Global Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | Week of October 24, 2016

• Quote of the Week
• Final Weeks of the October Recess: Take Action on the Reach Act
• Preparing for a New Congress and President: Plan an Outreach Event
• Quick Actions You Can Take Today: Virtual Thanksgiving Feast, Write Your Local Paper About TB
• Grassroots News and Notes: Join Our Founder for Conversation on Tuesday, October 25
• Upcoming Learning and Action Opportunities
• Resources at Your Fingertips

Quote of the Week

“I see myself as a global citizen. Advocacy is never a waste of time and energy, and the rewards are exponential.” 

– Abigail Akande, RESULTS Little Rock advocate

Final Weeks of the October Recess: Take Action on the Reach Act

We are in the thick of a long fall recess. And we have 201 names on the House version of the Reach Act (including the original lead) with a possible 9 new cosponsors in the wings, and we have 26 names on the Senate version. But what can you do during a congressional recess to move this legislation forward? A lot, it turns out!

• Find your representatives and senators in your state and district. Go to their town halls and ask for face-to-face meetings using our online help so that when they come back after elections, they are ready to act by the end of the year.  You can also set up a Google Alert that will automatically search the internet for information on events and e-mail you the results. Simply go to the Google alert site and follow the instructions to create an alert that will let you know when a candidate is having a public event (remember to separate your search terms by a comma).
• Follow up with congressional offices to see if they've promised to cosponsor the bill but aren't yet showing up in the official record. (Check online.)
• Follow up with offices for which you don't have an answer regarding cosponsorship of this notably bipartisan bill. Remember, you don't have a true answer until you move past "maybe"!
• Use our new action sheet! Because we have so much House momentum in particular . . . if your representative is already a cosponsor, ask him/her to speak to Rep. Ed Royce, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, requesting that the committee move the Reach Act this year. Find out when your representative will make the request of Rep. Royce. Here is a laser talk you can use to make this request as well as a new action sheet.
• Additional talking point: Have you thanked your members of Congress for the 4.3 billion Global Fund pledge that was put forward this year on their watch? Let them know that you are thrilled with the pledge by the Obama Administration and any role they played in seeing it happen. 

Find Reach Act resources online.

Preparing for a New Congress and President: Plan an Outreach Event

New survey data finds that nearly 9 in 10 people feel global extreme poverty rates have increased in the last two decades when it, in fact, has been more than halved. Check out this inspiring video and celebrate this progress. We can change this mindset and inspire people into action by hosting outreach events and informing the community of all of the progress we’ve made.

Now is the time to prepare for the opportunities of a new Congress and President in 2017. We have an exciting opportunity to inspire online advocates into offline actions by organizing powerful outreach events this fall, and educate our community on the progress we’ve made toward ending extreme poverty in the last two decades. Here’s how:

1.  Set a date for an outreach event.

2.  Inform your Regional Coordinator as well as Mark Campbell, Global Health Associate. 

3.  Invite your contacts, utilizing our outreach resources and the latest laser talk and a new outreach-focused action sheet.

4.  If your outreach event is centered around our maternal/child health work, apply for an outreach mini-grant. 

For more information, tabling materials, and other support, please reach out to Mark Campbell. We want to support you to build robust groups for the new president and Congress. Plan your outreach dates and times, and we'll support you. Be in touch with your regional coordinator. And use this link to set up a free VolunteerMatch ad for your event! 

Quick Actions You Can Take Today: Virtual Thanksgiving Feast, Write Your Local Paper About TB​

1. Join the Virtual Thanksgiving Feast Friends and Family Campaign (VTF) – your last chance to help fundraise for RESULTS in 2016. This peer-to-peer online fundraising campaign is an opportunity to raise funds that support our volunteer advocacy program. The VTF runs from November 14-24, with a campaign kick off call on November 10 at 8 pm ET. Take a moment to email Mea Geizhals, Grassroots Fundraising Manager to register for the call and get the process started.

2. A recent New York Times article noted that tuberculosis "is so old that it has been discovered in the skeletons of Egyptian mummies . . . " and yet this disease that disproportionately affects the poor is a scourge we're still battling. You can read more in this important Huffington Post piece (which includes insights from our own TB Advocacy Officer David Bryden). Motivated to get published and raise the call to action? Click and we'll help you do just that! 

Grassroots News and Notes: Join Our Founder for Conversation on Tuesday, October 25

• Book Discussion with RESULTS Founder Sam Daley-Harris. October 25, 9 pm ET. Join Sam Daley-Harris, founder of RESULTS, as he shares what’s needed to create the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. He’ll share lessons outlined in his book, Reclaiming Our Democracy, and from his work with the Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation. Find Reclaiming Our Democracy on Amazon. To join: http://fuze.me/33573378. Or dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 33573378. Additional dates: November 15 and December 14. This is a great outreach opportunity, too! 
• Building Momentum for the World's Youngest Children. At the World Bank Annual Meetings earlier this month, an unexpected group took center stage – the world's youngest children. Together, a pair of events on October 5 and 6 highlighted the challenges faced by young children on their path to healthy, productive lives and marked the beginning of a potentially historic conversation on how countries will support their children to thrive. Read more from Allison Grossman, Senior Advisor, Global Policy and Advocacy, on our blog.
• Share Your Stories with Us. RESULTS has created a new form to gather your advocacy stories to use to inform others about the power of citizen advocacy to share with and empower others. Go to our Voices of RESULTS form today and document your story today!​
• Join the new RESULTS Volunteers Facebook page. This new online resource is a place where you can share successes, pictures, challenges, best practices, and ask questions in your advocacy work. Click to go online and sign up. 

Upcoming Learning and Action Opportunities

October 25, 9 pm ET. Join Sam Daley-Harris, founder of RESULTS, as he shares what’s needed to create the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. He’ll share lessons outlined in his book, Reclaiming Our Democracy, and from his work with the Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation. Find Reclaiming Our Democracy on Amazon. To join: http://fuze.me/33573378. Or dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 33573378.

October 28, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. The perfect RESULTS primer. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.

November 12, 2 pm ET. National Webinar/Conference Call for Grassroots. Login: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/30204806. Or to join by phone only, dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 30204806.

November 14: Congressional recess ends. 

July 22-25, 2017. RESULTS International Conference in Washington DC at the Washington Court Hotel. It's never too early to start planning!

Resources at Your Fingertips

Subscribe to the Weekly Update

Advocacy Resources (Weekly updates, action sheets, online action alerts, and more)

Global Poverty Campaigns Background

Global Grassroots Calendar

Skills Center 

Fundraising Tools

Report Your 2016 Actions

• Report on the Whole Month's Activity
• Report Just a Lobby Meeting
• Report Just a Media Piece

2015 & 2016 Global Congressional Scorecards (See global poverty actions your members of Congress have taken over the past few years.)

Contact the Grassroots Board Members of the RESULTS Board