Support Free COVID-19 Resources for the Field:
These resources have been taken out from behind the member paywall to make them free and accessible for all. The current crisis is taking a distressing financial toll on cultural organizations, and AAM is no different. In these challenging times, we ask that if you can, consider supporting our advocacy work and making extensive COVID-19 resources freely available for our field, by making a donation or becoming a member of AAM. Thank you for your much-needed support.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented economic, social, and health-related challenges that require decisive and resilient leadership from museum directors and boards. In this section, find information for cultivating effective leadership practices and be inspired by examples of visionary leaders who have found ways to successfully navigate through these difficult times. The Alliance has also put together comprehensive information on how you can use your voice to advocate for museums, including the resources needed to let your legislators know the impact the pandemic has had on you and your institution, and how museums are continuing to serve the community even while closed.

COVID-19 Advocacy for Museums

There’s never been a more critical time to advocate for museums and your role in the field. The Alliance has been working hard to advocate for the museum field, and provide you the resources needed to let your legislators know the impact the pandemic has had on you and your museum, and how museums are continuing to serve the community even while closed. Since March 2020 more than 65,000 messages have been sent to Congress over the Alliance’s online advocacy tools – messages that continue to be critical to securing important financial relief and resources for museums. Please use the information and links below to learn more about the Alliance’s advocacy for museums and ways you can advocate today.

Latest Alliance Advocacy Alert: January Advocacy Resolutions – Speak Up for Museums in 2024

Speak Up for Museums:

• Advocating for Museums During COVID-19
• AAM Guide to Working with a New Congress
• Find your legislators & their social media information
• Learn more about Financial Relief and Resources
• Download your state’s economic impact
• Access Alliance Advocacy Alerts
• Engage your board in advocacy
• Write a Letter to the Editor

Also Available: View the Alliance’s main Advocacy page, read posts from the Alliance blog, get TrendsWatch: Building Resilience in a Time of Crisis, see COVID-19 and IMLS Funding, check out Speaking Up: Museum Advocacy in Action Toolkit, and download our AAM Nonprofit Voter Resources Guide.

Resources

• The Alliance has published:
  • Combatting Burnout in the Museum Sector
  • COVID-19 Museum Field Federal Relief Update
  • Fact Sheet: Museums and COVID-19 Vaccinations
  • Financial Stability in Crisis tip sheet
  • How Complexity Theory Can Help Decision-Making in Chaotic Times, by Jennifer Martin
  • In Times Like These: Managing Museums Through Crises, by Christy S. Coleman, Executive Director, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
  • Restarting Teams to Restart Museums, by Jennifer Martin
  • Supporting Women During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Tips for Developing a Contract “Exit Strategy” by Sharon M. Hotchkiss, nonprofit Attorney at Law
  • Tips for Hosting Virtual Museum Internships by Adriana Dunn, Curator at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center
  • Twitter thread with examples of what museums are doing to promote information on safety during COVID-19
• ArtNet News published an article about How Do You Start a New Job as a Museum Director When Your Institution Is Closed Indefinitely? Just Ask Laura Raicovich of the Leslie-Lohman Museum
• Boardable recently conducted a webinar on Effective and Engaging Virtual Board Meetings – What You Need to Know.
• A helpful blog post from BoardEffect covers The Value of Virtual Board Meetings for a Nonprofit.
• BoardSource shares a number of useful blog posts and resources, including:
  • The benefits and challenges of virtual board meetings are being tested by a growing number of nonprofit boards
  • It’s Time to Talk About…What  Board Commitment to Equity Looks Like in This Moment
  • Partnership in a Time of Pandemic: The CEO and the Board
  • What Nonprofit Board Members Should Be Doing Right Now to Address the COVID-19 Situation
• The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) shares these blog posts:
  • Adapting to Change Requires Flexibility
  • Leadership Resources for Times of Crisis
  • Leadership skills in an uncertain world
• The Center for Arts in Medicine has developed a set of Engaging Arts & Culture For Vaccine Confidence Field Guides which hope to prepare people to establish partnerships and develop programming to improve COVID-19 confidence using arts and culture-based partnerships and strategies.
• Chief Learning Officer magazine published this article on Agile innovation in the face of COVID-19.
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy wrote an article on How Board Members Can Do the Most Good in the Pandemic.
• DEXIBIT released a new whitepaper that analyzes the impacts of COVID19 on visitor attractions (including museums), documents its response, & provides guidance on how to lead in these extreme circumstances.
• From Forbes, Leadership Never Stops: Six Tips For Carrying On During A Crisis.
• Ford Foundation president, Darren Walker, inspires us to stick together and calls for foundations to help provide operating support for nonprofits.
• Greenwich Leadership Partners shares a useful post on What Will You Do if Your Leader Falls Ill?
• Marcum, LLP‘s Kathy Raffa answers some questions about Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and whether museums with large endowments must return the loan.
• McKinsey & Company’s article on Leadership in a crisis: Responding to the coronavirus outbreak and future challenges has a lot of useful information for leaders during this uncertainty.
• The Network of European Museum Organizations conducted a survey of museum organizations throughout Europe on the impact of COVID-19 on their sites. These are their findings.
• Nonprofit Quarterly has a section for boards and recently posted Voices from the Field: Tangible, Timely Tactics for Nonprofits during Crises.
• The University of San Diego shares 5 Things Every Nonprofit Board Should be Doing in Response to Recent Turmoil.
• The Wallace Foundation created Navigating Uncertain Times: A Scenario Planning Toolkit for the Arts and Culture Sector a​​​​ scenario planning toolkit designed to help arts organizations think through how to respond to various future conditions along with a report titled Arts Organizations’ Early Response to COVID-19 Uncertainty: Insights from the Field where more than 160 arts leaders were interviewed on the implications for the arts following COVID-19 and the racial justice movement. And, check out the StrongNonprofits Toolkit for resources to help strengthen your nonprofit financial management.