U.S. Poverty Weekly Update August 9, 2016
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | August 9, 2016
“We are people in our awesome community who have the voice and the power to make a change. So let us all use our voices together as one and let people know about the EITC.”
– RESULTS Indiana REAL Change Fellow Sarah Leone in a July 29 letter to the editor in Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette
- Got Two Minutes? Prepare for the U.S. Poverty National Webinar this Saturday at 12:30 pm ET
- Got Ten Minutes? Use Recess to Make Ending Poverty a Legislative Priority (August Action)
- Got Ninety Minutes? Attend CFED’s Racial Wealth Gap Webinar Tomorrow at 3:00pm ET
- Congratulations and Thank You for Helping Us Reach Our “Road to Rio” Goal
- Quick News
- Upcoming Events
Quick Action: Request Face-to-Face Meetings with Lawmakers in August
| Take Action! |
Got Two Minutes? Prepare for the U.S. Poverty National Webinar this Saturday at 12:30 pm ET
Join us for the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar this Saturday, August 13 at 12:30 pm ET. With members of Congress still on their long recess, we’ll spend time on this month’s webinar discussing the importance of meeting with members of Congress this month, especially in the run up to such a contentious election. We are pleased to have Richelle Friedman, Director of Public Policy at the Coalition on Human Needs and one of NETWORK’s “Nuns on the Bus” (NOTB) as our guest speaker. She will share about the NOTB campaign to “Mend the Gaps” on income and wealth inequality. We’ll also spend time learning how to craft questions for upcoming town halls and candidate events. Please join us for this important and informative webinar.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to remind your local RESULTS group about the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Conference call this Saturday, August 13 at 12:30 pm ET. Coordinate with your group where you will meet for the call. The webinar is done through Fuze meeting. To join online, login at http://fuze.me/32255914; if you cannot join online, dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. Plan to log in or call in no later than 12:25 pm ET. If you have questions about Fuze or how to log in, please contact Jos Linn at [email protected]. We will have the August 2016 National Webinar slides available later this week in the Take Action box on the RESULTS Homepage.
Got Ten Minutes? Use Recess to Make Ending Poverty a Legislative Priority (August Action)
Members of Congress are now in the fourth week of their summer recess with another month to go. This is the time you, as their constituents, can remind them of what they should be focusing on in Washington. Through face-to-face meetings and asking questions at town halls and candidate events, you help set the agenda for the rest of this year and beyond. This is a crazy, unpredictable election which means that many times, politicians and candidates have no idea what will happen next. But amidst this political chaos is an opportunity. Providing lawmakers and candidates a clear vision of your America – one where no worker is taxed into poverty, where a person’s wealth is not contingent on their skin color, and where all children go to bed without hunger – you provide some certainty amongst the swirling uncertainty. At the very least, you’re providing realistic, cogent solutions to the problems we face, something sorely needed in the election debate.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to contact schedulers about setting up face-to-face meetings with members of Congress this month (see the July Action for tips) and look for public events you can attend to ask questions of lawmakers and candidates (see the August Action for tips). The August Action also has sample questions you can ask at these events. You can find websites for members of Congress on our Elected Officials page (under the “Contact” tab) and candidate information in our Election Guide. Once you find an event you plan to attend, please contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) to help you get ready. We will help you determine which issues to highlight and what questions to ask. You will also want to take copies of our EITC, wealth gap, and SNAP request sheets to your meetings and events.
Also, remember that we are doing Candidate Engagement Trainings this month to provide tips and coaching for what to do at town halls and candidate events. The final training is next Tuesday, August 16 at 9:00 pm ET. To participate, login online at http://fuze.me/33195710, or dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 33195710#.
Finally, after any face-to-face meeting or event where you ask a question, please fill out our Lobby Report Form to let us know what happened.
Got Twenty Minutes? Help Us Grow RESULTS
As we wind up the dog days of summer, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the great work of our volunteers in helping us grow RESULTS and give you some quick ideas for outreach of your own.
Last week, U.S. Poverty Grassroots Organizer, Kristy Martino and Global Grassroots Expansion Manager, Amanda Beals traveled all over the South, with exciting stops in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. Because of their work, Louisiana officially has a statewide RESULTS presence with advocates from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Fayetteville coming together to take action on both our U.S. and global poverty issues. Many have been involved in RESULTS for some time, but it’s great to see this group of people coalesce with creativity, leadership, and passion!
They also had the pleasure of spending some time with our global and U.S. volunteers in Birmingham, AL who have been busy with in-district meetings and more. They will be hosting an outreach event in September to welcome new folks to their group (more details to come).
Finally, with the help of many of our fantastic REAL Change Fellows, we had a great group start meeting in Jackson, MS where members of the community came out to support and learn more about RESULTS. You can see some great photos from the event here.
We thank everyone who helped make this southern sweep a success. Let’s help these and other groups, including yours, continue to grow this year.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to help with RESULTS’ outreach efforts this summer and fall. The groups above are looking for additional members; if you know people in LA, AL, and MS, please contact Kristy Martino at [email protected]. In addition, Kristy is looking to start and build groups in AR, GA, SC, NC, and TN.
Finally, if you are looking to build a chapter in your area or strengthen your own group, here are some quick ideas:
- Host a summer potluck picnic and take a quick, fun action together
- Screen a film at a library or your home, follow with a discussion, and take an action
- Invite new people to our National Webinar to get a feel for what we do at RESULTS
- Ask every member of your group to invite at least one person to your next meeting
As always, we are here to support you. If you’d like to brainstorm for more outreach ideas, reach out to Kristy directly (for existing groups wanting to do outreach, contact Jos Linn at [email protected]) and happy outreach-ing!
Congratulations and Thank You for Helping Us Reach Our “Road to Rio” Goal
We did it! With your help we exceeded our Road to Rio fundraising goal and unlocked the $15,000 match, raising a total of $57,403! Congratulations! We couldn't have done this without you. RESULTS Executive Director Joanne Carter wanted to thank you directly. Watch her video message here.
Last week, on the eve of the Olympic Games, leaders in the Nutrition for Growth movement gathered in Rio de Janeiro to highlight progress toward ending global malnutrition and point the way forward. At RESULTS, we are committed to creating a world without extreme poverty, where every child can reach her full potential. Every year 3.1 million children die because of undernutrition, but we can help change that! Learn more about the Nutrition for Growth movement to fight against malnutrition and its lifelong effects on millions of children around the world.
Your help in reaching our Road to Rio goal provides us with valuable resources to keep fighting for a world free of hunger and poverty. Thank you for all you do!
Quick News
Use Presidential Economic Speeches for LTE on EITC. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are making speeches this week about the economy. Donald Trump spoke yesterday and, as part of his plan, proposed significant changes to the tax code. Sadly, most of the benefits of these changes will go to the wealthy and increase the already staggering wealth gap in America. Clinton is expected to speak on the economy later this week. Use the media coverage of these speeches as a hook to get a letter to the editor published urging candidates and Congress to make the tax code work for all Americans, starting with expanding the EITC for workers without children. Use our online media alert to send your letter today.
Review Your Group Plans. Now that we are past the mid-point of the year, this is a good time to review your 2016 Group Plans to see how you are doing with reaching your goals. Celebrate successes, make adjustments as needed, and plan how you will reach your unfulfilled goals the rest of this year. If you need a copy of your plan, please contact Jos Linn at [email protected].
Free Agents Should Attend Candidate Engagement Training Next Tuesday. To help make the most of town hall events this month, we urge our U.S. Free Agents to participate in our Candidate Engagement Training webinar next Tuesday, August 16 at 9:00 pm ET. This will be in lieu of our normal monthly Free Agents calls. To participate, login online at http://fuze.me/33195710, or dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 33195710#. We will resume our normal Free Agents calls in September.
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.
U.S. Poverty Staff Vacation Schedules: Meredith Dodson, August 6 – 21. Jos Linn, August 31 – September 5. Kristy Martino, August 12.
Congressional Recesses: Monday, July 18 – Monday, September 5 (House and Senate). Request face-to-face meetings. After your meeting, please tell us how it went by filling out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form: www.tinyurl.com/RESLRF.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Saturday, August 13 at 12:30 pm ET. Join online at http://fuze.me/32255914 or by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. Listen to previous webinars on our National Webinars page.
RESULTS Candidate Engagement Training, Tuesday, August 16 at 9:00 pm ET. To participate, login online at http://fuze.me/33195710, or dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 33195710#. Note: U.S. Poverty Free Agents should attend this training in lieu of our August support call.
RESULTS Introductory Call, Friday, August 26, at 1:00 pm ET. If you want to learn more about RESULTS, register for an upcoming Intro Call on the RESULTS website.
If you have a question, comment or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Vanessa Garcia at [email protected]. You can download RESULTS’ most recent Annual Report at: https://results.org/about/annual_report/.