Virtual Representation

If you couldn't make it to DC for Museums Advocacy Day 2011 (like me), here are some things you can do from home, via AAM's President Ford Bell:

1. On Tuesday March 1, share the same key messages with your legislators that advocates are taking to Capitol Hill. Use the Contact Congress feature of Speak Up for Museums on Tuesday or throughout the week to send letters to your legislators in support of funding for the Office of Museum Services at IMLS, the role of museums in comprehensive education reform and the fact that museums are economic engines.
2. Museums Advocacy Day participants are also sharing with legislators an Economic Impact Statement for their museum.  Prepare and share yours today! 
3. Ask your legislators to sign-on to support “Dear Colleague” letters being circulated in the House and Senate by Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in support of the Office of Museum Services.
4. Encourage your trustees and visitors to your museum to weigh-in with legislators.
5. Use the web and social media to further our collective advocacy efforts. Add a link to Speak Up for Museums to your museum’s website, connect to AAM on Facebook, or post an entry about issues affecting museums and the legislators that represent your museum on your museum’s blog.