Friends Membership Beth Funnell Honorary Membership Secretary Subscriptions Increase The subscriptions to the Friends will go up on 1 July as agreed at last year’s AGM. It will be the first increase since 1999 and as I’m sure you will all appreciate costs have risen considerably in that time. We now have a wonderful new Gallery of which we can be justly proud and financial support from the Friends will be crucial to its long-term well-being.
Gift Aid – A Rare Gift Gift Aid is a gift from the Chancellor of the Exchequer and gifts don’t come rarer than that. So, if you pay tax and have not yet signed up for Gift Aid, please do so. We get 28p from the Inland Revenue for every £ you give us. That means a single subscription of £24.00 becomes worth £30.77 and it all mounts up. Last year we collected an extra £4,300 for subscriptions alone.
We shall continue to keep our costs to a minimum. The Friends’ organisation is run predominately by volunteers with support from a few paid part-time staff so that money from your subscriptions goes to support the Gallery.
You must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax that that we reclaim on your donations in the appropriate tax year. (Currently 28p for each £1 you give). If your circumstances change, or you no longer wish to Gift Aid your subscriptions or donations, please tell us.
The new annual rates are: Friend £24 Joint and Family £37.50 Student Friend £10 (£20 for 3 years) Young Friend (under 16) £10 Gallery Club £300 minimum Patron of the Friends £1,000 minimum These increases do not affect Life Members
If you would like a Gift Aid Declaration form, please contact me at the Friends’ office
Help us Keep Costs Down Pay by Standing Order We want to make sure that as much of your money as possible is used to support the Gallery. This means keeping the costs of running the Friends to the minimum. You can help us hold our administrative costs down by paying by Standing Order; it may also be more convenient for you. From 1 July for one year, we are offering a discount of 10% off one year’s subscription if you sign a Standing Order form. You do not need to do anything at the moment. We will send you a form with your next renewal letter. Of course, you could help us even more by signing a Standing Order form but forgoing the discount.
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