Simple Steps to Make Arts Advocacy A Daily Part of Your Work
23 Jun 2009
When you have an issue, or just want to connect to elected officials:
- Get your “grassroots” to write letters and emails to the official’s office. Anywhere from five to ten letters or emails from your membership, board members, artists, or supporters about one topic, concern, or theme will get their attention quickly. These letters and emails are taken very seriously.
- Cultivate your “grasstops,” those connected people who influence elected officials, such as:
- personal friends of the official
- community leaders
- members of organizational boards of directors
- business leaders who can make a case on behalf of the issue
- request they write letters or emails to the representatives when needed
- Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, and write op-ed pieces for publication that relate to the issue at hand.
- Get involved with your state’s arts advocates group, and build relationships with members of the Congressional Arts Caucus. Visit The Americans for the Arts Action Fund for lists and resources: www.artsactionfund.org.
- Who are the staffers in your Congressional district’s local office? Get to know them. Make your organization a resource for the district office. Visit the district office in Washington if you go there.
- Invite your district or state elected officials, or their staffers, to visit your organization. Invite them to your events or conferences to speak.
- When meeting with staffers in the district office:
- Have collected and memorized facts and statistics relevant to making your case. For example: “This arts-related workforce development program will create 500 new jobs in the Bay Area…”
- Tell stories that are relevant to the district: about artists, audiences, your organization and its impact, educational-related changes, and more.
- Have a clear solution, next step, or funding request ready to conclude the meeting.
- Follow up the meeting and request with a phone call and email so you can talk about the next steps you wish to take.
