5 Ways to Engage Your Legislators

The American Association of Museums offered the following helpful suggestion about ways to engage members of Congress:

1. Invite legislators and district staff to visit your museum. Legislators and their local staff are always looking for new ways to engage the communities they represent. And visiting a local museum is a great way to do that. It can be especially powerful to invite legislators and staff to an educational program at the museum, or for a behind-the-scenes tour of your collections or facilities. Click here to send a letter to your legislators inviting them to visit your museum - and don't forget to call the office to follow up on your request!

2. Ask for a meeting with the Member of Congress and the local staff. Getting to know your local Congressional staff members is an important step in year-round advocacy. "Field Staff are focused on how federal policy initiatives impact constituents and which issues they want the Representative to address. When I meet with constituents, I report back to my whole senior staff about what was discussed and what we could do to help," says Karen Gurmankin, who serves as a Field Representative for Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA). Click here to find detailed contact information for your legislators - including contact information for district offices throughout your state and con! gressional district!

3. Go where your legislators will be. It's likely that your legislators have several public events planned for the in-district work period. Check their website or call their office to find out more: Will the Representative be hosting a town-hall meeting? Will they be holding Open Office Hours in your neighborhood? Use our legislator search page to get all the information you need to make the call today!

4. Weigh-in on current issues. Even if you can't meet with your legislators in person next week, letting them know how federal legislative issues impact your museum can make a huge difference in their position on these issues. There are now eight different draft letters available in the Contact Congress section of AAM's advocacy website that you can use to communicate directly to your representatives in Congress - and it just takes a few clicks!

5. Develop your "elevator speech." Just like you would have this ready to go for a potential donor, it's important to be prepared to tell your elected officials about your museum - in just a minute or two. If you run into your Member of Congress at the grocery store or the post office and have just a minute of their time, what do you want them to most know about your museum? You can focus on how you are providing community service, how you are using federal grant dollars or a program that they can witness first-hand, or you can simply thank them for their past support on an issue you care about. It's always nice to be appreciated!