SMA Day Toolkit
September is the month when we celebrate state museum associations. COSMA Communications Committee has devised a Tool Kit to make it easy for your SMA to participate. Join your COSMA colleagues in spotlighting the good work that you do and the special people who make it happen.
#COSMAConnects and #SupportYourSMA
Welcome to the SMA Day toolkit. We are so glad you will be participating in SMA Day. COSMA, the Coalition of State Museum Associations, is presenting SMA Day on September 30, 2021, with weekly social media activity planned throughout the entire month of September leading up to the big day. The goal of SMA Day is to demonstrate the presence and importance of the 46 state museum associations and to introduce and elevate COSMA to the broader museum and association industry. More information about COSMA can be found at the end of this toolkit, or by visiting the COSMA website, statemuseumassociations.org.
How Your State Museum Association Can Participate COSMA has developed four simple ways your state museum association can participate, which you can find below. We recommend you share this information with your staff (paid and/or volunteer) and your board of directors. Everything is designed with ease of use in mind. COSMA knows you are busy, and therefore provides the following that your state museum association can easily insert into your social media channels to be a part of SMA Day. All the following graphics can be downloaded directly from the COSMA website at statemuseumassociations.org.
Throughout the entire month of September, please use the following hashtags with your relevant social media posts: #COSMAConnects and #SupportYourSMA
Should you have any questions or need assistance with any component, please do not hesitate to contact COSMA at 682-219-9599 or [email protected]
Thank you for your participation, it is going to be rewarding and fun.
Four Ways to Participate
1. Facebook Awareness Campaign Leading Up to SMA Day
Each Wednesday in September, use your state museum association Facebook page (and other social media) to begin generating buzz on the importance of your state museum association. Each week is an opportunity to promote one aspect of what you do. Remember to use the following hashtags with your posts, #COSMAConnects and #SupportYourSMA.
Post September 1 – Download graphic here
Post September 8 – Download graphic here
Post September 15 – Download graphic here
2. Take the Survey to share information about ADVOCACY in your state
Take advantage of SMA month to share your state’s advocacy information with COSMA. Presently the COSMA Advocacy Committee is considering ways to support the advocacy efforts of SMAs across the country. To be effective, COSMA needs to understand more about how SMAs approach advocacy in different states. What works for your SMA – and what doesn’t? Is there a need for training or other assistance? Please help COSMA plan by responding to this short survey.
3. Prepare to Participate in the SMA Day Zoom Event by inviting your members and board members to fill in a frame then take a photo with it
Each state museum association should encourage their members and board members to download the SMA Day frame, print it, and complete the following sentence in the frame: “My state museum association is valuable because…” Please ask them to write the name of your state in the frame too.
Then, have your members and board members take a photo with their completed frame and post it on September 30 in celebration of SMA Day. Ask them to use the hashtags #COSMAConnects and #SupportYourSMA in their posts
Suggestions
Pre-fill some sample frames with phrases like:
- They offer great training to our museum staff and volunteers.
- They advocate for all [your state] museums
- They keep us informed with current museum issues and trends.
- They provide expertise on a variety of museum topics.
Be sure you recruit a few of your members and board members that will participate by making a direct request of them and sharing the links below to download the frame.
4. SMA Day Zoom Event on September 30, 2021 including prizes! Event is scheduled at 12:00pm AKST/ 1:00pm PST/ 2:00pm MST/ 3:00pm CST/ 4:00pm EST.
The day has finally arrived!
- On September 30, post the following message and graphic to your state museum association Facebook
Today, the [your state museum association] joins with state museum associations across the nation to celebrate the importance of what we do for our museum communities. Please celebrate with us and the Coalition of State Museum Associations! #COSMAConnects #SupportYourSMA
- Join your state museum association colleagues and COSMA for a Zoom Event at 12:00pm AKST/ 1:00pm PST/ 2:00pm MST/ 3:00pm CST/ 4:00pm EST.
It will be a time to network, celebrate SMAs, and win some prizes. The Zoom link is here:
- Encourage your members and board members to post their image with the SMA Day frames. They can post in two ways:
Option 1 - preferred
They can post their photo in the comments to your SMA Day Facebook post.
Option 2
They can post the image to their own Facebook page with #COSMAConnects and #SupportYourSMA and tag your state museum association. Be sure your post settings are public.
Question:
What if my state museum association is unable to make a post on September 30?
With a little planning you can still participate by scheduling your post in advance.
To schedule a post, follow these steps:
From your News Feed, click Pages in the left menu. Go to your Page. Click Publishing Tools in the left column. Click Create Post in the top. Create your post. Click and select Schedule Post. Select the date and time when you want the post to publish and click Schedule, then click Schedule Post.
Get to know COSMA
Who is COSMA? The Coalition of State Museum Associations, or COSMA, incorporated in 2017 and established its nonprofit status in 2018. By this measure, COSMA is new as a formal entity, the only national organization committed to serving state museum associations (SMAs). But the idea is not new, not at all. Leaders of SMAs have been working together, informally, for decades to bolster the national network of SMAs. The goals of this group over the years have remained much the same—to increase the capacity, communication, professionalism, and stability of SMAs so that they may more effectively serve the museums and museum professionals that make up their membership. Read more of their history here.
Who is COSMA’s leadership? Ruth Ann Rugg is the Managing Director of COSMA, the Coalition of State Museum Associations. She has served in this capacity since September 2017. Prior to the establishment of COSMA, she served on the Museums United Phase 2 Steering Committee as a Key Partner, representing Texas Association of Museums. An established professional with over four decades of leadership experience, she is well versed in the challenges facing state museum associations today. Rugg is an advocate for collaboration and productive partnerships within the cultural heritage community. Her primary focus is on sustainability and relevance. The COSMA Board of Directors list can be found here.
How can my state museum association be a member of COSMA? Good news, membership in COSMA is open to ALL state museum associations. Your membership provides one full year of COSMA benefits and dues are based on a sliding scale. There is even a pay what you can option. COSMA benefits state museum associations (SMAs) by:
- Building the capacity of SMAs to better serve museums and museum professionals
- Centralizing communication and collaboration between SMAs
- Strengthening advocacy efforts for the museum field, at both national and state level
You can find more information about COSMA membership here.
COSMA Promotional Graphics
You may use these graphics for your publications to advertise or familiarize your board and members with COSMA.
How do I contact COSMA?
[email protected] | 682-219-9599
statemuseumassociations.org