AGM

 

The 95th AGM will take place at 2.30pm on Saturday 2nd November 2024 at Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh.

In this space, you will the final agenda, candidate profiles and voting arrangements for both the candidate elections (digital voting) and the AGM motions (in person voting in the agenda),
We also invite you to watch Jon Berridge, the Chief Operating Officer of the RSCDS who discusses the key financial challenges the Society faces in a 15 minute video.
 
Our “Meet the Board” session will be held on the Saturday morning at 9.30am in Hall 1.  This will be an informal session to discuss issues, ask questions and share your ideas directly with members of the Management Board. The Executive Team and Committee convenors will all be there and the event is open to all members, not just delegates. I would like to encourage you to come along and have a chat.
 
On the Sunday morning we have organised a Q& A session. The session's agenda includes discussions on the following topics: Strategies to broaden participation with walking classes led by Eilean Yates. Additionally, the topic "Will you come back next week?" will be explored by William Williamson. 

Finally, will you be in Edinburgh for the Autumn Gathering? Why not pop along to 12 Coates Crescent and join us for our open afternoon on Friday 1st November.  We will be open for all visitors from 1pm - 4pm, with a full RSCDS shop and some archive objects on display.  There's no need to book, just come along.

 

Remote video URL

 

Following the release of the video presentation on RSCDS Expenses and Income, we have been engaging with branches to address any further questions. Jon Berridge, the Society's Chief Operating Officer has conducted five Zoom sessions over the last two weeks, speaking with more than 60 branch committee members from over 40 branches worldwide.

 

Jon Berridge writes:

"In my presentation on income and expenditure, I talked about how the RSCDS is doing compared to similar organisations.  The organisations we looked at are listed below. Information was taken from annual reports filed with the Charity Commission and compared with RSCDS annual reports for the same period. 

Comparable organisations were selected based on the following criteria. They are non-profits, based in the UK with similar income and expenditure to the RSCDS. They are almost all in the culture, arts and heritage sector. They deliver a range of programmes and events that generate income. Many generate a portion of their income from members or subscribers. 

The purpose of this exercise was to understand if our income and expenditure is in line with similar organisations. It does not tell us anything about membership value, engagement, organisational structures etc. That will be the focus of the next piece of analysis! "

The table below shows how the RSCDS compares with the average comparable non-profit. 

 

"In my presentation on income and expenditure, I talked about how the RSCDS is doing compared to similar organisations.  The organisations we looked at are listed below. Information was taken from annual reports filed with the Charity Commission and compared with RSCDS annual reports for the same period. 

Comparable organisations were selected based on the following criteria. They are non-profits, based in the UK with similar income and expenditure to the RSCDS. They are almost all in the culture, arts and heritage sector. They deliver a range of programmes and events that generate income. Many generate a portion of their income from members or subscribers. 

The purpose of this exercise was to understand if our income and expenditure is in line with similar organisations. It does not tell us anything about membership value, engagement, organisational structures etc. That will be the focus of the next piece of analysis! "

The table  in the attachment  shows how the RSCDS compares with the average comparable non-profit:

List of comparable organisations. 

One Dance UK, British Ballet Organisation Limited, English Folk Dance and Song Society, Orchestras Live, The British Music Experience, The Dickens House, Swindon Dance, Calderdale Music, London International Festival Of Theatre, Newham Music Trust, Open Up Music, The Freud Museum London, Welsh Dance Theatre Trust, National Federation of Music Societies, Phoenix Dance, Yorkshire Dance Trust, Music in Hospitals and Care, Foundation for Community Dance, British Beekeepers Association, The Poetry Society. 

 

If your members are interested in the governance of the Society, please feel free to share the above video with them.

Here what the participants had to say about the meetings and a word from Jon Berridge.

 
"I offer my time and experience because I love this organization and the opportunity to support and encourage Scottish country dancing. But, fundamentally, we are sustaining a cultural treasure and a mission, and that requires funding, staffing, expenditures, and a viable organization. "
San Diego Branch

 " I just want to say thanks. The meeting made a big difference to me and has probably changed my view of how the society is run."
Oxfordshire Branch
  
" I’d like to thank the Chairs, Treasurers, Secretaries and other branch administrations who joined one of the Zoom calls. We covered a broad range of topics and there were a number of excellent suggestions that I will be following up on. I found these sessions incredibly useful and feedback from attendees has been really positive, so we will be running these on a regular basis going forward.  Details and dates will be shared in the next branch mailing."
Jon Berridge, COO, jon.berridge@rscds.org

 

 

 

No Election Necessary-

Trustees 3 (for 3 years), 1x Chair Elect (for 2 years+ 2 years as Chair) 

 

Candidates:
Remote video URL

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There are 159 RSCDS Branches and over 300 Affiliated Groups in more than 50 countries around the world, located on all continents (except Antarctica).

They organise and run classes, dances and other social events in their own areas and are committed to helping develop Scottish Dance and Music for future generations.

We encourage you to try Scottish Country Dancing for yourself to see just how much fun it can be, so please come along and learn how to 'Dance Scottish'. 

Wherever you are in the world there is most likely Scottish Country Dancing.

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  • Registered Charity No. SC 016085
  • Company No. SC 480530
  • 12 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7AF