U.S. Poverty Weekly Update April 30, 2019
Quote of the Week
“As a child, I was appalled by the contrast I saw between great wealth and impoverishment in developing countries. I had not expected to see such a thing one day in my own community. We are better than this.”
– RESULTS Silicon Valley volunteer Georgia Platts in an April 16 letter to the editor in the Mercury News
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The U.S. Poverty National Webinar is next Tuesday, May 7 at 8:00 pm ET. Our guest will be Joey Lindstrom, Manager for Field Organizing at the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. Please make plans this for where and with whom you will do the webinar. Find more details about the webinar in our Events Calendar and in next week’s Update.
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Got Ten Minutes? Follow Up from your Lobby Meetings and Calls to Aides (April Action)
Thank you to everyone who met with members of Congress or their staff during the April recess. These meetings are critical if we want to make affordable housing a priority in this year’s budget. Now that the recess is over, the next step is to follow up from your meetings to see if they’ve taken any action on your requests. This step is just as critical to the meetings themselves. Follow-up creates political will. In addition to the House and Senate sign-on letters in support of housing assistance, did your member talk to leadership about raising the budget caps and an additional $5 billion for Housing Choice Vouchers? If not, when will they? If they promised something else, what have they done on that? Asking these questions helps you know if your meeting (or phone call to an aide) was successful. It also helps you and RESULTS know what to do next.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to follow up from your recent lobby meetings or phone calls with aides. Start with the aide that attended your lobby meeting or you spoke to on the phone. If that person passed the information off to someone else, get that person’s contact info and follow up with him/her. Ask if they or the member have followed through on what was requested at the meeting. If they haven’t yet, set a time to call back and follow up again. If you need help with follow-up, please contact Jos Linn for assistance. Finally, please make sure to fill out the Lobby Report Form ASAP for each meeting or town hall you’ve had (even ones just with aides) to let us know how they went.
Got Another Ten Minutes? Schedule Your Next Round of Group Planning and Include Community Outreach (May Action)
Thank you for the work you and your group has done to meet with members of Congress and their staff this winter and spring. Your work has helped raise awareness of America’s housing crisis and pushed lawmakers toward new funding for affordable housing. As we head into the middle part of the year, we want to keep up the momentum. Our focus for the next four months is around broadening the movement to end poverty through outreach and deep engagement. And we have new resources to help you.
We have a new planning form for you to complete outlining what things you want to accomplish between now and the end of August. Setting your goals in four-month increments gives you and your group both focus and flexibility to meet them. Plus, the more we know about what you want to accomplish, the better we can support you in getting there. And you can get started on those goals this month. The May Action has ideas on how to find and cultivate new allies in the fight for help families access affordable housing.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to schedule your local RESULTS group meeting in May to set goals and map community allies. Use our updated online Group Summary Form to set your goals. In addition, the May Action has tips for doing community mapping to find local housing allies. As part of this outreach effort in May, plan to participate in the “Our Homes, Our Voices” week of action, May 30-June 5. This is a great way to raise awareness of housing issues in your community, build ties with ally organizations, and expose new people to your local RESULTS work. Make plans to participate. We’ll talk more about the Week of Action on the May 7 U.S. Poverty National Webinar (8:00 pm ET).
Got Ten More Minutes? Invest in Yourself by Attending the RESULTS International Conference
We want you at this year’s RESULTS International Conference! What will happen there? Check out the emerging agenda, and more exciting speakers in the works. What makes the Conference different? Hundreds of the best grassroots advocates from around the world giving their time to help make the world a better place. Why should you come? Because without you – sharing your stories, upping your skills, meeting old and new friends, and making your voice heard at the seat of American power – something’s missing. No one knows the difference you could make at this year’s Conference. Register today and find out!
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to register for the RESULTS International Conference, July 13-16 in Washington, DC. Early Bird rates are only available for two more weeks (until May 15). Go to www.resultsconference.org to register today (you can also book your hotel through the conference site). Also, share our new Conference video and invite someone to come with you.
Need Financial Assistance Getting to the Conference? If you want to come to the Conference but need help with some of the expenses, apply for gap funding. This money is reserved for current, active RESULTS volunteers who need help with “filling the gap” between what they need to get to the Conference and what they can afford. Funding is limited so apply ASAP. In addition, your Conference experience – your advocate stories, the skills you learn, your meetings with lawmakers – is a benefit to your entire community. And local organizations (United Way, faith communities, local non-profits) may want to support that. Use our sample letter to reach out to local funders to help your attend the Conference so you can bring back what you learn and share it with your community.
Nominate Someone for the Bob Dickerson Award. For more than 15 years, Bob Dickerson of Seattle was an inspiring RESULTS grassroots volunteer leader – tireless in his advocacy, unstinting in his encouragement and support of other activists, and a generous financial supporter of RESULTS’ work. At the Conference, we seek to honor his spirit by recognizing volunteers who are following in his footsteps. Nominate a fellow advocate for the Bob Dickerson Grassroots Leadership Award today. The deadline to nominate is June 22.
Join the RESULTS Spring Fundraising Campaign
Creating the political will to end poverty requires resources to be successful. RESULTS volunteers are not only adept at advocacy, but also in helping us raise the money needed to finance our work. Your participation in grassroots fundraising is an important part of making RESULTS’ work possible. The Spring 2019 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign is an opportunity to raise needed funds to train and equip volunteer advocates and support the staff who provide you with research and expertise on our issues. The fundraising campaign is also a chance spread the word about the work you do to end poverty and to grow your network of advocates and supporters. Will you join the campaign today? It’s easy, it’s fun, and it makes a difference. Find the resources you need to get started on our Fundraise for RESULTS page.
Quick News
Nominate Someone to be a Grassroots Board Member. Would you like to take a leadership in the governance of our RESULTS community? Do you know someone who you think would be a strong voice for guiding our national organization? Nominate yourself or someone you know as a Grassroots Board Member. Grassroots Board Members play a vital role in RESULTS, representing our volunteer network on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Boards of RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund. Read the RESULTS Blog for information on Board member responsibilities and how to nominate someone. Nominations are due May 12.
Jericho’s REAL Change. In a new RESULTS Blog post, Jericho Asis shares about his inspiring experience with the REAL Change Fellowship. We are now accepting applications for the 2019-20 class. If you or someone you know want to join Jericho and others as RESULTS leaders, share his story and apply for the REAL Change Fellowship today.
Upcoming Events
May 1-May 31: RESULTS Spring Fundraising Campaign. Sign up to participate today.
RESULTS New Advocate Orientation, Thursday, May 2, 8:30 pm ET. Get started at: https://results.salsalabs.org/volunteer/index.html.
Tuesday, May 7: RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, 8:00 pm ET. Guest: Joey Lindstrom of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. Find recordings and slides from previous webinars on the National Webinars page.
Wednesday, May 8: RESULTS Action Network Community of Practice webinar, 8:00pm ET. To join, log in: https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 427 674 133. You can also join our Facebook and e-mail groups.
Tuesday, May 21, U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 324 294 681.
Monday, May 27-Friday, May 31: Congressional Recess. Submit your meeting requests today.
Tuesday, June 4: RESULTS National Webinar with Hahrie Han, 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. Find recordings and slides from previous webinars on the National Webinars page.
Saturday, July 13-Tuesday, July 16, 2019: RESULTS International Conference. Register today at www.resultsconference.org!
Find other events on the RESULTS Events Calendar.
Other Resources
Learn more about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.
Report lobby meetings in our Lobby Report Form and report any published media in our Grassroots Media Form.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports (our new digital 2018 Annual Report is now available).
RESULTS Staff directory.