IFCM treasurer, Håkan Wickström, in interview with Andrea Angelini, ICB Managing Editor
Andrea Angelini: A couple of years ago the financial situation of IFCM was not in a very flourishing condition because of various reasons in the past. How does the situation look today?
Håkan Wickström: Thanks to the people on our board, who are responsible for various tasks and who have fulfilled their obligations to the organisation without sparing themselves and their time, it can clearly be seen that over the last two years the IFCM has steadily moved forward and grown stronger in all areas.
AA How are these efforts reflected in the finances?
HW As we do not have any employees other than our office manager, which means a saving in salaries, and because we do not have high office rents, it means that our ordinary income is enough to cover our expenses.
AA Has anything else that has improved the financial situation?
HW Yes, there have been some very profitable projects for the IFCM that have left us with some savings for future use. Also, on looking over the daily and annual expenses, we have been able to save some money in these fields too. Furthermore, we have for the time being enough income to cover our daily expenses and that is why we have not been employing a Secretary General or a General Manager. There is no question of doing so until we are certain that our income will exceed our expenses, even if these increase.
AA How does the future look from the IFCM point of view and what are the main targets to look at financially?
HW There are two main points from the daily life of IFCM: first we must increase our membership drastically, and secondly we must look into the number of advertisements in our publications, because this brings in short-term income. In addition, some really important sponsors would bring in long-term income and would secure the permanent growth of our International Federation for Choral Music.
Edited by Gillian Forlivesi Heywood, Italy