THE ART OF AFFILIATION. Museums Membership Programmes: A New Classification For Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto Regions.

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to create a classification of the different typologies of Membership Programmes in Italian Museums; more specifically it will concentrate on the Regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Piedmont. Initially a literature review will be carried out. Research concerning cultural membership programmes is mainly focused on two topics: the first, regarding the motivations that lead the public to subscribe to memberships in the non-profit sector; the second, concerning the added value that supporters bring to cultural institutions. However, there are few studies that attempt to truly classify membership programmes. It is this apparent lack in research that the author wants to address. In fact, the second part of the dissertation will analyse the websites of the institutions in the abovementioned Italian Regions in order to collect the necessary data to identify the existence Friends of Museums Associations and Membership Programmes. Subsequently the findings will be summarized in tables. This process will enable the author to formulate a new classification based on the benefits provided to the subscribers, the number of membership tiers offered, whether the programs were created at the behest of the museum or the public, and other criteria. Lastly, three case studies will be carried out on a museum per Region to highlight best practice when it comes to Membership Programmes.