Promote CMV Awareness
There are many ways to get involved with the National CMV Foundation. Please consider joining in our fight to increase CMV awareness and ultimately stop birth defects and disabilities from affecting newborns due to congenital CMV!
Join Our Team
The National CMV Foundation is actively recruiting committee members to join one of our six working committees:
- Development
- Education & Programming
- Finance
- Governance
- Marketing
- Scientific Advisory
Interested in rolling up your sleeves with us? Please send a note detailing your interest and experience to
apply@nationalcmv.org.
Advocate for CMV Education
Advocating for Women of Childbearing Age
Advocacy means enabling people to defend their rights, promote their responsibilities, access information and services, and express their views or concerns.
Federal and state governments play a vital role in CMV research, treatment, and diagnostic testing for babies with congenital CMV.
We work to inform policy makers about this viral health issue, which, when acquired during pregnancy, may attribute to infant loss or long-term developmental, and/or neurological, impairment for babies with congenital CMV. We want to present women with the information they need to ask the right questions in order to make informed decisions about their health. Learn how to
get started.
Advocating for those with Congenital CMV
No matter when you may receive a diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) and any of its potential effects or outcomes, it can be extremely difficult to understand and accept, and it can be devastating for both the individual and the family.
Advocacy is an act of directly representing yourself and/or your child, and no one is a better expert in this than you. Your story is the most important tool you have. It helps to forge a personal connection.
Use these helpful tips to better articulate your story to elected officials in a clear and powerful manner.
- Know your rights and keep good records.
- Be brief and speak plainly. Avoid medical or policy terms.
- Speak honestly and from the heart. Tap into their emotions and pull on their heartstrings a bit.
- Discuss the benefits to your proposal. Be respectful but firm. How will real people benefit from this measure?
- Keep them invested. Include details that accurately put your proposal in motion.
- Be persistent. Ask for clarification. Maintain a relationship. Thank them for their time and continue to follow-up.
If CMV legislation has already been proposed in your state, please download our
State Advocacy Guide to follow step-by-step instructions on how you can help support the CMV bill in progress.
If your state does not have an existing in proposal stages, contact us at
advocacy@nationalcmv.org for support on how to start the advocacy process.
Interested in co-branding material for distribution in your area? We are continually developing new and refining existing collateral to best reach and engage our target audiences. Email
advocacy@nationalcmv.org if you'd like to discuss a potential partnership opportunity.
Volunteer During Online "Calls to Action"
Volunteer with National CMV by answering one of our "Calls to Action": tips and assignments that will help you become more involved in the CMV community while assisting National CMV via grassroots awareness, outreach, and advocacy. National CMV regularly posts "Calls to Action" on our social media channels, so be sure to find, friend, and follow National CMV on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Print and Post CMV Awareness and Educational Materials
If you’re passionate about helping National CMV reach women of childbearing age with CMV resources and prevention information, we invite you to share, post, and print our awareness flyers, now available in English, Spanish, and over 30 languages. You can also bring awareness to your community by distributing National CMV’s printed educational materials to medical professionals (including physicians, midwives, doulas, and birth educators), hospitals, daycares, preschools, and other relevant kid-friendly or pregnancy-related community organizations in your city.
Host an Event or Fundraiser
Connecting women of childbearing age with accurate research and information is essential to our mission. By hosting an event, you offer women a place to share prevention materials or raise funds that will directly contribute to the development of National CMV's work nationwide. If you have an idea or venue in which you’d like to host an event, please visit our Fundraising page for some helpful tips.
Compete 4 CMV: Be a CMV Crusader
Compete 4 CMV is a series of community-based athletic events, and each voluntary participant who chooses to run, bike, swim or compete for this cause is known as a CMV Crusader. Your participation endorses a conscious choice for healthy living and directly fuels our awareness and prevention programs. National CMV uses social media to promote a sense of community, while increasing motivation and offering supportive encouragement during your training. You may choose to support National CMV in an existing race or event, or create an event of your own. Join our team!
Stop CMV Hands Campaign
National CMV is collecting personal and powerful hand photos to raise public awareness of CMV and to demonstrate our commitment to congenital CMV as a public health priority. As simple as it sounds, by writing “Stop CMV” on the palm of your hand, you’ll become part of a global campaign working to educate women and save babies from the dangers of CMV. Do you have a camera or smartphone? If so, please consider taking a photo of yourself and/or your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and members of your community to help us increase public awareness of congenital CMV.