Museums Advocacy Day Advocate Materials

The Alliance shares the Museums Advocacy Day 2023 information and Advocate Materials below.

Contact Congress

You don’t have to be in Washington, D.C. to join the cause and speak up for museums. Your legislators need to hear from you, the people they represent, about how their decisions affect museums and museum people.

• Contact Congress: OMS Funding for Museums
• Contact Congress: Charitable Giving Incentives

Legislative Agenda

View the Legislative Agenda here. The page includes Issues at a Glance and links to more information about each issue. Policy issues include:

• Background: Museums and the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Office of Museum Services Funding
• Tax Policy
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Elementary and Secondary Education
• Higher Education
• Lifelong STEM Engagement
• Historic Preservation
• Climate Action and Museums
• Public Diplomacy and the Protection of Cultural Property
• Shutdown Prevention and Economic Impact
• The Multinational Species Conservation Funds and Wildlife Conservation

See the draft FY 2024 OMS Appropriations Support Letters and who signed on to support OMS last year.

Access the Capitol Hill Leave Behind 2023 and Online Meeting Report Form.

Museum Facts

• Museum Facts page (or printable PDF)
• Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion page (or printable PDF)
• Ethics and Best Practices for Museums page (or printable PDF)

Key Committees

Browse these lists below for your legislators:

Senate:

• Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Senate Committee on Finance
• Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

House:

• House Committee on Appropriations
• House Committee on Education & Labor
• House Committee on Ways & Means
• House Committee on Small Business

Additional Advocacy Resources

• Getting to Know Your Legislators
  Taking the time to learn about your legislators is an invaluable asset to your advocacy efforts at any level of government. Legislators’ personal history informs their public policy decisions and provides information that you can use to make connections with them. Learn more about where to find biography and background information about your legislators and use our Legislator Directory to identify your federal and state legislators and find basic bio information, key staff names, committee assignments, district office information and social media information.
• Ten Rules for Engagement
  From remembering that All Politics is Local to Remembering Your Manners, get our top ten tips for engaging in effective advocacy.
• How to Make Your Case When Meeting with Elected Officials
  Whether meeting with legislators and their staff in-person or virtually, there are best practices to help ensure your meeting is effective. Here are some tips for making your case with elected officials and their staff.
• AAM Nonprofit Voter Resources Guide
  The Alliance encourages museums to engage in nonpartisan voter engagement activities. Learn more about how nonprofits—including museums and their staff, board, and leadership—can participate in nonpartisan election activity and voter engagement throughout the year. Learn more about staying nonpartisan in your nonprofit voter engagement activities in this recorded webinar from our partners at Nonprofit Vote.
• Year-Round Advocacy for Museums
  You don’t have to be in Washington, D.C., to make a difference. Let your legislators know about all the work your museum does and essential ways museums serve their communities, and several ways you can participate in advocacy for museums every day of the year.
• See AAM’s full suite of online Advocacy Resources for more ways to further your own advocacy skills and learn more about engaging your board in advocacy in our Trustee Resource Center.

Get Involved on Social Media

If you’re looking to share or join the conversation on social media throughout your participation in Museums Advocacy Day 2023 and beyond, check out these resources and tips:

• If you are a Museums Advocacy Day Partner, access this kit.

• If you’re attending Museums Advocacy Day 2023, use these sample social media posts and graphic for your posts, and be sure to use the hashtag #MuseumsAdvocacy2023 in all your posts. Read these tips for advocating on social media.

Tag us in your posts! Twitter: @aamers | Instagram @aamersofficial | Facebook or LinkedIn: American Alliance of Museums