Now in its sixth year, “Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum” Week 2017 is set for August 12-19. The stakes for museums and the federal programs that support them have never been higher, and there’s no more powerful way to help elected officials and their staff understand what museums do than by inviting them in to see for themselves.

“Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum” is a fun and important opportunity to make the case directly to elected officials about how federal funding, charitable giving and education policy affect museums, and the role museums play in their local economies and education systems. Each year we hear how much federal, state and local elected officials and staff love visiting their local museums. Several museums are already making their August 2017 visit plans.

Our detailed step-by-step guide will help you schedule and plan your visits, and here are a few easy steps to get started on today:

1. Find out who represents you in Congress.
2. Send an invitation letter.
3. Follow up with the local office until a meeting can be scheduled for the week of August 6, (or offer alternate dates if needed).
4. Let us know when you have a meeting set up and we will help publicize the visit.
5. Plan the visit! See the Alliance “How To” guide—including what to do before, during and after the visit.

Questions about participating? E-mail us!

Use #InviteCongress on Facebook and Twitter to post about your invitations and visits, and see more about past visits.

P.S. Trustees are an important part of your efforts to advocate for your museum. Learn more about how to engage your trustees in advocacy in Stand for Your Mission, a discussion guide for museum leaders and trustees and see our new report, Museum Board Leadership 2017, conducted in partnership with BoardSource and Northern Trust.