It is very important to 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 Steven Panagiotakos, Chair – Senate Ways and Means Committee
  Senator James Marzilli, Chair – Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development Committee
  House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi
  Representative Robert A. DeLeo, Chair – House Ways and Means Committee
  Representative Eric Turkington, Chair – Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development Committee

  Address your letters to:
        (Name of Legislator)
        State House
        Boston, MA 02133

• Or send a letter electronically through MAASH's site

LETTER WRITING SUGGESTIONS:

• Keep your letter to one 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 to a Legislator

The Honorable Salvatore DiMasi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Massachusetts State House
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Speaker DiMasi:

I am pleased to report that we have received a grant of $7,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Thank you for your continued support of the agency and for this year’s increased appropriation.

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

How To Get Legislators Involved:

• Meet with your legislators in the district to talk to them personally about the importance of funding cultural activities.
• Give to 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.
• Add legislators to your mailing lists for events, media announcements and newsletters.
• Follow-up with any offers you make to meet, send invitations, provide further information, etc. Legislators should be treated like corporate supporters.
• For more information on meeting with elected officials to advocate for increased cultural funding, visit the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities (MAASH) web site or contact MAASH Executive Director Dan Hunter at 617-725-0155 or dhunter@maash.org.