Global Poverty Weekly Update July 18, 2016

July 18, 2016

Global Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | Week of July 18, 2016

Quote of the Week
A Few Extra Days for Global Fund Senate Sign-on Letter, Plus Editorial Packet and Action Sheet
Don't Forget About Reach Act Cosponsors!
An Update on the Education for All Act and Appropriations
A Key to Great Advocacy: Follow-up!
AIDS 2016 on Twitter, Plus RESULTS International Conference Survey
Candidate Engagement Webinars and August National Webinar Guest
Help Us Unlock Additional Road to Rio Fundraising Dollars
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Resources at Your Fingertips

Quote of the Week

"As human beings we have the ability to help others the way we would want to be helped. However, fighting to end preventable child and maternal death worldwide sounds like a task not even Superman can conquer. Yet in reality, every single one of us has the ability to step into Superman’s shoes!"

– Savannah Dysard, REAL Change fellow, writing about passing the Reach Act, in the West Chester (PA) Daily Local News

A Few Extra Days for Global Fund Senate Sign-on Letter, Plus Editorial Packet and Action Sheet

1. We have a few extra days to build on your outstanding work on the Senate sign-on letter in support of the Global Fund.

So far, you've helped garner 23 Senators on the letter: Coons, Isakson, Wicker, Murray (leads), Ayotte, Blumenthal, Boxer, Brown, Burr, Cantwell, Cardin, Coats, Durbin, Feinstein, Kirk, Markey, Menendez, Mikulski, Moran, Murkowski, Peters, Rubio, Sullivan, Udall, and Wyden.

Let's keep going! We have until June 22 to gather signatures of support. Call today, follow up tomorrow. When you make your call to your senator's office, you might say something like this:

I am calling to ask the senator to sign onto a letter supporting a strong U.S. commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Annually, 1.2 million people are dying from AIDS-related causes, 1.5 million from TB, and over 400,000 from malaria. We can do better. The Global Fund has the potential to save up to 8 million additional lives as part of its on-going work and legacy. This September, the Global Fund will hold its Fifth Voluntary Replenishment Conference in Montreal to secure the resources it needs. Would the senator be willing to take a look at a copy of the Senate sign-on letter and consider adding his/her signature?

2. Check out the editorial packet we'll use to support Global Fund replenishment! And also take a look at the July Action Sheet designed to help you write a letter to the editor about why the U.S. must support the Global Fund!

Don't Forget About Reach Act Cosponsors!

1. We have 173 cosponsors on H.R.3706 and 26 cosponsors on S.1911, the Reach Act. Also, we have gotten over 313 media hits on the Reach Act coast-to-coast. You have done spectacular work! So, the next moves:

Ask your representative and/or senators to join the list of cosponsors at an in-district or in-state meeting. Maybe your member of Congress would be interested, as they have showed interest in this issue area via their support of the Global Food Security Act or by virtue of members in the House Women's Caucus. Remember: cosponsors can officially be added once the congressional recess is over.
Ask your members of Congress to encourage the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs and Senator Foreign Relations Committees to work on the Reach Act (H.R. 3706/S. 1911). Use our laser talk or this action sheet to make that request.
Keep placing media, as we need to gain media hits in Colorado, Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Only six states to go! Check out our updated editorial packet and make that pitch to your editors or write and submit your letter to the editor.

Check out the resources mentioned and more on our maternal/child health issue page as well as on our media toolkit page.

An Update on the Education for All Act and Appropriations

We have some really noteworthy and encouraging news both on the Education for All Act and on how the appropriations process is affecting our issues. These are two updates you won't want to miss. Check them out!

A Key to Great Advocacy: Follow-up!

As you know, your advocacy work isn't done until you follow up. So now's a great time to follow up on all the terrific work done at the International Conference and back home in-district/in-state! Please report your meetings this summer right after they happen, and catch up on any missed meetings, as this information is extremely valuable to our advocacy progress and process as a whole. Think about the outreach you did to House and Senate offices as the conference concluded, and make a plan soon with your team to follow up with each office with whom you met. Then please report each of your lobby meetings through this form. You might want to have copies handy of some of the support materials we had at the International Conference related to the Reach Every Mother and Child Act as well as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and you'll find them on our website.

AIDS 2016 on Twitter, Plus RESULTS International Conference Survey

1. Are you on Twitter? You can following the latest happenings with the AIDS 2016 Conference in Durban, South Africa at #TB2016 and #AIDS2016.

2. Did you attend the 2016 RESULTS International Conference? Give us your feedback via this survey!

Candidate Engagement Webinars and August National Webinar Guest

1. Looking to learn more about how to engage fall election candidates on our issues? We have a treasure trove of information to share. Pick a webinar and join us! July 27 at 9 pm ET, August 2 at 12 pm, or August 16 at 9 pm. To log in, go to http://fuze.me/33195710. To joini by phone, dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 33195710.

2. Plan now for the August National Grassroots Webinar/Conference Call for our global campaign work. Our guest will be Thokozile Phiri, powerhouse TB-HIV advocate. Login: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/30204806. Or to join by phone only, dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 30204806.

Help Us Unlock Additional Road to Rio Fundraising Dollars

We need to kick our "race" into high gear in these final weeks, and we know we can do it! What's more, through the incredible generosity of one of our board members and his family, between now and August 5 – deadline extended to the start of the Olympics! – if we collectively raise $35,000 through the Road to Rio Fundraising Challenge, an additional $15,000 contribution will be donated. We are approximately $9300 from unlocking that additional contribution.

The money we raise will benefit the advocacy work we are already doing. This campaign is a fun and easy way for us to all be fundraisers and celebrate the global collaboration of the 2016 Summer Olympics being held in Rio de Janeiro. This is the first time we are coordinating with RESULTS affiliates in the UK and Canada on a collective fundraising effort. You can get started by setting up your personal friends and family page here: https://friendraising.donorpro.com/campaigns/322. If you need help setting up a page, contact Grassroots Fundraising Associate Jen DeFranco. .

Upcoming Learning and Action Opportunities

July 29, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. The perfect RESULTS primer. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.

August 13, 2 pm ET. National Webinar/Conference Call for Grassroots. Login: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/30204806. Or to join by phone only, dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 30204806.

House and Senate return in about 6 weeks.