On Monday, December 10, Director of Development & Communications Angela Speakman presented best practice information about advocacy efforts for humanities and arts organizations for members of the New Jersey Association of Museums. The workshop, held at Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton, provided an opportunity for museum professionals to explore how planning and prioritizing are key components in successful advocacy efforts. A few of the suggestions offered by Speakman were:

• Engaging visuals pair well with text.
• “Different” (situationally-appropriate!) can work to your advantage.
• Including the topic of advocacy in your org’s work content conveys it is a priority.
• Membership, exclusive groups/circles/societies, legacy programs, etc. can all advance advocacy efforts.
• Advocacy varies widely – to inform, to persuade, to act or a combination of all three. Know what you want to accomplish.
• If there’s a reasonable ask – and you’ll know what’s reasonable if you’ve done your homework – clearly ask for it.

Interested in viewing all the materials, including a helpful resource page, that were presented? A PDF is available on our Resources page. Questions? Comments? Feedback? Contact us. We ALWAYS welcome the opportunity to talk about advocacy for cultural institutions in New Jersey.