Global Weekly Update February 3, 2014
Top Actions: Appropriations Work and National Conference Call This Saturday (February 8)
Appropriations: Making Requests that Get the Job Done
It's that time of year again! Appropriations allows us to make a bold statement about the level of funding for our key campaigns (education, economic opportunity, health) we think will make the best difference in the world . . . and to articulate the reasons behind our requests. It's the first big push for our advocacy year, and it is vital. Appropriations is also a great opportunity for you to have face-to-face meetings with your members of Congress. Meet with them and make the kind of asks that will show them how serious you are about ending poverty!
To help you in this work, we have a brand new appropriations action sheet for February and corresponding backgrounders which offer more detail on each of the individual appropriations requests we're making.
National Conference Call
Then gather with your group, or dial in as a free agent, and be part of the February 8 national grassroots conference call for global poverty advocates. Dial (888) 409-6709 a few minutes before 2 pm ET to be part of it. We'll be reviewing appropriations, priming the pump for our springtime work supporting the Global Partnership for Education, celebrating your group planning/face-to-face meetings/breakthroughs, and more.
Plus, mark your calendars for the March 8 national conference call when we'll be joining RESULTS UK and RESULTS Canada for an international webinar/video conference with Global Partnership for Education CEO Alice Albright!
Global Education: Laying the Groundwork for Great Media
Want an editorial later this spring? Reach out to your editorial writers now! We haven’t officially kicked off our Global Partnership for Education media campaign yet, but now is the perfect time for reaching out to editorial writers. Scan the editorial pages and see what your local papers are discussing this week. Find something (anything!) positive and let your writer know you liked it! A two- or three-sentence e-mail saying “thanks” or “congratulations” or “your piece was really interesting” is a great way to build your relationship. Initiating contact now—without any request—lays the groundwork for an “ask” later on. For journalists who are increasingly overworked and underpaid, a little bit of praise and gratitude goes a long way!
Great related resources:
1. Want to get inspired for the work ahead? Check out powerful global education videos from The Girl Effect like "The Clock is Ticking" and "I Dare You to See I Am the Answer." You can also check out videos on education and our other campaigns, drawn from the 2013 RESULTS International Conference. (We hope you're saving the date for the 2014 conference, to be held June 21-24!)
2. The 2013/2014 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, the world’s most comprehensive annual report documenting progress towards the Education for All goals, was released in January. Developed and published by UNESCO, this year’s report bears the theme "Teaching and learning: Achieving quality for all." Read comments on this crucial report from Tony Baker, Education for All Campaign Manager.
REAL Change Fellowship Applications Being Accepted
REAL Changers are emerging young activists who, in recent history, have been scholarshipped to our annual International Conference. REAL Changers have brought so much to the conference and to each other that we wanted to create an opportunity to keep the momentum going well beyond the conference. That’s why we are so excited to announce the REAL Change fellowship program! REAL Change will now be a year-long fellowship to prepare the next generation of young activists and leaders for fighting poverty at home and abroad. We will provide extensive training in media outreach, organizing, and advocacy. Our fellows will learn how to build personal relationships with their members of Congress, how to make their voices heard in the media, and how to organize others in their community to be advocates for change. We are looking for activists 18-28 years old who can commit 3-6 hours a week for one year, starting with our conference in June. For more information, and to submit an application, check out the information online.
Fundraising Updates
More Flexibility for 2014 Friends and Family Campaign!
We listened to our grassroots, we analyzed the data, and we have a brand new strategy to share with you for our 2014 Friends and Family Campaign! The Friends and Family Campaign, instead of a month-long effort, will be an on-going campaign from February to October begining with our "Valentine's Date Night IN!" online fundraising site. Donations to RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund solicited by volunteers via fundraising letter writing, e-mails, or webpages will count towards our overall $25,000 goal for personal fundraising appeals to friends and family. See our blogpost about it for more details and contact Cindy Levin, Grassroots Development Associate, to discuss how your group can best participate this year.
Will you be our Valentine?
Looking for an easy fundraiser for your group? Invite your friends to skip the fancy February 14 date night out and donate what they would have spent on it to RESULTS/REF with our "Valentine's Date Night IN!" online fundraising site! Their contributions can be gifts of love for the children of the world who need vaccines, nutrition, and education. Set your own goal and send out fun Facebook and Twitter updates about why people should stay in and donate to RESULTS. Go online to create your personal fundraising page. Contact Cindy Levin, Grassroots Development Associate, if you have questions.
" . . . [Y]ou really are the best citizens' lobbying organization out there."
—Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
(For a complete calendar, see our website.)
1. Next House and Senate Recesses of 2014: Around Presidents' Day. Schedule face-to-face meetings!
2. February 8, 2 pm ET. First RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns. Focus: Appropriations. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join.
3. February 10, 8 pm ET. RESULTS Free Agents Call for Global Poverty Advocates. Dial (218) 486-1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS). Are you a RESULTS activist with our global poverty campaigns, living in a town with no RESULTS group? You are alone no more! Contact Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, for more information on this monthly group call.
4. February 12, 9 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.
5. February 18, 1 pm ET. Education for All and GPE (Global Partnership for Education) webinar. Dial-in information is forthcoming. Learn about our 2014 campaign to secure a necessary pledge at the GPE replenishment conference in June.
6. February 18, 8 pm ET. Monthly Media Support Call. NEW DIAL-IN NUMBER. Dial (712) 775-7300, passcode 954747. Want to be part of the on-going support that’s available to help you reach your media goals? Then this is the call for you! Join monthly for inspiration and ideas to keep you going.
7. February 19, 9 pm ET. Education for All and GPE (Global Partnership for Education) webinar. Dial-in information is forthcoming. Learn about our 2014 campaign to secure a necessary pledge at the GPE replenishment conference in June.
8. February 28, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.
9. March 8, 2 pm ET. RESULTS Global Conference Call with International RESULTS Affiliates. Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) will speak to RESULTS Activists from the U.S., the UK, Australia, and other Global Partnership for Education campaign partners. Plan on bringing your entire action network and newly interested activists together for this major event.
10. March 12, 9 pm ET. In-depth Education for All and GPE (Global Partnership for Education) webinar to strategize on 2014 campaign efforts to secure funding for the GPE replenishment conference in June.
11. March 21, 5 pm ET 21. REAL Change Fellowship Applications Due.