RESULTS Weekly Update May 14, 2024

Quote of the Week

“I needed help during that challenging time, and SNAP provided it.”

– RESULTS Expert on Poverty Carla Ventura in a May 8 op-ed in Other Words

Table of Contents

• RESULTS Fellows start May off strong – let’s finish it the same way
• Make plans to join our summer of community action
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

RESULTS Fellows start May off strong – let’s finish it the same way

Thank you to the RESULTS Fellows who traveled to Washington, DC last week for our annual RESULTS Fellowship Conference. This event was the Fellows’ chance to lobby Congress on our issues, some for the first time ever.

The Fellows spent Saturday and Sunday getting prepped for lobby meetings before traveling to the Hill on Tuesday to lobby. In their meetings, they discussed the importance of funding Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which has saved 17 million lives. They discussed passing H.R. 7024 so that families can get help with a larger Child Tax Credit. They discussed funding USAID programs to provide children access to health care and nutrition services. And they discussed the protecting SNAP for millions of Americans facing food insecurity.

We are grateful for these young leaders, as well as the Fellows who could not travel to DC but are taking action back home. They represent the future of our work and the importance of being engaged in our democracy.

The Fellows got our final month of the Community of Change campaign kicked off with a bang. Let’s finish it with a flourish. To date, you have reported 160 lobby meetings in 2024 with 120 different offices. As the Fellows did, let’s get our issues in front of as many of the final 230 offices we cover as best we can. We have 17 days left in the campaign. Let’s make the most of them.

TAKE ACTION: Please contact schedulers now to schedule your next lobby meeting. Use our 2024 lobby meeting request letter to request meetings and find lobby materials on our Community of Change campaign page. Please contact RESULTS staff if you need any help. Also, please let us know what happened in your meetings by completing the RESULTS Lobby Report Form.

ADDITIONAL ACTIONS THIS WEEK: Reach out to foreign policy aides and tax aides on these time-sensitive issues.

• Protect SNAP. The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up its draft Farm Bill on May 23. The Farm Bill includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), America’s largest nutrition assistance program. In his Farm Bill proposal, House Agriculture Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) wants to undo a 2018 change to the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate SNAP benefits. If enacted, SNAP recipients will lose $30 billion in benefits over the next decade. In anticipation of the mark up, please call or e-mail your House members urging them to tell House leaders to protect and strengthen SNAP in the Farm Bill. See other SNAP resources on our Community of Change page.
• Push for a CTC vote. After Memorial Day, the political will to pass the Child Tax Credit expansion included in H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act will drop considerably. We need the Senate to vote now. Ask your Democratic senators to urge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to schedule a vote ASAP on H.R. 7024. Ask your Republican senators to support H.R. 7024 and share their support with Sen. Todd Young (R-IN).
• Seek co-sponsors for Gavi resolutions. Resolutions supporting Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will be available for co-sponsorship this week. Gavi is a powerful global partnership that promotes access to vaccines in lower-income countries. Gavi has supported countries to vaccinate more than 1 billion children from preventable disease, which has saved over 17 million lives. Look for info from RESULTS when the resolutions are released and then urge your senators and representatives to co-sponsor

Make plans to join our summer of community action

We find power in our advocacy through relationship. Would you like to bring people together in person and get Congress “on the record” in support of child health? When was the last time you called on your wider community circle to take action? Join RESULTS staff and advocates to get inspiration, coaching, and support to plan your “On the Record” community action! Check out all our resources available to help you organize a fun, impactful community action meeting this summer! We have a how-to guide, creative ideas, an invitation toolkit, and more.

TAKE ACTION: Join RESULTS staff and fellow advocates for support in planning your “On the Record” community action activity for June or later this summer! Register for a community action coaching call online. Calls are happening on May 21, May 22, May 23, and into June. Choose what works for you, then start planning your local event!

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Join tomorrow’s Global Poverty Forum on Gavi and immunization. Join us for a global policy forum on immunization tomorrow, May 15 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is an innovative global partnership that’s immunized more than 1 billion children – preventing more than 17 million future deaths. Now Gavi is developing a bold plan to recover lost progress and reach kids who were missed during COVID-19, as well as adding game-changing new vaccines—like those against malaria—into their coverage. Join Dorothy Monza, Manager of Global Child Health Policy, to dive deeper into the opportunities and challenges in childhood immunization and learn why your RESULTS advocacy can help deliver on the largest Gavi replenishment yet. Register today.

Learn more about the effectiveness of cash transfers. Join RESULTS staff Michael Santos, Expert on Poverty Kazmyn Ramos, and partner advocates this Wednesday, May 15 at 1:00 p.m. ET to learn more about what cash transfers are, how they work, their impact and how effective they are, and the tools and actions needed to expand and advance cash transfer programs on the local, state, and national levels. Register here.

Use letters to the editor to magnify your voice. In 2024, RESULTS volunteers have over 160 media pieces published on U.S. and global poverty. Help us build more political will for Congress to act on these issues by getting more media published this month. Submit your next letter to the editor to show the power your voice has. Use our sample Child Tax Credit, child health, and vaccines letters to get started.

Announcements

Triple your giving impact. This spring, RESULTS is urgently working to raise $350,000 to amplify our work on behalf of the estimated 350 million children worldwide who face undernutrition. Thanks to a generous challenge match from longtime RESULTS volunteers from Washington State, your donation to RESULTS will be TRIPLED until we reach our goal! These 350 million children deserve not just to survive, but to be healthy and thriving, reaching for their dreams, and contributing to our aspirations for a better world. Will you step up in support of children — and triple your impact — by making a special tax-deductible gift to RESULTS today?

Reflections on the Fellows Leadership Conference by Alicia Stromberg. It was amazing to be on Capitol Hill last week for the Leadership Conference with the 10th Fellowship class. 34 fellows and 5 alumni joined me for 3 days of advocacy, skills-building, and connection with my peers. The fellows brought their passion and determination to over 60 lobby meetings on the Hill. It was truly inspiring to see a cohort of young leaders boldly raise their voices for issues of poverty. This experience was particularly special for me because I was a part of the inaugural fellowship class 10 years ago. I couldn’t help but reflect on the unique ways that the fellowship, advocacy, and the RESULTS community have impacted my life over the last decade. I am so proud to see how the program has grown, and I can’t wait to see where the next 10 years will lead us.

Dr. Theo goes to Florida! At the end of last month, advocates from the southeast gathered for the Gulf South Regional Conference in Orlando. This was a chance for RESULTS volunteers to converse and connect around our work. May National Webinar guest Dr. Theopista Masenge also attended and spoke about her experiences with Gavi in Tanzania. Read all about it on the RESULTS Blog.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: This week, the House and the Senate are in session.

Find these and other events on our website Events Calendar.

Wednesday, May 15: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 2:00 p.m. ET. Registration is open!

Wednesday, May 15: Action Network Manager Call, 8:00 p.m. ET (no afternoon option this month). Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/95416781155 or dial (301) 715-8592, meeting ID: 954 1678 1155. No registration required.

Thursday, May 16 (adjusted date): Outreach and Event Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. ET. Drop in via https://results.zoom.us/j/94004748060 or dial (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 940 0474 8060. No registration required.

Tuesday, May 21: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, May 21: New Advocate Orientation, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register today!

Tuesday, May 21: Community Action Coaching, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register here. (You can also use the registration page to choose a coaching time later in May or in early June.)  

Tuesday, May 21: Together Women Rise advocacy chapter webinar, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more about this opportunity.

Wednesday, May 22: Media Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or call 312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 936 6800 5494). No registration required.

Monday, May 27: Memorial Day holiday. RESULTS offices closed.

Saturday, June 1: National Webinar, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar.

Thursday, June 6: Global Allies Program with RESULTS, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more.

Friday, June 7: Disrupting Biases on Poverty and Classism facilitated by RESULTS Experts on Poverty, 12:00 p.m. ET. Register today for this 90-minute webinar.

Wednesday, June 12: Motivational Interviewing 101, 8:00 p.m. ET. Register today.

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

Grassroots Resources

• EOPs: Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
• Actions and volunteer resources: Visit our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].
• Please report your actions. Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our form to add to/edit your info and to sign up for updates and alerts.
• Share your story. If you have an inspiring story about advocacy, please tell us about it. Also, if you want to celebrate the actions of a new volunteer, sharing about the experience.
• Questions for the Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
• Staff and jobs: RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.