and will be ready to accept donations on Tuesday 3rd December from midday. Share our message on social media and help us raise the funds we need to continue our important work in schools!
Trustee vacancy for Charity/ Company Secretary
We are looking for an experienced Charity/Company Secretary to join the trustee board of this London-based expanding charity, bringing live classical music to children who might not otherwise experience it. This is a great opportunity to join a dynamic music education charity, helping to guide the next exciting phase of its journey.
What will you be doing?
Overall
The secretary has a key role, together with the Chair, of organising the meetings and ensuring the general smooth running of the charity.
- ensure that trustee meetings are properly administered
- ensure other meetings, such as the AGM, and events are properly administered
- monitor trustee and staff action points arising from meetings
- ensure that requirements of Companies House are met, and that list of Directors at Companies House is kept up-to-date
- ensure that annual returns are made to regulatory bodies as appropriate, on time, and in the correct format
Specifically Trustee Meetings
- Plan and prepare the trustee meetings and the AGM with others as appropriate.
- Planning meeting dates, booking venues, sending out notifications, minutes and other papers.
- Liaise with the Chair of Trustees to form agenda; gather papers from Treasurer, CEO, Fundraising Officer (and others depending on agenda); send out agenda and supporting papers two weeks before the meeting. This should include minutes from the previous meeting.
- Minute trustee meetings or ensure that another minute taker is available. Write them up and circulate for comment asap after the meeting. Prepare final version for approval and signature at next meeting.
- Gather paperwork for AGM to include: Chair’s review, Trustee Report and Accounts (3 copies for signing – Companies House, Independent Examiner, AMP). One trustee has to resign and is re-elected each AGM, in rotation – so agree with Chair who this is in advance.
Company Secretary
- Keep details of Directors (Trustees) up to date with Companies House and on Charity Commission websites
- Send a signed copy of Trustee Reports and Accounts to Companies House
- File annual confirmation statement with Companies House
What are we looking for?
We are looking to strengthen our board by appointing new trustees to help us in our next stage of growth and development. We have a specific requirement for an experienced Charity and/or Company Secretary to work with our new Chair in ensuring the smooth running of the organisation and fulfil our legal and administrative requirements as a charity and incorporated company.
Currently, our Board is eight strong and the majority have been with Apollo for less than two years, so we're full of ideas and energy. To ensure the longer-term sustainability of Apollo we need to expand our reach beyond our current operating base of a few London boroughs. We will need to market ourselves into new areas, within London and beyond, and this will require investment in staff; broadening our fundraising base; securing longer-term funding; and developing a new operating model to manage our activities.
In Trustees, we look for people who are passionate about what we do; who can contribute to our expansion plans; and who can challenge our current thinking and processes in a constructive way.
In summary, we are at a pivotal point in our journey and we are seeking motivated and dedicated Trustees who are willing to give their time to ensure that the Charity can reach a much broader audience of children in London and beyond. As a Board, we meet four times a year, and your primary role as Charity Secretary will be ensuring the effective running of those meetings. As a Trustee you will naturally share a collective responsibility to ensure that Apollo sticks to its mission; is financially sound; and continues to add value across the areas it works.
What is most important is that you get what we do and have the passion and willingness to contribute towards our mission and longer-term expansion plans.
As an experienced charity and/or company secretary you will:
- be organised, methodical and have an attention to detail
- be able to take good minutes and keep accurate records
- have knowledge of company law relating to the Company Secretary's role
Apollo Music Projects is committed to building a board which is reflective of the communities it serves. Applications are particularly welcome from candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds.
What difference will you make?
Your impact will be contributing to the next stage of Apollo's growth and as charity secretary, you will play a key role in ensuring the effective operation of the board of trustees during this exciting time of expansion.
Moving beyond our established base presents some significant challenges. The expansion strategy raises questions about our approach to fundraising; our ability to market ourselves; as well as how we develop our operating model. You will be joining the Board as we begin this journey and will play a key role in ensuring we navigate through these challenges effectively.
We are not looking for trustees to help us stay where we are. We're looking for trustees who can support us in taking Apollo to the next stage.
What's in it for the volunteer?
What we do makes a difference to children. We open their minds to new experiences and at the end of the programme, children are able to sit through an orchestral concert and be inspired and mesmerised by what they see and hear. In 2018/19 we operated in 26 schools in London, concentrated predominantly in the boroughs of Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets and Haringey. There is no reason why we should 'stick to our patch' - what we offer is unique. This is an opportunity to get involved in a charity with an enthusiastic and committed Board of Trustees, keen to make their mark.
Before you apply
Join us at Hackney Empire!
We are inviting schools who are not currently participating in our programme to come and see us in action! A special concert designed for school children in Key Stage 2 will take place on Tuesday 11th June 2019 at 13.30. The concert will be at Hackney Empire, a beautiful venue in East London and will last one hour.
If you are a teacher or parent from a school which you feel would benefit from the experience of seeing a full symphony orchestra perform, do get in touch! We want everyone to be able to experience the excitement of hearing an inspiring concert of music by Schumann and Mendelssohn in a prestigious concert hall. Tickets are being offered at the subsidised cost of £2 per ticket. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity for your pupils to see and hear a live orchestra in concert at Hackney Empire!
"A once in a lifetime experience that really changes your mind about music.” Year 5 pupil, Ambler Primary School, Islington
“The students in my class who play instruments seemed to find it inspiring, but it was those with no background in music and those who had never encountered musicians before who got the most out of this. They may never have the opportunity again.” Year 5 teacher, Tetherdown Primary School, Haringey
If you are interested, we would be thrilled to have you join us. If you would like more information or to reserve places, please contact Csenge Herman (Company & Schools Administrator) by emailing csenge@apollomusicprojects.org or phone Apollo Music Projects on 020 8986 4101.
One place left on this year's Apollo programme!
We have only one place remaining on this year's Apollo programme for primary schools. If you are interested in finding out more, or know of a school in North or East London that would like to take part, please contact us. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to introduce your children to the magic of live music with classroom sessions, chamber orchestra workshop and full symphony orchestra in concert!
GROW YOUR TENNER CAMPAIGN
This year's Grow Your Tenner campaign has now launched and will run until the match funding is fully allocated or 12am on Thursday the 10th January - whichever comes first.
During this campaign, direct debit donations are being matched by up to £10 for 6 months. After six initial donations, the following six donations will be matched. Anyone who makes a regular donation of £10/month will receive £60 in match funding. With Gift Aid as well, this means that your donation of £120 will be worth £210 in the first year.
It is a special campaign for regular donations which are extremely important to our work.
The match fund pot of £100,000 is rapidly being taken up by supporters of charities from all walks of life, so please don’t delay your contribution which will make a huge difference to the children who gain so much from our projects.
Many thanks for your kind help!
ONLY 12 HOURS TO GO UNTIL THE FINAL RESULTS
These are the final hours of the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2018! We have nearly raised all the funds we would need to DOUBLE all donations. Just another £672 and we will be one of the charities who can proudly thank to all our donors for their amazing support. Will you be the one who can give that extra little bit to make our wish come true? Please donate now and help us complete this challenge on a high note.
ONLY 24 hours left to help us DOUBLE all donations
We have had an amazing response from our supporters and have almost reached our target that was set for The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2018. However, the next 24 hours is a crucial time for us and would like your help to make this all happen by raising an additional sum of £2,312 that is needed to DOUBLE all donations. Please reach out to friends and family and ask them to support our cause.
First day of the Big Give Christmas Challenge
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters we have raised a substantial amount on the first day of The Big Give Christmas Challenge. Please keep encouraging your friends and family to help us raise another £8,390 in online donations in order to use our match funds by 12pm, Tuesday 4th December.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge IS NOW OPEN!
All donations between 12pm (midday) Tues 27th November & 12pm (midday) Tues 4th December will be DOUBLED thanks to the generosity and support of The Childhood Trust and Pauline & Ian Howat.
Target for donations £10,000.
Vacancy for Company Administrator (part-time)
Our Company Administrator has had to leave for personal reasons, and again we are able to offer an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, flexible and dedicated administrator to play a central part in the development and growth of this dynamic music education charity. The position is flexible, but ideally we would be looking at 12- 16 hours each week spread over 4 days. The role will be mainly working from home, with regular visits to our Hackney office, and attending some workshops and events in North and East London. You would be joining a small dedicated team supporting AMP's programme delivering inspiring workshops and concerts to 23 primary and special schools in East and North London. The Company Administrator will co-ordinate the day to day running of Apollo Music Projects, supporting all our activities across administration, marketing and fundraising. For further information please read the Job description or contact us for further details.
Apollo Music Projects returns to Hackney Empire
New Company Administrator joins our team
We are delighted to welcome our new Company Administrator Nathalie Meghriche to the Apollo team. Nathalie worked in administration and project management roles within the arts & culture sector for 10 years and in the charity sector as a volunteer manager for 4 years. She joined Apollo Music Projects as Company Administrator in May 2018. Nathalie was appointed following an extensive search and interview process, and we are sure that she will be a tremendous asset to Apollo Music Projects.