Museums Advocacy Day

Digital Engagement Kit for Partners

Thank you for your support of Museums Advocacy Day 2024! Below is an introduction and resources to help you share information about participating in Museums Advocacy Day with your members and followers, and to encourage them to advocate from anywhere before, during, and after Museums Advocacy Day 2024.

Additional materials will be added to this page as updated information becomes available. Be sure to check back here in January and February, and also ensure you’re opted-in to AAM emails to receive important Museums Advocacy Day updates (you must use the same email address you used for Museums Advocacy Day registration).

Welcome

As you know, it’s up to us to tell our story and make the case for museums. Today’s national policy debates will impact our museums for years to come. Together as a field, we have defeated several threats to eliminate federal agencies supporting museums in recent years, including as recently as November 2023, and have been instrumental in securing more than $3 billion in relief funds—but we must keep making our case to Congress. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums if they don’t hear directly from you—the museums and people they represent. Stakes will be high this coming election year, and we must continue to share our data and stories if we are to secure continued and future support for museums from Congress. We need to thank legislators for their support, share the critical importance of federal support for museums, and continue to build relationships that will be key to avoiding potential future funding cuts.

For the future of our field, which continues to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, it is critical to join forces with fellow museum leaders, supporters, and professionals to make our voices heard with legislators and their staff. Congress faces an enormous list of policy issues to consider, many of which can have a lasting effect on museums. Beyond federal funding, there are tax issues, education policy, and other issues that significantly affect the museum community.

Our advocacy for museums is strongest when we speak together with one voice. We look forward to joining together in Washington, D.C. for Museums Advocacy Day 2024 in February—and to sharing Advocate from Anywhere resources to energize advocates around the country. Since March of 2020, museum advocates have sent more than 65,000 messages to Congress, participated in hundreds of meetings with legislators’ offices, and spurred action resulting in billions of dollars in financial relief that enabled many museums to survive and saved thousands of museum jobs. We are grateful to have you as a partner in our collective movement in 2024. As a partner of Museums Advocacy Day, you can influence the museum field, and the communities museums serve, for years to come.

If you have any questions about participating in Museums Advocacy Day or using the materials below, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at museumsadvocacyday [at] aam-us [dot] org.

In partnership,

Ember Farber        Barry Szczesny
Director, Advocacy        Director, Government Relations & Public Policy

 

Talking Points for the Media

Have an opportunity to talk to the media (local, regional, or national) about the importance of the museum field? Use these quick facts and talking points to communicate the positive impact museums have on the U.S. and the impacts the pandemic has had on them.

Sample Press Releases

If you are a partner attending Museums Advocacy Day 2024, download this document: Word | PDF

If you are a partner financially supporting Museums Advocacy Day 2024, download this document: Word | PDF

Sample Op-Ed for Partners

Download and customize this document: Word | PDF

Note: To complete this op-ed, easily pull specific geographic data from AAM’s Museums as Economic Engines report.

Graphics

Access this page for ready-made graphics you can use for Museums Advocacy Day, or for sharing advocacy materials at any time of year. Graphics are arranged by topic and sized for different platforms to meet your needs.

Advocating on Social Media During Museums Advocacy Day

Access this page for guidelines and tips on the logistics of interacting with your elected officials on social media, getting permission from legislators and their staff to share photos/screenshots, and making sure your social media posts are well-received and effective.

Sample Social Media Copy

Access this page for an extensive list of sample social media posts that can be used by anyone for Museums Advocacy Day 2024! The sample copy helps you share posts about how others can advocate from anywhere or specific tools from AAM that can help.

Additional ideas for partners are below.

Short-form sample posts, appropriate for X or your platform of choice:

  • Now is the time to make the case and speak up for #museums! [Partner name] joins hundreds of advocates across the country Feb. 26-27 for Museums Advocacy Day 2024. #MuseumsAdvocacy2024 bit.ly/AdvAnywhere
  • [Name of partner] is proud to partner with @AAMers on #MuseumsAdvocacy2024. Speak up for museums Feb. 26-27 and be a part of our collective movement. bit.ly/AdvAnywhere

Long-form sample posts, appropriate for Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or your platform of choice:

  • [Name of partner] is proud to partner with the American Alliance of Museums on Museums Advocacy Day 2024. Join our collective movement by speaking up for museums on February 26-27 across the U.S., and share why museums are essential and need our support now more than ever: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere #MuseumsAdvocacy #MuseumsAdvocacy2024
  • Since March 2020, museum advocates have sent more than 65,000 messages to Congress, participated in hundreds of meetings with legislators’ offices, and spurred action resulting in billions of dollars in financial relief that enabled many museums to survive and saved thousands of museum jobs. We must keep making the case for #museums in 2024. [name of partner] is proud to partner with the American Alliance of Museums for Museums Advocacy Day. Join our collective movement and advocate from anywhere you are during #MuseumsAdvocacy2024: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere

Sample Email, Newsletter, or Website Copy

Short-format copy samples:

  • It’s up to museums to tell our story.
    The nation’s museum community continues to grapple with recovery from the dire impacts of the pandemic. While there have been some signs of recovery for museums, the crisis is not over for museums or museum professionals. Addressing this situation requires decisive action from the U.S. Congress beyond previous economic relief legislation. Even as museums experienced closures and significant losses in revenue, they met an increase in demand for their services and safeguarding and supporting their communities. We’ll be in Washington, DC, on February 26-27 to ensure Congress knows that museums are essential community infrastructure that have critical economic and educational impact. Join the movement, and learn how to advocate from anywhere! #MuseumsAdvocacy2024
  • Have your legislators heard about your museum lately?
    Museums Advocacy Day is inspiring, energizing, and impactful. [Name of Partner] is proud to be a partner of Museums Advocacy Day 2024 in Washington, D.C. on February 26-27. Unite with museum colleagues from across the country as one voice to reaffirm our value, collective contributions, and aspirations. Join the movement, and learn how to advocate from anywhere! #MuseumsAdvocacy2024
  • We must make the case for museums.
    Today’s national policy debates will impact our museums for years to come. Together as a field, we’ve defeated several threats to eliminate federal agencies supporting museums, but we must keep making our case to Congress. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums, or the essential ways museums serve their communities if they don’t hear directly from you—the museums and people they represent. [Name of Partner] is proud to be a partner of Museums Advocacy Day 2024 in Washington, D.C. on February 26-27. Join the movement, and learn how to advocate from anywhere! #MuseumsAdvocacy2024
  • Will your voice be heard?
    Museum advocacy efforts since March 2020 have generated over 65,000 messages sent to Congress, helping secure billions of dollars in federal relief funding in response for museums. But the crisis isn’t over for museums or for museum workers across the country. This year, it’s more important than ever that all museums and museum advocates share their stories with their members of Congress. You can advocate for museums in your community, and across the nation, from wherever you are. Learn how to advocate from anywhere. #MuseumsAdvocacy2024

Long-format copy samples:

We must make the case for museums in 2024
Museums Advocacy Day is inspiring, energizing, and impactful. As the museum field continues to recover from the dire impacts of the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that museums and museums advocates share your story with your elected officials during Museums Advocacy Day 2024. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums, and the people who work for and with them, unless they hear directly from you–the museums and people they represent. In recent years our collective advocacy has been instrumental in securing museums’ eligibility and $1.3 billion in Shuttered Venue Operator Grants, and $1.5 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and IMLS, NEH, and NEA relief funds, and in defeating proposed amendments to defund NEA and NEH. Building on our past success and taking place early in the year, Museums Advocacy Day is an invaluable opportunity to engage our legislators sharing the unique value of museums as essential community infrastructure – a cornerstone of our communities and backbone of the nation’s education system.

Museums are essential and worthy of federal support, and our case is strongest when we speak together with one voice. As noted in a recent presidential proclamation, “museums are essential to the well-being, health, vitality, and democracy of our nation, reflecting our multicultural and democratic experience. Museums inspire us; provide livelihoods; sustain, anchor, and bring cohesion within diverse communities across our nation; stimulate creativity and innovation; help us understand and communicate our values as a people; and enable us to imagine our future.” Museums Advocacy Day is a unique opportunity to network with peers from your region, hear from federal agency and nonprofit leaders, build your own professional and leadership skills, and advocate for museums directly to Congress.

Join us in Washington, D.C. on February 26-27 to ensure Congress knows that museums are pivotal to our nation and our communities.
[Partner name] is a proud partner of Museums Advocacy Day 2024. As a member of [partner name], you receive the AAM member registration rate. Join us in Washington, D.C., February 26-27 for Museums Advocacy Day 2024 and be a part of our collective movement. See Museums Advocacy Day success stories and join the conversation on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2024.

Let’s amplify our voices during Museums Advocacy Day 2024
Museums Advocacy Day is inspiring, energizing, and impactful. Unite with museum colleagues from across the country as one voice to reaffirm our value, collective contributions, and aspirations. Did you know that constituent visits and interactions have a greater influence on legislators than any other group or strategy? As a constituent, you are in the best position to make an impactful case with your elected officials. This is your chance to tell your story about the work you do for and with museums and why museums are essential in our communities and worthy of federal support. Your constituency is your advocacy super-power.

Museums Advocacy Day is a unique opportunity to network with peers from your region, hear from federal agency and nonprofit leaders, and build your own professional skills. Get timely, insider updates from policy leaders and the tools and information you need to be a successful advocate for museums from wherever you are. Whether you are a new or seasoned advocate, get the information and insights you need to effectively speak up for museums with Congressional offices, and with your state and local elected officials. The resources and insights you’ll gain as a participant will help sustain your museum’s future and the future of the field. If you choose to participate in Congressional meetings, you then get to put all your new skills to use on February 27 with your legislators’ offices!

[Name of Partner] is proud to be a partner of Museums Advocacy Day 2024 in Washington, D.C. on February 26-27. See Museums Advocacy Day success stories and join the conversation on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2024. Join the movement, and learn how to advocate from anywhere!

Web Links to Use

Use the below as a guide for not only resources that can be shared, but also short links to help with sharing on social media. Note that short bit.ly links are case-sensitive, and you must use them exactly as they appear below in social media posts and elsewhere.

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