|
Credit & Publicity Kit - Contact
State Officials
Please take a few minutes to thank those elected officials responsible for appropriating funds to the MCC. Whom to write to:
- Contact the State House Representative and Senator for your legislative district. Find your legislators.
- Contact the leadership at the State House:
Governor Deval Patrick
Senate President Therese Murray
Senator Stephen Brewer, Chair –
Senate Ways and Means Committee
Senator
Eileen Donoghue, Senate Chair – Tourism, Arts, and
Cultural Development Committee
House Speaker Robert DeLeo
Representative
Brian Dempsey, Chair, House Committee on Ways & Means
Representative
Sarah Peake, House Chair, Joint Committee on Tourism,
Arts, & Cultural Development
Address your letters to:
(Name of Legislator)
State House
Boston, MA 02133
LETTER WRITING SUGGESTIONS:
- Keep your letters/emails to about one printed page.
- Get your organization's board chair to sign the letter.
- Thank officials for this year’s MCC appropriation and for your grant.
- Tell compelling stories about how your work affects the
community.
- Describe whom the program/project will serve, emphasize its public benefits (e.g., promoting education, access for underserved communities, economic impact).
- List private dollars your organization has raised to match the state grant and describe how the state grant helps leverage these dollars.
Sample letter/email to a Legislator
The Honorable Robert DeLeo
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Massachusetts State House
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Speaker DeLeo:
I am pleased to report that we have received a grant of $3,000 from the
Massachusetts Cultural Council. Thank you for your continued support of
the agency.
MCC support is an essential component of our organizational
infrastructure. It is an investment in our institution as
well as in the community we serve. Here at the Young People's
Center for the Arts, young people gain technical skills in
the arts, and develop self-confidence and poise that will
help them succeed in many life experiences along the way.
I hope we can welcome you at the Young Peoples Center for
the Arts soon, so we can show you firsthand how your support
affects our community. I will contact you within the next
few weeks to schedule a time when you might come see our center
at work. In addition, we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary
on April 1. I invite you to save the date and come help us
celebrate this achievement. We would be most honored if you
would say a few words at our gala event.
Thank you again for this investment in the MCC and in our
organization. We will be in touch with news about our organization
and to make arrangements for our spring celebration.
Sincerely,
Jane Monet
Executive Director
Get Legislators Involved:
It may be helpful to think about our state legislators as another stakeholder in your institution—like a member or a corporate donor. Here are some ways to connect your work with their public policy agenda:
- Meet with your legislators in the district to talk to them personally about the importance of funding cultural activities.
- Give your legislators posters from your organization or arrange to set up revolving exhibits in their offices.
- Invite legislators to performances, openings, classes and publicly recognize them at the events, giving them an opportunity to speak. (CIP Partners: Don't forget to include them in your MCC site visit.)
- Add legislators to your mailing lists for events, media announcements and newsletters.
- Include legislators in your social media work. 'Like' your legislators in FaceBook. 'Follow' them in Twitter. Then, be sure to acknowledge their support/attendance via a post on your wall/feed and/or their wall/feed.
- Follow-up with any offers you make to meet, send invitations, provide further information, etc. Legislators should be treated like corporate supporters.
More
on meeting with elected officials to advocate for the cultural
sector.
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
| © Massachusetts Cultural Council 2012 |
| |
|
|
