U.S. Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | November 24, 2015

“With the holiday season upon us once again, we are reminded of the children all across the Treasure Valley and throughout Idaho who go without, not only during this season of caring and giving, but also throughout the year. These kids rely on programs many see as handouts just to survive, and their families rely on certain tax refunds in order to give their little ones any holiday at all.”

– RESULTS Boise volunteer and REAL Change Fellow Annamarie Morehead in the Idaho Press-Tribune

In This Week’s Update:

• Got Two Minutes? Submit a Quick Letter to Your Local Paper on EITC and the Child Tax Credit
• Got Ten Minutes? Finish and Submit Your Draft EITC/CTC Op-Ed/Follow Up Again with That Editorial Writer
• Got Twenty Minutes? Tune in at 1:20 ET Today to Hear RESULTS Discuss EITC and CTC (or Online Later…)
• Next Vote to End Hunger Webinar on Engaging Candidates: December 7 at 4 pm ET
• Upcoming Events

Quick Action: Urge Congress to Protect Working Families

Got Two Minutes? Submit a Quick Letter to Your Local Paper on EITC and the Child Tax Credit

This time of year, there is a lot of attention on hunger and our fellow Americans who are struggling to make ends meet – but we must ensure that Congress doesn’t come back from their Thanksgiving break to put business tax breaks ahead of working families as they finalize a tax deal.

Many media outlets are covering hunger in their communities, giving us a chance to connect the dots between policy decisions and the struggles of people back home. RESULTS volunteer advocates have done amazing work pushing Congress to save key Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit (CTC) provisions in local media with more than 70 published pieces this fall – and this media work has made a big impact on the debate. It is likely we have less than ten days or so until Congress reaches a final deal on tax legislation — let’s rally for one last media push to ensure Congress does the right thing!

TAKE ACTION: Keep the spotlight on poverty in the U.S. by writing a letter to the editor (you can tailor our template online) to your local papers about poverty and tax credits for working families. Find contact information for media outlets in your area with our Media Guide at http://capwiz.com/results/dbq/media/. Be sure to send your published pieces to your members of Congress!

Got Ten Minutes? Finish and Submit Your Draft EITC/CTC Op-Ed/Follow Up Again with That Editorial Writer

Some RESULTS volunteers have a piece they’ve already written but haven’t had luck placing, or a draft they haven’t finalized. We are in the home stretch – please consider a quick revision and submit it today! Or, follow up one last time with an editorial writer that has expressed interest in this issue.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to follow up again about your editorial request and/or op-ed submission. Sometimes it takes multiple follow-ups for anything to happen (just like with lobbying Congress). Call or e-mail them this week to check on the status or if you have yet to make a request, do so now. Use our updated EITC/CTC editorial packet., or our writing sample to get started on an op-ed. 

Got Twenty Minutes? Tune in at 1:20 ET Today to Hear RESULTS Discuss EITC and CTC (or Later Online)

At 1:20 ET today, RESULTS Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns Meredith Dodson and a member of our Experts on Poverty program, Tianna Gaines Turner, will discuss the EITC and CTC on the BlogTalkRadio show, We Get RESULTS. Tianna will share her own perspective on why the EITC and CTC should be Congress’s top priority, and we’ll discuss ways that others can influence the debate.

TAKE ACTION: Listen to today’s BlogTalkRadio show live or online later, and share the link with others. Also, Tianna will share her story and a few quick tips on telling your own story on our December National Webinar on Saturday, December 12, at 12:30 pm ET.

In addition, please Save the Date: Monday, December 14th, 8:30-9:30pm ET, for an exciting training webinar open to all – Powerful Speaking: Telling Your Story to Create Change featuring our RESULTS Experts on Poverty. Learn from the real experts how they’ve developed their own stories, how you can draw from your own experiences to speak powerfully on poverty, and why stories truly matter. 

Next Vote to End Hunger Webinar on Engaging Candidates: December 7 at 4 pm ET

There was tremendous interest in last week’s Vote to End Hunger webinar hosted by RESULTS and other VTEH groups, and we’ll repeat the training on Monday, December 7, at 2:00 pm ET. To sign up, go to http://votetoendhunger.org/december-vote-to-end-hunger-webinar-registration/ to register today. Learn more about Vote to End Hunger in our November National Webinar resources, including the webinar summary, slides, and recording.

Six Days left to help RESULTS unlock a $10,000 donation this November!

Longtime volunteer and donor, Peter Fiekowsky has put forward a challenge match for Grassroots Fundraising this month. If we can collectively raise over $25,000 through Friends & Family campaigns from Nov 1-Nov 30, Peter will contribute an additional $10,000 to RESULTS.

Join him in raising the funds RESULTS’ needs to power its work by the end of the year.

There is still time to participate in RESULTS’ November fundraising challenge. It's not too late to sign up because it only takes a few days to spread the word among your friends and family.

TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to help us meet our $100,000 goal through our simple Friends & Family Campaigns! Here are the three easy steps to get you started:

1. Set a goal for the amount you want to raise.

2. Create your own Friends and Family Fundraising page. Online resources can be found on the website to help make your planning of your friends and family fundraising page easier to manage. Of course, if you prefer to do a letter campaign we can help you do that too.

3. Invite your friends and family to donate to RESULTS through your page or mailed in.

If you have questions, please contact Jen DeFranco ([email protected]) or Jerusa Contee ([email protected]) for assistance.

Upcoming Events

Go to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Also, find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.

Congressional Recesses: House and Senate: November 21-29. Request face-to-face meetings.

Thanksgiving Holiday, November 26. All RESULTS offices are closed November 26 and 27.

RESULTS/Vote to End Hunger Advocacy Training, December 7, at 4:00 pm ET. Go to http://votetoendhunger.org/december-vote-to-end-hunger-webinar-registration/ to register today. See more details above.

RESULTS Introductory Call, December 9, at 9:00 pm ET. If you want to learn more about RESULTS, register for an upcoming Intro Call on the RESULTS website.

RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, December 12 at 12:30 pm ET.Join the meeting online at http://fuze.me/28130766 or dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, meeting ID: 28130766#. Listen to previous conference calls and meetings on our National Webinars page.

2016 RESULTS International Conference, June 25-28, 2016 in Washington, DC. Save the dates!

If you have a question, comment or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Lydia Pendley at [email protected]. You can download RESULTS’ most recent Annual Report at: https://results.org/about/annual_report/.