And no, I am not asking if you are for the arts. I have a hunch that if you are reading this blog, I already know your answer. I could write about all of the reasons that I, and probably you, support the arts and arts education, but I would just be preaching to the choir.  Instead, I want to write about the gray line is that separates Americans who are for the arts and Americans for the Arts.

The American Society of Association Executives (a.k.a. the association for associations) recently published a study called The Decision to Join, based on years of study and more than 16,000 surveys. One main concept of the research findings is that people join an organization to affiliate, or to be a part of, a movement of individuals with the same interests or goals.

That means they don't join for the benefits and services an organization provides. This is a big blow to many of us who work for a membership organization, myself included. The reason I have a job is to make sure our members get their benefits and services (by the way, if you aren't, email [email protected]).  And while I know many of our members place a ton of value in services we provide like the Public Art Network Listserv, Arts Link, or the discount they get on books in our Online Store, my gut tells me that The Decision to Join got it right.

We recently surveyed a small sample of our members to ask about some new benefits we were thinking about offering, like discounts on office supplies or insurance for small businesses and artists.  (Incidentally, if you need insurance for yourself or employees, check out Fractured Atlas.)  The members who responded gave us a very clear answer: they don't want any of them.

So we've been doing a lot of thinking lately about where that leaves us. Essentially, most people join Americans for the Arts for the same reason you might join a political party or a knitting circle. You might be the only person in your town or on your block who thinks that the arts make America better, but you know you are not alone. You know that you are part of something larger than yourself.  And we know we have a lot of work to do.