Outreach Is the Only Way to Generate New Voices

Our members of Congress find themselves in a bind — even if they believe in foreign aid programs, they fear backlash from their constituents. They are desperate for grassroots and grasstops constituent support on our issues. We must generate more voices and educate the public. Schedule an outreach workshop in March. Contact your grassroots staff or RCs for support. Here are some ideas and resources for you to build new voices in your community!

1. Organize around World TB Day (March 24)

• Ask a U.S. TB advocate to come to your community
• Educate your community about the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
• Work with local public health officials to highlight the good news about the TB in the U.S. and new TB diagnostics, and the risks of TB if we don’t address it around the globe

See our World TB Day Resource page to help with planning.

2. Invite the Global Poverty Project to Your Community

Our RESULTS colleagues in the UK and Australia have worked with the Global Poverty Project (GPP) to engage new activists. GPP does an inspiring presentation called 1.4 Billion Reasons. The presentation is designed to educate people on poverty and inspire them to take action. In the U.S. they’ll ask people at the presentations to get involved in “Living Below the Line” for one week in May. They want to work with RESULTS so we become an option for involvement after the presentations. This is an exciting opportunity for us. Either fill out the form on their scheduling page or contact Ken Patterson if you are interested in GPP coming to your community. 

3. Education & Action Workshop on Appropriations

In order to make sure that we the U.S. does not end lives as we try to reduce deficits, hold an education and action meeting in your community to educate community members on foreign aid and its benefits. We have many resources including an Action Sheet, an excellent fact sheet on Why Foreign Aid Matters, quick but moving videos on rotavirus and AIDS, speeches by Bill Gates and Tom Ridge, an excellent op-ed by conservative columnist Michael Gerson, a bipartisan op-ed in Politico, and other appropriations resources.

4. To Catch a Dollar

Our domestic campaigns will be encourage groups to get involved with premiers of the film, To Catch a Dollar. The film is about bringing the Grameen Bank model to the U.S. via Grameen America, but there will be many microfinance fans at the movie. This would be a great place to table.