Please visit, call, e-mail, fax or write your State Assembly Delegates and Senators, as well as the Governor and other administration officials, to let them know how valuable the Council's programs are to you and your community, and to invite them to attend your events. The following links provide contact information as well as tips for effective communications with your representatives. If you need additional information to make your contacts, or if you would like to report on a contact that you made, please email nych@nyhumanities.org or call 212-233-1131 x30.

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Sample Letter and Invitation > This model text can be used when notifying your Legislator of Council support of your program, or when inviting your Legislator to attend your public event.

It is important to advocate for the humanities with every member of the State Assembly. Although a legislator may not currently be on one of the "money committees," he or she may become a leader in the legislature in the future. Legislators want to hear from people in their own districts, not people from other parts of the state. Concentrate on your own legislators and your personal or professional friends.

If there is an appropriate occasion, such as a reception, ask the legislator to speak. Elected officials welcome the opportunity to speak to groups of people on any occasion. Provide the legislator with information about your issues for inclusion in the speech. Arrange for media coverage.

Thank your legislators as often as possible. Write thank-you notes after meeting with them. A thank-you letter gives you another opportunity to affirm the value of state funding for the humanities to your organization and your community.

When meeting with legislators or their staff, be brief and to the point. Bring materials about your organization to leave as a reminder of your visit. Write a thank-you letter for the meeting and state your points again.

Write the Governor, the Lt. Governor, and the Secretary of Education about your support for state funding of the humanities.

Letters to elected officials should be addressed to "The Honorable (full name), New York State Assembly or Senate, or Office of the Governor." The correct salutation is Dear Assemblyman / Assemblywoman (last name), Dear Senator (last name), or Dear Governor (last name).