Membership Dues
Frequently Asked Questions FY08
Q: Why are base dues going up, didn't you just lower them a few years ago?
A: Two years ago Arts Presenters lowered entry level dues from $450 to $150, and expanded the dues scale to create more access to association membership. Unfortunately, membership dues revenues has declined by more than $151,000, with 67% of members paying less then they had in 2005.Through a recent Strategic Review and assessment process, we have learned that this structure is not sustainable (our findings found that our cost to serve a member is $797). We now find that our ability to serve members, continue to deliver great value and advance the needs of the membership has been significantly weakened.
Q: I renewed my dues already this year, does this mean I owe an additional $150?
No. If you paid your dues already for 2007-2008, then your dues payment won't change until it's time for you to renew again.
Q: Conference fees were just raised, why are dues now going up?
A: While you do have to be a member in order to attend the conference, the membership dues structure is in no way related to the conference fees. The Annual Members Conference is certainly a flagship member benefit, but it is one of many benefits of an Arts Presenters membership.
Q: If you are raising dues now, are you going to raise them again?
A: Member dues provide a large portion of the revenues used to deliver primary services that support your work and programs that meet your changing needs. Both dues levels and membership benefits are constantly being assessed because we want to be able to provide you with the best benefits possible while ensuring that membership remains affordable for organizations of all types and sizes. We expect a dues restructure to be brought forward to the membership for a vote in 2009; from now until then we will be conducting analysis and soliciting member feedback to inform any dues adjustments, so please give us feedback on how the dues changes impact you.
Q: Other than Conference, what benefits do I even get for my membership dues?
A: There are many benefits to being an Arts Presenters member; the Conference is only one (a big one, we know!). Just like the Conference provides you an opportunity to connect with your peers face-to-face, Arts Presenters is constantly working to find ways for you to connect and build networks through our other benefits and services. A few notable benefits include: online, searchable databases (Membership Directory and Artist Roster), subscription to Inside Arts Magazine, visa technical assistance, professional development and funding opportunities, professional tools and training sessions, and research and benchmarking data. Take a look at www.artspresenters.org and you'll see that you are missing so much by seeing Arts Presenters as "only" the annual Conference.
Refresher on Calculation Questions
Q: As a presenter, I don't understand what you mean by "total expenses"?
A: Every organization and business has an Operating Budget. We are looking for your total expense budget related to your presenting activities.
Q: As a presenter, I don't understand what the "percentage number is."
A: Organizations that pay a higher percentage of their total expense budget directly to artist fees will pay less than an organization with the same expense budget that pays a lower percentage of towards artist fees. Member feedback indicated that they wanted consideration for the fact that large percentages of their budgets were going directly to artists.
Q: As an Artist Manager, I don't understand what you mean by "total commissions from touring, producing or commissioning."
A: Most artist managers collect revenue for touring artists and productions and take a percentage as a "commission." What we are looking for is the amount of revenue generated through the creation of artistic activity.
Q: Why do I have to share my financial data with you?
A: In order to make a fair dues calculation, we have to use organizational financial information as the metric. But please be assured that we in no way share, publish or use identifiable private financial data (any reporting we do is in the aggregate). In order to calculate fair dues, we depend on each organization to report their data accurately and pay dues at the appropriate level so all types and sizes of organizations can participate.
Q: Why should larger organizations carry the weight of the "little guy"?
A: The reality is that if we, as a national organization committed to furthering the field, want to provide effective services and programs, we must charge dues based upon a scale. If we were to offer a flat fee, the price point necessary to accomplish our mission would be too high for smaller organizations to ever come to the table and too low for large organizations to take seriously. Our research shows that our members want us to support and provide access to all types and sizes of organizations.
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Benefits & Services
