Do you love The Williamson Museum? Do you love your area Museums? Do you love Museums in General? Then become our advocate. Be our voice.
The American Association of Museums (AAM) invites you to Capitol Hill February 28-March 1 to speak up for museums. After a day of advocacy training, AAM will facilitate individual meetings with each participant's elected members of Congress. Museums Advocacy Day is an opportunity to bring our message of the value of museums to Capitol Hill and to advocate for policy issues that affect the field. Visit www.speakupformuseums.org for more information and for fact sheets with tips and tools for advocacy basics, including the rules of engagement, meeting with elected officials, communicating with legislators, and more.
For those of you sticking closer to home, the Texas Commission on the Arts offers a free Advocacy Tool-Kit online to help you develop a plan for advocacy. In it, you'll find detailed instruction onadvocacy and lobbying basics, stating your case, contacting decision makers, avoiding common mistakes, and complying with nonprofit lobbying laws. The tool-kit also includes examples of key messages, templates for writing decision makers, and sample call-to-action letters. Remember, advocacy should happen at all levels and a great place to start is in your museum's own backyard with your city and county officials.
From the Texas Historical Commission.
