FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2016

ARLINGTON, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and BoardSource today announced a new resource for museum leaders based on the popular “Stand for Your Mission” campaign for nonprofit trustee engagement. This new resource—Stand for Your Mission: A Discussion Guide for Museum Trustees—will help museums to harness the power of board members to influence key decisions made by public officials at all levels of government. The document calls on all museum directors and trustees to begin a dialogue at their next board meeting, using the discussion guide as a starting point.

“Each of us has been called to serve because we believe deeply in the power of museums,” said Laura L. Lott, Alliance president and CEO, and Anne Wallestad, BoardSource president and CEO, in a joint letter introducing the new resource. “To our core, we know the intrinsic value of museums. All too often, however, our missions are compromised by limited resources or, worse, misguided notions about museums being amenities—‘nice but not necessary’—and therefore unworthy of public support.”

This new resource is the latest product of the partnership between AAM and BoardSource. In February 2016, AAM welcomed BoardSource President & CEO Anne Wallestad as a special guest speaker during Museums Advocacy Day.

“Decisions are made every day that affect our missions,” said Wallestad. “Board members are the citizen leaders from whom decision-makers need to hear.”

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‘Starting a Conversation in Your Boardroom’ is one of the key tools in the new discussion guide, along with a set of concrete actions for museum leaders to take. The discussion guide also features a case study of the AAM-accredited Massillon Museum in Massillon, Ohio, which has enjoyed many successes thanks to the engagement of its board of directors at the local, state, and national levels.

Download a free copy of “Stand for Your Museum Mission: A Discussion Guide for Museum Trustees” on the Alliance website.

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 30,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance is the only organization representing the entire scope of the broad museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

About BoardSource

BoardSource is a national organization working to strengthen nonprofit board leadership. We engage with and support a community of more than 115,000 individuals committed to creating positive change in their communities through effective board service. For more information, visit www.boardsource.org.

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AAM Press Contact:

Joseph Klem
Phone: 202-218-7670
Email: jklem@aam-us.org

BoardSource Press Contact:

Anne Atwood Mead
Phone: 202-349-2577
Email: MediaRelations@boardsource.org