Connecting with Caretakers [add this/to do]

Start by exploring who is active in sustainability within your community—look for forums, events, committees, publications, or local government initiatives. Create an inventory to identify natural allies and audience overlaps. Then, take the first step: initiate conversations, build relationships, and explore shared goals. It’s a familiar process—just begin!

Advocacy encompasses a broad range of actions, from subtle expressions of values to direct communication about key issues. Museums can integrate climate advocacy into their work by first understanding their point of view, aligning leadership, and ensuring actions and communication reflect their mission and community role.

Understanding Advocacy in Museums:
Advocacy is more than political action; it includes any effort to support, defend, or recommend a cause. Museums already advocate for values like the importance of play through their approach to learning, the visitor experience, and institutional messaging. Climate advocacy can be approached similarly by clearly defining and expressing a point of view.

Action as the Foundation of Advocacy:
Advocacy begins with actions, not just words. Museums must align their operations, programs, and policies with their values, demonstrating their commitment before communicating it. Clear messaging about these actions is essential to amplify their advocacy.

Community and Leadership Alignment:
Effective advocacy requires understanding the museum’s role in its community and how it is perceived. Leadership alignment, particularly at the board level, is critical to ensure that advocacy actions are welcomed and consistent with the institution’s mission. Reviewing and refining mission statements can help guide this process.