Brain Awareness Week Proclamations

City and state proclamations - those that "proclaim" a specific day or week as National Arts Week or Seat Belt Safety Day, for example - are a time-honored vehicle for securing city- and state-level recognition of one's program. Getting a proclamation is much easier than the novice would imagine. Below are a few easy steps you might follow that have proven successful for others.

• Know in advance what it is you want. Having draft language available going in is a good idea. (Some sample proclamations are included in this section, as well as a draft letter of request that can be tailored to your specific needs.)
• Have a proposal in mind for how and when the proclamation would be officially presented. Invite an official to present the proclamation at a specific event, one that is the most public and offers the most potential for press coverage. Aim high; ask for the mayor, the governor, or whoever is the highest ranking official in the body to whom you are making your request. The request will be evaluated by what else is scheduled on a particular day, who will be there (kids, constituents, campaign contributors, etc.), and by the event's potential to be an image-enhancer. If your organization is planning a program with kids, think about suggesting a "drop-by"; public officials love photographs of themselves with happy school children.
• Know to whom the request should be officially made (name and title of mayor, city council member, governor, assembly person, etc.) and to whom the request should be sent for processing. With some patience and time to make a handful of telephone calls, the correct office can usually be identified and often it will have standard procedures for issuance of official proclamations. For a city proclamation, start with a call to the Office of the Mayor; for a state proclamation, try the Office of the Governor or the Office of the Chief of Protocol. For City Councils and State Assemblies, begin with a call to the Office of the Chairperson, or President.

• Don't forget to clear your plan through the appropriate channels within your organization. Be a strategist; the higher the rank of the person sending the request, the better. You do the leg work; aim for the biggest name you can tap to do the signing.
• Unless the governing body to which you are making the request has a policy against or limiting the number of proclamations, they are NOT hard to get. Getting an official to attend your event, even as a "drop-by" can be trickier, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't work the first year. A written proclamation has a shelf-life. It's a "proof of principle" that your program has merit, great for promoting your program within your organization, and useful should you wish to seek outside funding for future programming.
• Be sure to say "thank you".