Pay As You Can
Unity Choir is run by The Singing Elf Social Enterprise – we are a local, not-for-profit, community organisation which receives funding for some, but not all of our projects. Before the pandemic, all our participants paid a set fee to take part. From March 2020 - December 2021, all of our sessions were free to attend with Pay as You Feel donations encouraged. From January 2022 all our participants will be asked to Pay as You Can to take part - everyone will need to contribute but you will decide how much you can afford to pay.
When you first take part in sessions with Unity you will be asked to Pay as You Can via one-off payments. Once you become a regular member, you will be given the opportunity to set up regular payments although you can still choose to make one-off payments. You can find full details about both options and the links to make payments below.
Can I get help to make a payment?
Yes - Team Elf are always here to help. After you've read the information below, if you need any support to set up payments, just email info@thesingingelf.co.uk with a question or request a phone call. We can take payments over the phone but will agree on a suitable time to call you as our phone lines are not staffed at all times. We can also take payments in sessions if this is agreed in advance.
Set up a regular payment
When our singers become regular members, most choose to set up a regular payment. This is more convenient as the payment is taken automatically each month. It also saves Team Elf time and money.
Find out more below - just scroll down!
Make a one-off payment
Use the link below to pay by card through our website at anytime.
Choose your amount: £1, £2, £3, £5, £8, £10, £15, £20, £25, £30
If you are attending regularly and it is possible for you, please group your payments into one higher payment less often rather than making multiple payments of smaller amounts. This helps reduce our admin and transaction costs considerably.
How does Pay as You Can work?
All Pay as You Can payments are taken electronically via payment links. We do not take cash or cheques because they cost more money to bank and take much more time for us to administrate. Our payment links are safe and easy to use, however, if you require support, we can take a payment via the phone or in a session. In exceptional circumstances, for example when a participant does not have a bank account, we can make other arrangements.
Why is Pay As You Can important?
It is not viable for our projects to remain free long-term as our funders expect us to work towards becoming more sustainable and eventually self-supporting. For Unity to continue into our 6th year, we need everyone to contribute what they can. We are committed to keeping our sessions financially accessible to all. However, we may need to consider the re-introduction of set fees in future if we are not able to raise enough from Pay as You Can donations.
About Regular Payments
Why are regular payments the best way to pay?
We encourage all members to set up a regular payment via our secure system Go Cardless which automatically takes a Direct Debit payment every month.
Regular payments are important as they:
- Cost less to process and save us on bank fees
- Save a lot of time and are far more efficient for our admin team
- Help us to plan as we know what income to expect and when
- Demonstrate to our funders that our sessions are valued
- Help us become more sustainable to survive without funding
You can choose to pause, reduce or stop regular payments at any time.
Although most of our members set up regular payments, we still offer the option to make one-off payments for newbies in their first few weeks or people whose circumstances prevent them from committing to regular payments.
What does my regular payment cover?
Regular payments provide much needed support for Unity throughout the year as they remain the same amount every month, regardless of how many sessions you attend. You don't need to pay extra to attend more than one session a week. Payments cover all our weekly sessions along with any additional rehearsals and costs related to our performances and social events. In busy months during gigging season such as June there might be 6 opportunities to sing with us and in others such as December, we might be taking a break.
Regular payments also help to fund musical arrangements, printing, rehearsal recordings, venue hire, refreshments, participant support, Zoom and our online community. Pay as You Can payments do not cover; audience tickets to our performances, uniform or the cost to purchase food/drink at our social events. However, additional costs are often subsidised and bursaries can be available.
Regular Payment FAQs
How much should I pay?
Before the pandemic, Unity charged a minimum fee of £5 per session and our members paid monthly fees of £20. We now ask everyone to pay what you can afford toward this amount, but with a minimum nominal contribution of £1 per person, per session. We know that for many, the pandemic has made times even harder and we are committed to keeping our sessions accessible for as long as possible. Whether you are making a one-off or regular payment, you choose the amount you pay using the links below.
Set Up a Regular Payment
To set up a Regular Payment
on 1st of the month
Set up a payment BEFORE 22nd to start paying on 1st
Use the link below to set up the regular payment of your chosen amount by the 22nd of the month you wish to start paying. Your 1st payment will then be taken on the 1st of the following month and then every month onwards.
Payments must be set up 5 working days before the payment date. If you miss the deadline of the 22nd this month, your first payment may not be taken until 1st of the month after next. In this case, please use the options to set up a payment for the 15th of the month instead.
If in future, you wish to pause, increase, decrease or stop payments, please get in touch with Team Elf at least 7 days before your payment is due to be taken.
To set up a Regular Payment
on 15th of the month
Set up a payment BEFORE 8th to start paying on 15th
Use the link below to set up the regular payment of your chosen amount by the 8th of the month you wish to start paying. Your 1st payment will then be taken on the 15th of that month and then every month onwards.
Payments must be set up 5 working days before the payment date. If you miss the deadline of the 8th this month, your first payment may not be taken until 15th of next month. In this case, please use the options to set up a payment for the 1st of the month instead.
If in future, you wish to pause, increase, decrease or stop payments, please get in touch with Team Elf at least 7 days before your payment is due to be taken.
Got a query? Email us at info@thesingingelf.co.uk
The Singing Elf Ltd, Trading as The Singing Elf Social Enterprise, Company No. 12246373.
Registered Office: The Old Rectory, The Broadway, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 4BB, United Kingdom