Together We Act: The power of collective action

The cultural sector is navigating a perfect storm of economic and political pressures that would test even the most resilient organisations. National insurance increases, stubbornly high inflation, and real-terms funding cuts are converging to create an environment where difficult decisions are being made.

Marketing budgets are being scrutinised like never before, teams are being asked to achieve more with less, and the pressure to demonstrate a return on investment has intensified. Yet within these challenges lies an opportunity that arts and heritage has always embraced: the power of collective action.

When we come together as a community to share knowledge, pool resources and co-create solutions, we don’t just survive tough times – we emerge stronger, more innovative and more connected. This is precisely the moment to lean into collaboration rather than retreat into silos.

A community-led response

That’s why the Arts Marketing Association has launched Together We Act – a campaign designed with and for the arts marketing community to tackle our most pressing challenges collectively. This isn’t a top-down initiative where we prescribe solutions; it’s taking a collaborative approach that recognises the expertise, creativity and resilience already present across our sector.

We believe the answers lie in tapping into the wisdom of thousands of cultural marketers and leaders who are innovating under pressure every day. Together We Act will capture these insights, celebrate effective practice, and build collective responses to the challenges ahead. By working together, we can transform struggles into shared learning, and isolated successes into sector-wide strategies.

Listening to real experiences

We’re building a picture of the day-to-day working reality for the arts marketing community through three strands of research.

1 Together We Act: sector survey

Our survey is currently open for feedback from cultural marketing, communications and audience development professionals from across the entire cultural eco-system from small community-led organisations up to the big national institutions. From seasoned marketing directors and organisation leaders to assistants starting their careers; through to agency partners and freelance consultants who passionately support the sector with their expertise.

The survey focuses on three challenge areas: financial pressures, political landscape and AI & digital confidence. The first seeks to explore income generation in a time of higher targets but smaller budgets. Political landscape looks at dealing with communicating in increasingly polarised times, and the last area seeks to explore the ethics, risks and opportunities of AI and the skills needed to use it effectively and safely.

2 Member conversations

We’re conducting in-depth, one-to-one video interviews with a representative cross-section of our membership including all career levels, freelancers and consultants, the full range of art and heritage types, and vital representation from across all four nations of the UK.

Most importantly, we’re ensuring the voices of underrepresented members are heard and amplified. These conversations will explore not just what challenges members are facing, but the solutions they’ve discovered, the support they need and ways we can build resilience for the future.

3 Polling

Finally, polling is taking place at in-person and online AMA events to support us to shape the campaign communications to ensure both the content and sentiment resonates with our community.

Invisible pressures

The dilemmas facing our sector extend beyond balance sheets. We’re operating in an increasingly polarised society where cultural organisations find themselves navigating a tightrope just by fulfilling their missions. Arts marketers are on the front line of this shift, managing rising levels of online hate directed at organisations, fielding abuse aimed at programming decisions, and grappling with impossible questions about when – and whether – to speak publicly on divisive topics.

These aren’t abstract policy debates; it’s the everyday reality for communications teams just doing their jobs. The emotional toll of moderating hateful comments, responding to coordinated campaigns, and maintaining professional composure, while being targeted, is significant and often invisible.

Together We Act will establish safe spaces to discuss these pressures, share strategies for protecting team wellbeing, and shape guidance on how best to steer a path through current public discourse. We will be prioritising the need for discussion and collaborative working as part of this campaign with roundtable discussions covering each of our three challenge areas taking place in the new year.

Building support together

The insights gathered through Together We Act will directly shape the practical support the AMA provides. From the start of 2026, our programme of webinars, peer learning and resources will be shaped by your real experiences, ideas, and successes. This support will evolve as the sector’s needs change, remaining responsive and relevant because it’s built on the foundations of an ongoing dialogue with all of you.

We want to know what tools would make your work easier, what skills you need to develop, what barriers prevent you from achieving your goals, and examples of success you’ve had or innovations you’ve witnessed that deserve wider recognition. Your honest responses – whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or energised, whether your organisation is thriving or struggling – will directly inform the practical solutions we develop together.

It’s clear that doing nothing is simply not an option. It’s time to come together to share our successes, learn from our challenges, and test new strategies. This is your opportunity to shape not just the support you receive, but the collective response of an entire community. Together we are stronger. Together we can build what we need to thrive. Together we act.

Find out more about Together We Act and complete our sector survey. Together We Act is sponsored by Art Fund, CultureSuite, Splitpixel, Ten4 Design and Tessitura.