March 2011 RESULTS Domestic Conference Call: Building a Movement to Help Families Build Assets


March 21, 2011
by Meredith Dodson, RESULTS Director of Domestic (U.S. Poverty) Campaigns

The RESULTS build savings and assets in America. Guest speaker Ted Richane of Cause & Effect gave an overview of the campaign around the  March 31 nationwide release of the documentary To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America. As Ted mentioned on the call, the film will give moviegoers not familiar with the microfinance model an idea about how it works around the world and how that model has been used here in the U.S. It also gives us the opportunity to engage others in the work to end poverty in America. He urged all of us to plan to attend a local screening ourselves and invite as many others as possible to attend. The To Catch a Dollar website has an online list of all the theaters by state. In addition, contact the theaters in your area showing the film and see if your RESULTS group can host a table and/or make a brief statement about our partnership in To Catch a Dollar and our work in ending poverty. As Ted explained, these theaters are looking to get new customers out of these showings and may be eager to work with local groups who can increase turnout.

Ted also described what will happen after the March 31 premier. As the premier is only the beginning of a longer campaign, each week in April will focus on a specific topic around domestic poverty and asset-building strategies. Topics include women in the U.S., the “unbanked” in America, financial literacy in the U.S., and policy solutions. Each week there will be events to help bring attention to these topics, including several hosted by RESULTS during the policy week of April 25.

Our March Action focuses on asset development strategies for ending poverty, which fits right in with the message of To Catch a Dollar. Specifically, we urge you to draft an EPIC Laser Talk that highlights the importance of  and our focus of our assets campaign this year, the Saver’s Bonus. The purpose of drafting a laser talk about this issue is to help in your outreach during the To Catch a Dollar campaign, whether you are hosting a table at a theater, making a brief presentation before or after the film, or simply encouraging others to attend a screening. As Domestic Outreach Organizer Jos Linn explained on the call (from the new book March 2011 laser talk: Urge People to Join RESULTS’ Efforts to Enact the Saver’s Bonus. Find a way to draw people into a conversation emotionally — where people can identify themselves in your story — so as to better engage them. Also, please see our new To Catch a Dollar resources page for information and materials you can print and use for your events, including a promotional poster and newsletter announcement.

The call also featured shares from RESULTS volunteers in Houston, Bernardsville NJ and Santa Fe. During the call, the 73 participants tallied over 260 actions they’ve generated to protect Head Start, Early Head Start, and Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding and pledged to reach out to 1036 people to invite them to a local To Catch a Dollar screening or other local outreach event.

Listen to the March 2011 RESULTS Domestic Conference Call: Building a Movement for Policies That Help Low-Income Americans Build Assets for all the details!

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