Global Weekly Update December 16, 2013
2014 Planning Begins!
Individual and group planning sheets for 2014 are ready for you to peruse and use! 2014 campaign information will soon follow in January. It's all you need to kick off 2014's advocacy year right. Our goal is to have 100% of our groups and free agents submit 2014 plans in January.
Take a few moments to fill out your individual planning sheets now and share them with your group leader. Then gather with your group for the January 11 national grassroots conference call, as we will be focusing on planning during that call and will give you and your groups time to complete your plans! Dial (888) 409-6709 at 2 pm ET on Saturday, January 11 to join.
(Need inspiration for what you can accomplish next year? Look no further than the audio recording of our December national grassroots conference call which brought together our U.S. and global poverty advocates. We celebrated terrific successes and looked forward to what's possible next year. Take a listen!)
Phenomenal Gift Match Opportunity Through December 31
A generous supporter has offered to match donations—up to $20,000—made to RESULTS or RESULTS Educational Fund by the end of the year. That means every dollar you donate will be doubled! It’s simple: Any donation mailed or made online from today until December 31 will count towards this challenge.
Let’s not leave money on the table! Will you consider making an end-of-year gift that will have twice its impact?
Check out our donation page online, and share it with friends and family who care about ending poverty just as you do!
Requesting 2014 Face-to-Face Meetings and December Action Sheet for Outreach
1. Make Face-to-Face Meeting Requests for Early 2014! Want to get your advocacy goals off to an early start? Why not take advantage of December, January, and February congressional recesses and request a face-to-face meeting with your senators and representatives in your home areas? We have great tips on how to accomplish this, and we even have a laser talk to help you follow up on your request. Make a call today!
2. December 2013 Action Sheet. The good news? For the most part, the poverty-focused development programs in the International Affairs budget for which RESULTS advocates have been spared major cuts, though there have been reductions. The bad news? U.S. investments in the International Affairs Budget have been cut by 19 percent since 2010, and more cuts could be on the way as Congress wrangles to come up with a 2014 budget deal that both parties can agree upon. So we must do what we do best. We must raise our voices to protect life-saving poverty-focused foreign aid for next year and beyond.
Grab the December 2013 Action Sheet, grab a pencil or a laptop, gather up people who might want to give RESULTS a try, and take a stand. As Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) has said, "We ought to make sure we are making investments in the people of the world, making investments in peace and security and democracy, and seeing to it that there is no hunger, seeing to it that there is more opportunity, seeing to it that there is clean water, that there is basic education for the people of the world.”
Finish your 2013 Reporting Now . . . You'll Be Glad You Did!
Speaking of taking action . . . report before 2013 ends! We are barrelling toward 2014; have you reported all your advocacy actions and lobby meetings? Now's the time to use our handy online forms! Report 2013 advocacy actions and lobby meetings today!
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice . . . It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”
–Nelson Mandela
(For a complete calendar, see our website.)
There will be no Weekly Update the week of December 23.
1. December 25-January 1. RESULTS office is closed. Happy holidays to you and yours!
2. January 6, 8 pm ET. RESULTS Free Agents call for global poverty advocates. Dial (218) 486-1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS). Are you a RESULTS activist with our global poverty campaigns, living in a town with no RESULTS group? You are alone no more! Contact Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, for more information on this monthly group call.
3. January 8, 9 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.
4. January 11, 2 pm ET. First RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns. Focus: Planning, dreaming, and scheming for impact in 2014! Gather with your group, bring your individual and group planning materials, and get off to a great start for the year. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join.
5. First House and Senate Recesses of 2014: January 20-24. Schedule face-to-face meetings!
6. January 21, 8 pm ET. Monthly Media Support Call. Dial (267) 507-0370, passcode 4471061. Want to be part of the on-going support that’s available to help you reach your media goals? Then this is the call for you! Join monthly for inspiration and ideas to keep you going.
7. January 24, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.
8. January 27, 8 pm ET. How You Can Help Expand Congressional Coverage. RESULTS has a goal of expanding into new Congressional districts, and in 2014 a team of RESULTS volunteer Regional Coordinators have a goal of starting 20 new global groups from our existing expansion network, and 10 new U.S. poverty groups. Join this introductory webinar to discuss some of the best practices for starting new RESULTS groups and recruiting new activists. To join from your computer or mobile device, copy this link into your browser: http://fuze.me/22423683. To join the audio, call (201) 479-4595 or (855) 346-3893. If prompted, enter the meeting number 22423683, then press #.