Global Weekly Update March 26, 2012
Top Actions: Final Senate Appropriations Request Push This Week and Basic Education Sign-on Letter
2013 will be a challenging year for global poverty issues with mandated spending ceilings, so we’ll need to work hard to ensure that cuts are not made to programs that matter most to those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. You did some great work already with a number of sign on letters in the House – one on tuberculosis, one on the Global Fund and PEPFAR, and one on child survival and maternal health. Read our blog to get the details about the terrific work you did.
Now it’s time to take serious action in the Senate. You already did terrific work requesting poverty-fighting funding levels in the House; don’t let the pressure subside in the Senate. Though we’ll be taking action on appropriations throughout the summer, it’s important to act by specific dates outlined by the various appropriations sub-committees. The Foreign Operations Sub-Committee of Appropriations in the Senate has asked all senators to submit their official written input to them by this Friday, March 30, which means that Senate offices have set deadlines order to organize constituent input. (Check with your senators’ offices on deadlines.)
2-minute Action: Use our online action alert on 2013 appropriations to ask your senators to prioritize funding for programs that reach the poorest.
5-minute Action: Call the Congressional Switchboard ((202) 224-3121), ask for your senators’ offices and leave the following message: “We need to prioritize foreign assistance programs that reach the poorest and make effective use of our investments. I would like the senator to write to the chair and ranking member of the foreign operations sub-committee of appropriations and ask them to include the following priorities for 2013 (choose 1 or 2):
- $1.65 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
- $125 million for the Global Partnership for Education
- $145 million for the Global Alliance for vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI)
- $650 million for bilateral TB
- $500 million for microfinance.”
15-minute Action: Call the Congressional Switchboard ((202) 224-3121), ask for your senators’ offices, ask to speak to the aide in charge of foreign policy. Make the same request as the five-minute action. Ask if the senator will take the action and wait for an answer. If you don’t get the aide in person, leave a voicemail message.
Learn more about our appropriations requests on our website.
You can also ask your senator to sign the newly released basic education sign-on letter requesting robust funding of basic education. You will find a copy of the letter on our website. The deadline is Friday, March 30. Let’s go for another victory!
Congratulations on Your Recent Sign-on Letter Successes!
You did some great work recently with a number of sign-on letters in the House, each underscoring the critical need for Congress to boldly support appropriations funding levels that will truly make a difference for the end of poverty.
- The tuberculosis letter received 20 signers
- The letter on the Global Fund and PEPFAR snagged 82 signers
- The letter on child survival and maternal health had 53 signers
- The letter nominating Jeffrey Sachs netted 27 signers and opened the door for the nomination of Dr. Jim Kim
Really spectacular work. Take a look at the list of signers for each letter on our blog. Take a moment to thank your legislators who stepped up and stepped out to support foreign aid that will make a difference for the poorest. It is important to let them know their actions matter.
Stay tuned for a recap of the Hill briefings held last week for World TB Day. Thank you for asking your legislators and aides to attend! Read some powerful World TB Day pieces written by Executive Director Joanne Carter, ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane, RESULTS Asheville activist Darrah Noble, and RESULTS Triangle activist Brooks Dareff.
Grassroots News You Can Use
RESULTS Free Agents Groups Launch! Are you a RESULTS activist working solo in a town that doesn’t (yet) have a RESULTS global poverty campaigns group? We love your commitment and want to offer you a new means of support through our new RESULTS Free Agents group! This “virtual” group will meet monthly by phone for relationship-building, information, and support. Members of the group will also be encouraged to participate in the monthly national conference call. (We are excited because there will also be a companion group forming to support activists working to end U.S. poverty. You can find our more about that group by contacting Jos Linn.) Want to check out RESULTS Free Agents (global poverty)? Join our call on Monday, April 16 at 8 pm ET. Dial in at 218.486.1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS). Questions? Contact Lisa Marchal.
2012 International Conference Financial Assistance. Earlybird registration ends April 16, so act now to get the best registration rate for our spectacular conference coming up July 21-14 in Washington, DC! Explore other financial assistance opportunities on our website, and even find out how to contribute to the Karen McQuillan Memorial Fund that offers assistance to qualifying attendees.
Also, check out the emerging agenda for the International Conference to learn about the fantastic speakers and sessions being planned. For example, did you know that Dr. Myron Cohen, leader of the research team that announced last year that AIDS treatment is prevention, will be speaking at the IC? Dr. Cohen’s team’s study was named by the journal Science as the breakthrough of 2011. We are thrilled to have speakers like Dr. Cohen coming to be part of our conference; check back often as the agenda continues to be updated!
The Home Stretch for the Friends & Family Fundraising Campaign!
We’re just a few days away from the official end of the Friends & Family Fundraising Campaign. Thank you for all your hard work that is paying off for people in poverty!
The official end of the campaign is Saturday, March 31, so make sure to send out your last email and social media blasts to your donors and networks to let them know. That is also the day that we will calculate the winners of the online fundraising contest. Donations made by credit card online by 11:59 PM EST on March 31 will count towards one top-earning team and one top-earning individual receiving a free registration to the 2012 RESULTS International Conference. Margaret Smith, Phyllis Behlen, Janis Medley and Sandra Eagle are the individuals to watch in this race. Dallas, Coastal Connecticut and Kitsap County are the teams in the lead. We’ll announce the winners on Thursday, April 5.
We will hold the fundraising websites open until April 30 to make sure to catch any late donors. After we complete the donation processing, every group will receive a report of their donors who donated online or by check for this campaign. Of course, donations made at any time of the year are welcome and you can always direct donors to use the donation portion of our RESULTS homepage after April. Any checks you send to us in properly labeled donor envelopes will be credited to your group. Thank you to all our participants for getting our fundraising year off to a terrific start! Let us know if you have any remaining questions.
“Our inability to muster the moral outrage to fund the fight of a disease that claims nearly two million lives each year and yet can be combated relatively easily and cheaply, is as good a reason as any to pause and reflect on World TB Day. So, yes, we do really need this day. Because this fight is one day, and one life at a time.”
– ACTION Director Kolleen Bouchane
March-May: Global Poverty Project 1.4 Billion Reasons presentations
March 31: RESULTS Texas Regional Conference. Contact Anne Child for more information.
March 31: Friends & Family Fundraising Campaign officially ends (but you don’t have to quit if you aren’t done!)
April 4: RESULTS Introductory Call. 9 pm ET. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.
April 14: Joint national conference call with domestic grassroots highlighting education! 2:00 pm ET. Dial (888) 409-6709 a few minutes before the call.
April 16: Launch of RESULTS Free Agents global poverty group for activists in towns without RESULTS groups. 8 pm ET, 218.486.1611, passcode 7378587. Contact Lisa Marchal with questions.
April 17: Launch of RESULTS Free Agents domestic poverty group. Contact Jos Linn for more information.
April 20: RESULTS Introductory Call. 1 pm ET. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.
April 22: RESULTS National Outreach Event on Education for All
April 22-28: Global Action Week for Education for All
July 21–24: RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC