RESULTS Weekly Update September 19, 2023

Quote of the Week

“Two years ago, we were on the road to ending child poverty.”

– RESULTS New Hampshire volunteer Crystal Sexton in a September 18 letter to the editor in the Concord Monitor

Table of Contents

• Build the Buy-in: This is a great week for LTEs on all our issues
• Register for Thursday’s policy forums with Meredith Dodson and RESULTS staff in NYC
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Build the Buy-in: This is a great week for LTEs on all our issues

RESULTS has launched our exciting new Build the Buy-in campaign to urge Congress to act on our U.S. and global poverty priorities this year. A large part of this campaign is an aggressive media push. We have a goal of 250 media pieces by the end of the year with at least one from each state and one from each RESULTS group/Free Agent. And this is a great week to take action.

Rarely in media advocacy do we have a week like this one, where key events coincide perfectly with our campaign priorities.

TAKE ACTION: Use the information below to submit media pieces this week on these issues:

Poverty data and the CTC. Last week, the U.S. Census released its 2022 national and local poverty data, which showed that child poverty more than doubled last year from 2021. The primary reason was Congress’ failure to extend the 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion, which had cut child poverty by more than a third. Many news sites are covering this story, which makes for a perfect hook for letters to the editor. Use our online tax credit media action to urge Congress to expand the CTC.

United Nations High-Level Meeting and the End TB Now Act. Thanks to you, we achieved 34 Senate and 108 House signers on a letter to the Biden Administration asking for bold leadership at the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on tuberculosis. Through your hard work, you created positive pressure in advance of this pivotal meeting. Use the September 22 meeting as a compelling hook for letters to the editor to ask for more co-sponsorships for the End Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act. The End TB Now Act has successfully moved through committee in both chambers of Congress. But we need more co-sponsorships and action from leadership to get it over the finish line. Use our online TB media alert to surge Congress to end tuberculosis now.

UNESCO report and the READ Act. According to a new UNESCO report, 250 million children were out of school in 2022, up 6 million from the previous year. It’s a shocking statistic, reminding us that the READ Act reauthorization (H.R.681, S.41) is more important than ever. As millions of kids engage in a fresh school year, it is imperative that the right to education be shared with all children. Read our new RESULTS blog post on why Congress needs to prioritize global education in 2023. Then use the UNESCO report as a hook to urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor and pass the READ Act Reauthorization this year. Use our global education media action to make your case.

Once you get published, please let us know. You can track progress on our media goals in our new media tracker. If you have questions or want help with your letters this week, please contact RESULTS staff for assistance. Better yet, join our Media Office Hour tomorrow, September 20, 2:00-3:00 pm ET. During the hour, RESULTS staff person Jos Linn will be writing a new letter to the editor. Log in to write and brainstorm with him. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 936 6800 5494.

Register for Thursday’s policy forums with Meredith Dodson and RESULTS staff in NYC

We have a real treat for you on our September Policy Forums this Thursday, September 21. On the U.S. Forum at 8:00 pm ET, we are thrilled to welcome Meredith Dodson, former RESULTS staff person as our guest. Meredith, now the Senior Director of Public Policy at the Coalition on Human Needs, will walk us through the details of the 2022 U.S. Census poverty data released last week. This data is a powerful tool in our advocacy to expand the Child Tax Credit. Then on the Global Forum at 9:00 pm ET, you’ll get a front row seat from the U.N. High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis in New York City. Hear from RESULTS staff in NYC the eve of the September 22 meeting about what they are hearing and what to expect. Please join us for these exciting presentations.

TAKE ACTION: Join our U.S. and Global Policy Forums this Thursday, July 20. You must register for each forum to attend. Register for the U.S. Forum at 8:00 pm ET and the Global Forum at 9:00 pm ET today.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

RESULTS staff will attend the UNHLM this Friday. Several RESULTS staff members will be in New York this week for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis. Send us any questions about what’s going on behind the scenes at [email protected]. Then tune into RESULTS Instagram that day for answers to your questions and updates. Feel free to include your name and/or Instagram handle with your question for a possible shout out, too! Watch the UNHLM live online on September 22.

Post-UNHLM (TB) briefing and breakfast. Invite your House and Senate foreign policy staff members to a Hill briefing and breakfast, co-hosted by RESULTS, on September 26, 9:00-10:15 am ET. This event will bring together U.S. government leaders and TB survivors to discuss the UN High Level Meeting on TB and highlight opportunities for the U.S. to take action in the fight against TB. Staffers and Members can RSVP online.

Announcements

Register for October 14 special National Webinar. The October National Webinar is going to be great. On October 14 from Noon ET to 3:00 pm ET, we’ll use the webinar to take a deeper look at how “work requirements” in U.S. poverty programs have been weaponized as tools of oppression. We’ll have panel discussion with experts and a grassroots-led advocacy training on how to talk about it. You’ll gain a foundational understanding of how pervasive work and income requirements are harmful and learn effective ways to push back at these harmful policies. Register today!

Join Diversity & Inclusion 101 session this month. On September 29 at 12:00 pm ET, Dr. Christina Gunther, Ed.D. will lead a conversation on why inclusion is important, describe how biases are developed and what influences them, identify the value of disrupting those biases, and more. We urge all Group Leaders – current and future – to prioritize taking this training. Register here for this 90-minute learning opportunity.

Virtual Group Leader training open for registration. Are you a current (or even aspiring) RESULTS Group Leader? You are welcome to this four-part learning series to be held on four successive weeks starting October 18. These interactive sessions will get you in touch with fellow Group Leaders, give you practical tools for leading a RESULTS group, and provide some fun along the way. Each session will last two hours. Register today! Questions? Contact Lisa Marchal.

Will you make a gift to RESULTS this month? The donations we receive you are precious. Small or large, they add up and allow us to do our shared work. Donations we receive support training, education, and resources for your advocacy, bolster efforts to expand RESULTS’ impact into new areas, fund our work to elevate advocates with lived experience of poverty, leverage and complement other philanthropic funding, and provide flexibility for us to pioneer new approaches and innovate. Support this important work by donating today before the end of RESULTS’ fiscal on September 30. Thank you!

Celebrate new volunteers who took action! Jumping into RESULTS advocacy for the first time is a huge milestone. Help us celebrate people who joined us in action this year by sharing your experience supporting a new advocate. We will send them a congratulatory e-card and a gift as a token of our appreciation! Reach out to Alicia Stromberg with any questions.

Apply for the RESULTS Fellowship. If you know someone aged 20-35 who wants to harness their political power, sharpen skills, and take action on important issues, invite them to apply for the RESULTS Fellowship.  RESULTS Fellows advocate at the intersections of poverty and anti-oppression and learn how to work with the media, their communities, and policymakers to create change. The application is open through October 31. For more information, e-mail us at [email protected].

Share Your Story. Why do you fight for the end of poverty? What action has inspired you as an advocate? These stories are critical to build momentum of our movement. Share why you take action to dismantle poverty and oppression, as well as what that action looks like. You can also decide how we share your story (including not at all). Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: The House and Senate are in session this week.

Typically, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Tuesday, September 19: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET (note the new evening time). Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, September 19: Together Women Rise/RESULTS Advocacy Chapter, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.  

Wednesday, September 20: Action Network Managers webinar, 12:30 pm and 8:00 pm ET. (Choose your time.) Join the 12:30 pm ET session at https://results.zoom.us/j/93288388695. Join the 8:00 pm ET session at https://results.zoom.us/j/91531456676. Please note that the 8:00 pm ET session will be a media training. No registration required.

Wednesday, September 20: Media Office Hour, 2:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494. No registration required.

Thursday, September 21: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Focus: Overview of 2022 U.S. Census poverty data. Guest: Meredith Dodson, Coalition on Human Needs. Register today.  

Thursday, September 21: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register today. Focus: News on the ground on the eve of the UN High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis.

Monday, September 25: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. Contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Wednesday, September 27: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more and register today.

Friday, September 29: Diversity and Inclusion 101, 12:00 pm ET. Read more and register about this important 90-minute webinar.

Wednesday, October 11: Global Allies (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) Monthly Webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more and register.

Thursday, October 12: Event Planning and Outreach Office Hour, 2:00 pm ET. Join via https://results.zoom.us/j/98524229370 or call (312) 626-6799, Meeting ID: 985 2422 9370.

Friday, October 13: Anti-oppression 201 – Structural Racism, 12:00-1:30 pm ET. Learn more about the recommended prerequisite for this webinar and register.

Saturday, October 14: Special National Webinar, 12:00-3:00 pm ET. Register today.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our Volunteer Information Form to add or edit volunteer info and to sign up for updates and alerts.

If you have a story about advocacy you feel could inspire others, use our new online form to tell us your story.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.