Global Weekly Update January 21, 2013
Representative Nita Lowey Will Be Our Conference Call Special Guest in February
We will be pleased to welcome Rep. Nita Lowey (NY) to our national conference call for global grassroots advocates. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 9, and dial (888) 409-6709 to join the 2 pm ET call. We’ve asked the congresswoman to share her view of how she expects the 2013 appropriations process to play out, describing what we could/should anticipate in our advocacy work for FY14 and recommending how we can best engage with our members of Congress in light of those expectations. It will, once again, be a great time to learn, share, and get excited about what we will accomplish in 2013.
RESULTS Continues to Grow
We continue to extend a warm welcome to RESULTS groups in Birmingham, Charlotte, Nashville, and Richmond (VA), four global poverty groups launched late last year, and we anticipate RESULTS Columbus coming on board January 26 (complementing the dynamite domestic poverty group already there). We are currently working on expanding in Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Do you know folks in those states who might be interested in speaking with us about RESULTS? Contact Lisa Marchal, Global Grassroots Associate.
Group Planning, Face-to-Face Meetings, and World TB Day Grants!
1. “I’m Amazed at How Powerful it is to do Planning.” This declaration came from one of our veteran advocates after his group completed their 2013 plan for effective advocacy this year. The 2013 Group Planning materials are now available online on our group resource page. Our Global Campaign Summary and Calendar will be coming soon. Review the materials, check out the inspiring goals for 2013 on the forms, and set a time for your group to gather soon to create a plan to generate political will in 2013. Have each member fill out the Individual Planning Form before the meeting so that you’re ready for your planning time.
If you are a solo advocate (not part of a group), grab a copy of the Individual Planning Form and be part of the process as well. What an inspiring way to begin a brand new year! Questions? Contact Lisa Marchal, Global Grassroots Associate.
2. Want to Meet in Person with Your Legislator? Look at the January 2013 action sheet, companion laser talk, and sample meeting request letter. These tools are designed to help you land face-to-face meetings with your members of Congress early in the year. According to research conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation, meeting face-to-face with constituents is the most effective way to influence our members of Congress. Meeting early in the year will help establish a relationship at the beginning of the 113th Congress (which lasts through December 2014). Building relationships with our members of Congress is also what allows us to request actions and call Congress into leadership. Make a request today. Then contact Ken Patterson or Lisa Marchal for support in following up on your request and forming a solid agenda for the meeting. Our goal in 2013 is to meet with every member of Congress for which we have constituent advocates!
3. World TB Day is March 24. Want to do Outreach? Folks don’t always have accurate information on what our country spends on foreign aid and on what a difference it can make in the lives of people. (Check out this video work by the ONE Campaign to hear more.) With that in mind, RESULTS is a powerful force in advocating for the end of tuberculosis as a disease of poverty, and so World TB Day is an annual opportunity to share about the strategic power of foreign aid to help us achieve sustainable, compassionate solutions for poverty-related issues. Watch this space for information on 2013 World TB Day Outreach Grant applications which will be due February 11. Want some preliminary information? Contact Ken Patterson, Global Grassroots Manager.
Congratulations on a Great Fundraiser, RESULTS DC!
A big thank you to our partners in the Washington DC area RESULTS group for holding the first RESULTS fundraiser of 2013! On January 16, they hosted a fun night out at a board game-themed bar and raised over $2500. They used tools like our Save-the-Date graphic and a website to collect donations. We’re excited that, for March, Chicago is planning a house party and Salt Lake City is planning a major event with Muhammad Yunus. Please include fundraising in your 2013 kickoff and planning meetings. Contact Cindy Levin, Grassroots Development Associate, for assistance.
“We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.”
-President Barack Obama, from 2013 Inaugural Address
1. January 25, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Please RSVP for the call so we can welcome you. Dial-in number: (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262
2. January 29, 9 pm ET. Webinar on Establishing Relationships with Members of Congress, New and Old. To join the meeting from your computer or mobile device, click or copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/18400299. To join the audio portion of this meeting, you can dial in directly to (775) 996-3560 or join via Skype by dialing out to “fuzemeeting.” Then, when prompted for room number, dial 796141#.
3. February 9, 2 pm ET. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns featuring Representative Nita Lowey (NY). Dial (888) 409-6709 to join.
4. February 11, 8 pm ET. RESULTS Free Agents call for global poverty advocates. (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 for more information on this monthly group call.
5. February 11, 9 pm ET. Webinar on How to Organize a Powerful Meeting with Your Members of Congress. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join. This training is perfect for help on how to request a face-to-face meeting with members of Congress when they are back home in your district and then make the most of that meeting.
6. February 13, 8 pm ET. (Please note the corrected time). RESULTS Website Tour. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join this informative call. Please note the corrected time.
7. February 13, 9 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Please RSVP for the call so we can welcome you. Dial-in number: (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262.
8. July 20–23, 2013. RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC. Dr. Muhammad Yunus and author/speaker Marianne Williamson are already set to join us. Mark your calendar now!