Global Weekly Update January 7, 2013
The Year Begins with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs!
How can you kick off your 2013 advocacy year in style?
We invite you to put two key things on your January calendars as we look ahead to all that 2013 has in store:
1. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns featuring Dr. Jeffrey Sachs! January 12, 2 pm ET. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join. Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goal, and friend of RESULTS, will be our special guest. As indicated in his extensive and inspiring bio, Dr. Sachs has twice been named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders and was cited by the New York Times as “probably the most important economist in the world.” Dr. Sachs was a favorite speaker at our 2012 International Conference, and we will be thrilled to get his take on the importance of our advocacy in 2013, what is at stake, and what is possible as we seek to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. So gather with your group, gather with friends, dial in, and be part of a great start to the new year.
2. 2013 Group (and Individual) Planning. Several of the 2013 Group Planning documents are available online, and the full set of documents will be completed shortly. You can find them in the section of our website that features group resources. Take a look at the materials and then set a time for your group to gather in January so you can wish each other a happy new year and kick the year off envisioning what you’d like to achieve in your advocacy in 2013. Or, if you are an advocate on your own, 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.
(Still need to do some reporting for 2012? Use our 2012 Lobby Report Form for congressional meetings and our 2012 Benchmark Report Form for all other advocacy activities.)
Commit to Meeting Face-to-Face with Your Legislators in the New Year
Take a look at the January 2013 action sheet, designed to help you land face-to-face meetings with your members of Congress early in the year. We know that face-to-face meetings between constituents and members of Congress are game-changers when it comes to effective advocacy. Do you have a new representative or senator? Never met face-to-face with your legislators? The 113th Congress has been sworn in, and as Senior Policy Associate Allison Grossman’s recent blog post on the fiscal cliff makes plain, the year will be filled with complexities and challenges for foreign affairs and the issues about which we are passionnate. But challenges are just what RESULTS’ers thrive on, so be bold. This is the year to make these face-to-face meetings happen. Let us help!
What Other Support is Available as You Begin in 2013?
Start now to make this your best advocacy year yet. Check out one of these support calls!
- First RESULTS Introductory Call of 2013: Wednesday, January 9, 9 pm ET. Please RSVP for the call so we can welcome you. Dial-in number: (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262.
- First RESULTS Free Agents Call for Global Poverty Advocates: Monday, January 14, 8 pm ET. (Bumped from normal date due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday.) If you live in a town where there’s no global poverty advocacy group, join the call. You’ll get the support and encouragement you need for your advocacy. Dial (218) 486-1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS).
- Great Call to Help You Learn About Your Legislators: January 15, 9 pm ET: Researching Your Member of Congress. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Have a new member of Congress? Want to learn more about your existing member of Congress? Join veteran advocate and regional coordinator Allison Gallaher for an informative call that will help you make the most of your advocacy year but giving you some top research tips and tools.
- RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC: July 20–23, 2013. Dr. Muhammad Yunus and author/activist Marianne Williamson are already set to join us. Mark your calendar now!
You can always find great calls and activities in the Upcoming Events section (in the sidebar) of this update.
Fundraising Kick-off and Some Great Reading
1. Our Washington DC RESULTS partners are holding a game night fundraiser at the Board Room on Wednesday, January 16, 6-8 pm. Please help them promote it by sharing their website where donors can also give online. And don’t forget to include fundraising in your group planning at the start of the year! Contact Cindy Levin if you’re making plans for a 2013 fundraising event; support is just a click away!
2. Looking for something cool to read? Try our blog! Current entries include a piece on global health milestones in 2012 as determined by Population Services International and an incredibly inspiring post by Deepak Premkumar, one of our collegiate advocates who participated in the 2012 International Conference, on the amazing World AIDS Awareness Week they had at Iowa State University just a month ago. That’s just a taste of what you enjoy on the RESULTS blog. Happy reading!
I like to spend my time for good.
I’m working with folks just like me.
Our group is called RESULTS because
We’re working to end poverty.
We write and call to Washington.
We lobby for the poor.
And, in the end, we get results
And make more lives secure.
-Written by RESULTS advocate Al Sheahan, San Fernando Valley
1. January 9, 9 pm ET. First RESULTS Introductory Call of 2013. Please RSVP for the call so we can welcome you. Dial-in number: (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262.
2. January 12, 2 pm ET. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns featuring Dr. Jeffrey Sachs. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join.
3. January 14, 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.
4. January 15, 9 pm ET: Researching Your Member of Congress. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Have a new member of Congress? Want to learn more about your existing member of Congress? Join veteran advocate and regional coordinator Allison Gallaher for an informative call that will help you make the most of your advocacy year but giving you some top research tips and tools.
5. 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!