MONTH

IMPORTANT EVENT

WHAT YOU CAN DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL

September 2007

MEET WITH/GET TO KNOW YOUR LEGISLATORS while they are home in the district

The 2007-2009 budget process should be over soon (!), but the 2008 campaign season and the 2009-2011 budget process are just beginning, and advocacy for the arts is more important than ever!

• Hold a coffee party for your own legislator in your own house to discuss the arts; OR
• Help Arts Wisconsin put together a coffee party in a targeted district in your area (contact Anne Katz at Arts Wisconsin for more details)
• Put Arts Day 2008 on your calendar -- Wedneday, March 5, 2008, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center and the State Capitol.

October
2007

CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS!

• Invite Gov. Doyle or Lt. Governor Lawton to attend a performance, exhibit or activity in your community
• Hold a coffee party for your own legislator in your own house to discuss the arts.
• Join Arts Wisconsin!

November 2007

CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS!

• Volunteer at Arts Wisconsin; help with creative ideas on how to get more arts advocates involved. Contact us for more information about volunteering and getting involved.
• Write to your legislators & Governor and ask them to support the arts and quality of life in Wisconsin.
• Invite candidates/legislators to coffee parties-a great way to get to know them!

December 2007

CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS!

• Get to know legislators while they are home in the district.
• Make sure you are signed up on Arts Wisconsin's Legislative Action Center for Action Alerts
• Create your own Arts Alert forward list and make sure you forward all Arts Wisconsin Arts Alerts to your friends
• Have your own legislator's names and contact information at your fingertips so you are ready to take action (find your legislators)
• Help your friends become aware of and build relationships their legislators, too.

The 2009-2011 budget process is ongoing, the 2008 election season is starting, and advocacy for the arts is more important than ever!

• Get to know legislators while they are home in the district.
• Pay attention to the elections for your district's legislators and Congressperson; start getting involved in campaigns for your candidate
• Invite Gov. Doyle or Lt. Governor Lawton to attend a performance, exhibit or activity in your community

February 2008

• 2/19/08: Wisconsin's Presidential Preference Primary & Spring Primary for Judicial Offices
• Recruit as many colleagues, friends and family members as you can to attend Arts Day on Wednesday, March 5.
• If you know you can’t make it to Madison for Arts Day, talk to Arts Wisconsin about holding an Arts Day event in your community.
• Help Arts Wisconsin generate calls and letters to the legislature & Governor in support of the arts
• Invite your legislators to coffee parties, performances, exhibits, arts education programs, and local events
• Pay attention to Arts Wisconsin’s FYI Action Alerts and respond!
• Join Arts Wisconsin - help us do our work on your behalf!

March 2008

Legislature in session /
ARTS DAY:
Wednesday, March 7, 2008
at Monona Terrace Convention and Community Center and the State Capitol

• Attend Arts Day on Wednesday, March 5!
• Invite your colleagues, friends and family to attend Arts Day.
• If you can’t make it to Madison for Arts Day, hold a local Arts Day even and/or write to your legislator(s) asking for their support of the arts.
• After Arts Day, write to your legislators to thank them for meeting with you; OR, write to your legislators to say "Sorry I couldn't meet with you on Arts Day, but I would like to meet with you in the near future to discuss the arts in your district."

• 4/1/08: Spring Election for Judicial Offices

September 2008

2009-2011 STATE AGENCY BUDGETS
SUBMITTED TO GOVERNOR

State agencies submit their budget requests to the Governor and the Department of Administration (DOA).

• 9/9/08: Partisan Primary
• Meet with agency reps to discuss issues to be included and problems that might be solved by the state’s budget. Once the agency proposals have been submitted, you can also contact the Governor to let him know of your early support or opposition to items in the agency budgets.
* Continue to check Arts Wisconsin's website for helpful summaries of agency budget requests.

October-December 2008

• 11/4/08: General Election
• You can influence what’s ultimately included in the Governor’s budget. Contact the Governor’s office to urge him to support the programs/initiatives you’re most concerned about in his budget proposal. (Look for talking points from Arts Wisconsin soon!)
• Organize a meeting with several other advocates or arts representatives with the Governor’s office to ensure that they’re aware of your issues as they craft their budget.

Late January-early February 2009

• Write letters to the editor, contact your legislators, and contact the Governor’s office to comment on pieces of the proposed budget that you hope will be supported or that you hope will be changed/removed. If there are items in the Governor’s budget that you really support or really oppose, think about a more coordinated effort at this point to call attention to those items.