Museums Advocacy Day

Digital Engagement Kit for Advocates

Thank you for being a museum advocate! Below is an introduction and tools for you to get started spreading the word about Museums Advocacy Day 2025.

The graphics and sample copy in the kit below are intended to be a guide to help you engage with your networks, followers, colleagues, and peers about Museums Advocacy Day, and to encourage them to join you by advocating from anywhere before, during, and after Museums Advocacy Day. Every communication you share about advocating for museums amplifies our collective impact and adds to our museums advocacy movement, and we appreciate your participation.

For future updates: 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

Today’s national policy debates will impact our museums for years to come. Together, we’ve defeated several threats to eliminate federal agencies supporting museums and helped secure billions of dollars in federal relief funding for museums. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums if they don’t hear directly from you—the museums and people they represent.

Congress faces an enormous list of policy issues to consider, many of which can have a lasting effect on museums. Beyond federal funding for museums, there are also tax issues, education policy, and other issues that significantly impact our museum community. Museums Advocacy Day 2025 is your opportunity to keep up this momentum and impact our entire field, and the communities we serve, for years to come.

Our advocacy for museums is stronger when we speak together with one voice, and we are grateful to have you as a fellow advocate! 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.

Yours in advocacy,

Brandy Dillingham
Director, Advocacy

Barry Szczesny
Director, Government Relations & Public Policy

Visit the main Museums Advocacy Day 2025 page for more information.

Talking Points

Have an opportunity to talk to others about the importance of the museum field? Use the below resources to communicate the positive impact museums have on the U.S. and the impacts the pandemic has had on them.

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

Below is a list of sample social media posts that can be used by anyone for Museums Advocacy Day 2025! 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 advocates are below.

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

  • I’m advocating for #museums on February 24-25 in Washington, D.C. for #MuseumsAdvocacy2025. You can join our collective movement by advocating from anywhere you are: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere
  • Museums are economic engines, critical to our communities, and important to Americans. As a resident of [locale], I am urging you, [tag your legislators], to support the museums you represent! #MuseumsAdvocacy2025
  • Museums are important to me and [locale], because [insert why museums are important to you and your community]. I am urging you, [tag your legislators], to support our local museums! #MuseumsAdvocacy2025
  • We are all museum advocates, and it’s up to us to make the case to Congress about the unique value of #museums. Will you speak up in 2025? Visit: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere
  • Join me, [@AAMers on Twitter or tag for the platform you’re using], our partners, and hundreds of advocates across the country to speak up and urge Congress to support museums for #MuseumsAdvocacy2025. We’re meeting with legislators on February 25, but you can advocate from anywhere you are: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere

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

  • Museums are important to me and my community in [locale], because [insert why museums are important to you and your community]. As an advocate during #MuseumsAdvocacy2025, I am joining others across the country in urging you, [tag your legislators], to support our local museums! [If appropriate, thank them here if you are posting after a visit.]
  • [tag your legislators] – Museums are economic engines, critical to our communities, important to all Americans, and even provide powerful healthcare programs. As a resident of [locale], I am urging you to support the museums you represent. They are vital to the health and wellbeing of our community. #MuseumsAdvocacy2025
  • I’m advocating for #museums this #MuseumsAdvocacy2025. This year, I’m sharing that museums are critically important to my community because [explain]. You can join our collective movement by advocating from anywhere you are! Visit this page for the tools to get started: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere

Sample email and listserv messages

Short (for example, in a newsletter) and long-form email and listserv message samples are below. You can always customize these for your audience and readers to be most relevant to them and the issues they face while staying true to the collective purpose of Museums Advocacy Day.

Encourage your readers to participate virtually from anywhere they are (do not use after January 17, 2025, when registration closes):

  • We must make the case for museums.
    The nation’s museum community continues to recover from the impacts of the pandemic. While the field’s recovery is trending upwards, it remains uneven, and there are continuing challenges in recruitment and shifts in philanthropy. In the face of these and other challenges, it continues to be critical to advocate for funding and policies that support the museum sector. Our collective efforts will be required to help our sector thrive for years to come. Join our collective movement by speaking up for museums February 24-25 from anywhere you are, and share or follow along on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy and #MuseumsAdvocacy2025. Learn more how you can get involved: bit.ly/AdvAnywhere

After the registration deadline has passed on January 17, 2025, as Museums Advocacy Day 2025 is approaching, please encourage those who may not be able to attend this year to advocate from anywhere they are:

  • Have your legislators heard from you lately?
    Congress faces an enormous list of policy issues to consider, many of which can have a lasting impact on museums. Beyond federal funding, there’s tax reform, education policy, and other issues that significantly affect the museum community. Join us by standing up for museums during Museums Advocacy Day 2025! Learn how to advocate from anywhere and get engaged on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2025.
  • It’s up to us to make the case for museums.
    Today’s national policy debates will impact our museums for years to come. As constituents, you are in the best position to create lasting change. Constituent visits have a greater influence on legislators than any other group or strategy. It’s up to you to make the case for museums to Congress and tell your story of why museums are important to you and your community! Stand up for museums by advocating from anywhere, and get engaged on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2025.
  • Will your voice be heard?
    Museum advocacy efforts since March 2020 have generated over 77,000 messages to Congress, participated in hundreds of meetings with legislators’ offices, defeated efforts to defund the NEA and NEH and spurred action resulting in billions of dollars in financial relief that enabled many museums to survive and saved thousands of museum jobs. Stakes will be high this year as a new Congress beings and the Administration changes over, and all museums and museum advocates must continue to share their data and 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, and get engaged on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2025.

Long-form copy samples:

  • We must make the case for museums in 2025
    Museums Advocacy Day is inspiring, energizing, and impactful. You can advocate for museums in your community, and across the nation, from wherever you are. 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 2025. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums, and the people who work for and with them, unless they hear directly from us–the museums and people they represent. In recent years our collective advocacy has been instrumental in securing billions of dollars in financial relief and in defeating efforts to defund the 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. Be a part of our collective movement by advocating from anywhere you are using these tools. Check out these Museums Advocacy Day success stories and join the conversation on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2025.
  • Join us by standing up for museums during Museums Advocacy Day 2025
    Museums have a continued fight ahead of us. Today’s national policy debates will impact our museums for years to come. Congress faces an enormous list of policy issues to consider, many of which can have a lasting impact on museums. Beyond federal funding, there’s tax reform, education policy, and other issues that significantly affect museums’ ability to serve our communities. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums if they don’t hear directly from you—the people they represent. As constituents, you are in the best position to create lasting change. Constituent visits have a greater influence on legislators than any other group or strategy. It’s up to you to make the case for museums to Congress and tell your story of why museums are important to you and your community!

    Museums Advocacy Day is a unique opportunity to network with peers from your region, hear from nonprofit leaders, and build your own professional skills. Get timely, insider information 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, you will get all the preparation you need to effectively make the case for museums in 2025 federally, and with your state and local elected officials. If you choose to participate in Congressional meetings, you then get to put all your new skills to use on February 25 with your legislators!

    Museums Advocacy Day is an inspiring, energetic, and impactful event taking place on February 24-25. Be a part of our collective movement by advocating from anywhere you are using these tools and by joining the conversation on social media using #MuseumsAdvocacy2025.

Web Links to Use

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