The Arts Society is an international organisation supporting over 300 Member Societies in the UK and abroad. 

Our Local Member Societies deliver lectures, visits, volunteering opportunities and educational activities to bring people together through a shared interest in the arts.

The value of culture and heritage to both individual wellbeing and economic prosperity is gaining increasing recognition. This is reflected in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Culture and Heritage Capital report (November 2024), which highlights the significant social, health and economic benefits generated through cultural engagement.

Against this backdrop, The Arts Society’s model is more relevant than ever. Through inspiring lectures, volunteering initiatives, grants, and the active promotion of the arts within local communities, we enable people to engage meaningfully with arts and heritage. Our welcoming and sociable environment, complemented by events, visits and trips, creates opportunities for learning, participation and connection.

As a registered charity, The Arts Society is committed to delivering public benefit through the pursuit of its charitable objectives. These are set out in full in our Articles of Association and can be summarised as:

• Advancing education in the arts;
• Conserving artistic and cultural heritage; and
• Advancing the arts through practical support, including grants, volunteering projects and community engagement.

These objectives remain at the heart of our strategy and guide our contribution to enriching lives, strengthening communities and safeguarding cultural heritage for future generations.

Our primary strategic objective is to grow membership.

Membership growth is central to our vision of making the arts accessible to all. It will enable more people to benefit from engagement with arts and heritage while strengthening the Society’s capacity to deliver its charitable mission. 

A larger membership base will generate the resources needed to expand our grants and volunteering programmes, sustain high-quality support for societies, attract and develop volunteers, and create more opportunities for our lecturers and arts experts.

Achieving this goal requires more than recruitment alone. It demands that we continually enhance the value we offer to existing and prospective members, ensuring that The Arts Society remains relevant, engaging and accessible. 

It also requires us to reach beyond our current audiences, raising awareness of the unique opportunities we provide and championing the value of the arts and heritage in society.

Historically, growth has been driven largely through personal recommendation. While this remains a powerful strength, there is significant opportunity to broaden our reach through a more coordinated and professional approach to engagement, marketing and partnership development. By doing so, we can grow beyond previous membership levels and extend the benefits of arts engagement to many more people and communities.

To deliver sustainable membership growth, we will focus on four interconnected priorities:

1. Raising Awareness and Attracting New Members

We are building the profile of The Arts Society nationally and locally by promoting our unique combination of arts education, volunteering, charitable impact and community. Through targeted marketing, engaging content, digital channels and strategic partnerships, we will focus on reaching new audiences and create more pathways into membership.

2. Enhancing the Member and Society Experience

We are focussing on investing in the support, services and digital tools that help societies thrive, making it easier and more rewarding for people to engage with The Arts Society. We hope to also expand our reach by supporting new societies and increasing access in underserved communities.

3. Strengthening Collaboration Across the Society Network

Our strength lies in our network of societies, volunteers, lecturers and members. We are fostering greater collaboration, shared learning and innovation across the organisation, while continuing to support and value the volunteers and lecturers who are essential to delivering our charitable mission.

4. Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability

We are investing responsibly in initiatives that drive sustainable growth, including marketing, digital development and new societies, underpinned by strong financial management and governance. This will strengthen our resilience and ensure we can continue to deliver our charitable purpose for the long term.

Detailed implementation plans, milestones and performance measures will be developed and communicated as initiatives are rolled out. Progress will be monitored regularly, and the strategy will be reviewed periodically to reflect changing circumstances, emerging opportunities and the evolving needs of societies, members and communities.

Our strategy sets out a clear vision for the charity’s future, building on our strengths and creating new opportunities to grow our impact, reach and relevance. To explore our priorities, plans and measures of success in more detail, please read the Strategy in full.