1. workshop The future shape of GALHA Introduction to discussion Adam Knowles Chair

2. The story so farA brief history of GALHA’s form 1979: ‘Gay Humanist Group’ founded as an unincorporated association 1980s: changed name to explicitly include lesbians. Renamed ‘GALHA’. 1996: GALHA creates the PTT charity 2000s: Relationship between GALHA and the PTT breaks down. Formal relationship stopped at the PTT end, continues at the GALHA end. 2008: GALHA itself applies for charitable status, setting up a Ltd company as part of the process. 2011: GALHA application for charitable status declined.

3. On becoming A Charitywhat was the big idea? Benefits Tax Kudos Support available Limited liability for the organisation by being a Ltd company. Updates and strengthens our formal constitution Drawbacks Additional administrative burden Additional constraints on activity

4. Why our charity application was declined Political campaigning as a proportion of our whole activity is too high to justify a tax break from the government Risk of private benefits for members judged too likely. Target audience not defined widely enough

5. The contexttrends and insights Those who give money and those who give time are often not the same people. Usually people have a broad but shallow range of causes they support. They support them in less formal, looser ways such as online (Facebook, Meetup), joining a protest or regular Direct Debit.

6. The contextThe committee Many on the current Committee are nearing the end of an appropriate ‘term’ i.e. 2 – 4 years Despite best efforts we have increasingly struggled to replace Committee members Keeping up with legal and mandatory reporting requirements is becoming increasingly complex and costly

7. So..Some things we could do Shift toward campaign-specific fundraising eg atheist bus rather than member subscriptions. Change the membership structure to provide greater flexibility in how people can contribute to advancing LGBT Humanism. We can try this if we rethink our fixed costs. Outsourcing key admin tasks (membership management, financial reporting) means they benefit from efficiencies of scale.

8. Where do we go from here? Stay as we are, an unincorporated voluntary association Transfer in to the Limited company via an SGM Go back to the drawing board and come up with a new option

9. Become the LGBT section of the BHA Key features They will take care of all our membership admin They will fulfill all official financial reporting requirements They will provide 1 x Committee member plus a minute-taker for Committee meetings We will operate from a ‘restricted fund’ We will become constrained to activity allowable by a charity We use the name ‘GALHA, the LGBT section of the BHA’.

10. Compare to the charity planrecall what we aimed for Benefits Tax Kudos Support available Limited liability for the organisation Updates and strengthens our formal constitution Reduced administrative burden More next.. Drawbacks Additional administrative burden Additional constraints on activity More next..

11. GALHA and the BHAkey benefits Closer working relationship with the BHA: Access to their 28,000 members & supporters. Links easier/more productive with the AHS, the IHEU etc. Administration of members and annual finances removed from Committee responsibility. Better legal protection for committee members. Significant reduction in costs from efficiencies of scale in postage, affiliations. Tax benefit as part of a charity. Press releases and contacts joined together. VAT paid on services and supplies can be reclaimed. New constitution removes historical anomaly of PTT donors being GALHA members without GALHA receiving money. Ends having to run and submit reports on both unincorporated GALHA and the present Ltd company.

12. GALHA and the BHAkey drawbacks/risks Loss of independence, autonomy and name equity Cost of the change to GALHA: couple of all-member mailings, legal fees Members may leave if they object to it, including some key members or VPs A reduced committee size may have unintended consequences Risk that by moving closer to the BHA we move further from other partners including the NSS Significant risk of reduced income if current GALHA members do not made additional donations Risk the Charity Commission will see this as GALHA becoming a charity by the back door

13. GALHA and the BHAreducing administrative overhead

14. GALHA and the BHARisk: impact of reduced committee size Current Future

15. GALHA and the BHAIMPACT ON MEMBERS THEMSELVES Benefits Single, complementary source for Humanist news, views and leadership Those already BHA members no longer pay a 'dual' subscription to GALHA (though we hope for additional donations) Drawbacks Increase in subscription fee for non-BHA members Loss of independent identity of the current organisation

16. GALHA and the BHAAbout the name The name GALHA.. retains the equity built up in our reputation over many years. But.. Excludes ‘B’ and ‘T’. Would no longer stand for anything. We cannot be an association within an association.

17. GALHA and the BHAWhat we’ve done so far Held initial meetings with the BHA to discover the feasibility of such a move. Written draft bye-laws that would govern the new GALHA. Submitted these to a meeting of the BHA Trustees who agreed the approach. Mailed all members the detailed proposal and an invitation to come here and discuss it.

18. GALHA and the BHAPOSSIBLE TIMELINE Within 2 months: finalise the new constitution and arrangements in detail. +1 month: mail all members with at least 1 month notice of an SGM where winding up will be discussed +1 month: convene an SGM to decide the matter Then as soon as possible: Mail all members with option to opt-out/request refund by post or online. Opt-out available/pro-rata refunds issued Move existing GALHA members into the BHA via the transitional arrangement to be agreed

19. GALHA and the BHA Excepts from emails received following the mailer Have your say “I support the proposal to affiliate as an independent sub-section of the BHA. I have attended various of their events and have respect for Andrew Copson, and they are obviously keen to support us and our particular field. I also think it might help us to a more balanced membership - more women in particular especially if they only have to be supporters not necessarily out gay.” - Maureen Duffy, GALHA President “I am opposed to the proposal that GALHA become a section of the BHA. I have been a staunch supporter of the BHA. However, the founders of GALHA, including myself, opted to set up an autonomous organisation and I think it should remain so.” - George Broadhead, Founding member and Vice President “I am very much supportive of the idea of becoming a subsection of BHA for most of the reasons set out. A further point may be made is of the expertise of the BHA in matters of civil ceremonies and funerals etc., and GALHA members could consider this as a positive reason for closer ties.” - John Watt, OrmskirkLancs “Has the Committee considered the other, cheap and easy, route to 'charitable recognition' - an' Industrial and Provident Society?” - Chris Richardson, GALHA member

20. Have your say

21. www.galha.org

22. 2011 AGM