About the Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide
The Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide contains more than 100 how-to articles that can help you learn how to advocate for the preservation of historic buildings and resources in your community. Whether you are part of a grassroots effort or a long-established organization, you will find information in the guide to help you face the challenges of promoting historic preservation practices and policies.
Although the Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide is specifically designed for Wisconsin, much of the content is broadly applicable to the work of preservation advocates nationwide.
How to Get Started
The best time to advocate for historic buildings and other resources in your community is now — before these resources are threatened with demolition. You'll need to rally support among other residents of your community, government officials, members of the media, and partner organizations. You may find supporters in your local historical society, or you may need to form a new nonprofit organization that is dedicated to historic preservation.
No matter where you are starting with your advocacy effort, the Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide will give you the knowledge and tools to engage in the following preservation advocacy activities:
Organize a Preservation Advocacy Effort
Learn how to organize support to save historic resources and promote preservation policies in your community.
Fund Your Preservation Organization
Learn fundraising skills and strategies and discover where to find financial support for your historic preservation organization.
Communicate Your Preservation Message
Learn how to make a case for historic preservation and use multiple tools to share your preservation message with different audiences.
Start a Nonprofit Preservation Organization
Learn the steps to start a nonprofit organization in Wisconsin and best practices to get your historic preservation organization off to a good start.
Operate Your Nonprofit Preservation Organization
Learn how to build an effective nonprofit board of directors, find and keep members, solve common nonprofit management problems, and work with government on historic preservation issues.
If you're not sure what preservation advocacy topic you'd like to explore, you can browse the complete list of articles.
Browse the Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide
See a list of all the articles in the Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide or search for specific articles by keyword.
Other Historic Preservation Resources
You can also find these other preservation-related resources on the Society website:
Explore all of the Society's resources about historic preservation.
Local History and Historic Preservation Conference
Discover how you can attend the Society's annual Local History and Preservation Conference.
Historic Preservation Commission Training
Learn about the work of Historic Preservation Commissions.
Have Questions?
Contact Jason Tish by phone at 608-264-6512 or by email below for questions about Historic Preservation Advocacy.