Global Weekly Update July 8, 2013
Join Our National Grassroots Conference Call This Saturday, July 13!
Do you hear the rumbling in the distance? That's the start of slowly building momentum . . . a new advocacy push in support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
You did a great job landing media in support of the Global Fund on and around World TB Day this spring. Now, letters to Capitol Hill in support of the Global Fund are already being written and either sent ahead by mail or put in the suitcases of International Conference attendees so that members of Congress can hear clear nationwide support for robust funding for the Global Fund as the appropriations process finishes and we look to fall Global Fund replenishment talks. (See the next section of the Weekly Update for how you can participate in the letter-writing, too.)
Hear more about our Global Fund advocacy, along with top tips for being part of the International Conference happenings, on the call. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join the national call at 2 pm ET this Saturday, July 13!
There's Still Time! Speak Up for the Global Fund in Washington, DC, and Enlist Others to Help!
On July 23, hundreds of us will be storming Capitol Hill to have influential meetings with our senators and representatives for the end of poverty as part of the 2013 RESULTS International Conference (July 20–23). Even those who won’t be traveling to Washington can be part of the day! Here’s how to make the most of the opportunity we’ll have:
The July action sheet, carried over from June, is a great tool for mobilizing constituents to write letters on the Global Fund. The letters can then be hand-carried to the conference and delivered in person to your members of Congress. Write a letter and give it to your group leader to take to DC or send it to Lisa Marchal. Ask others to write as well. Later this year the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will be hosting a replenishment conference with the aim of raising $15 billion for the next three years of work. We want to make sure the U.S. shows up with a pledge for at least one-third of that amount. According to research conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation, constituent letters to our members of Congress are very influential. Your letters will let Congress and the administration know that we want the U.S. to continue to lead on the Global Fund.
Share the action sheet with members of your group and members of your action network who can’t be in DC in a few weeks. Write a letter yourself. Fill your suitcase with letters you can hand-deliver and empower fellow advocates at home be part of of a strong showing in Washington.
Last-minute To-Do List for the International Conference
Joining us for the 2013 RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC, this year? We’re excited about it! Here’s what you ought to add to your to-do list this month to get ready:
1. Read the helpful Legislative Handbook which provides great background material on our issues and 2013 requests.
2. Use this International Conference checklist to help you prepare and organize for your trip to DC!
3. Have you booked your Hill meetings with your members of Congress for Tuesday, July 23? Report them!
4. For the culmination of our big Lobby Day on July 23, we’ll once again be hosting a reception on Capitol Hill and Prof. Yunus will join as our special guest. We’d like to have many members of Congress also attend, so take this last chance to issue in invitation. Use this customizable template to create an invitation of your own.
Grassroots News You Can Use
1. Register today for the Everyday Hero Virtual Dash, a virtual fundraising run/walk event to celebrate and support our RESULTS volunteer advocates at the International Conference. Here is how it works: Choose your date, time, and distance to dash up until July 28 and earn a really cool hero medal! Participants who are actually in DC on July 21 can dash with us in person and in superhero costume (optional) at 7 am ET from the conference hotel, picking a 1-mile or 5K run/walk. Registration is $25 and includes a race bib and a hero medal to forever remind you how important your RESULTS support is. No need to ask people to sponsor you, but it can be a great outreach activity to ask your friends to participate in, too; they can be heroes themselves!
2. Have you checked out the RESULTS Blog lately? On July 12, youth from around the world will gather together and participate in the first-ever youth takeover of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The youth takeover, a global gathering in honor of Malala Yousafazi, will commemorate Malala's 16th birthday and is also her first major public appearance since the Taliban's assassination attempt on her last October. An active champion for girls' education, 15-year-old Malala garnered national attention that registered her as a threat to the Taliban's edict mandating that no girl attend school. You can read more about this upcoming event, as well as read a take on President Obama's recent trip to Africa, on our blog!
3. Catch up on your advocacy reporting! Have you and/or your group caught up on reporting your 2013 lobby meetings and other advocacy actions? Now is a great time to catch up!
“If you look at the bang for the buck that we’re getting when it’s done right, when it’s well designed, and when it’s scaled at the local level with input from local folks, it can really make a huge difference.”
– President Obama, speaking about the value of foreign aid, summer 2013
1. July 10, 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.
2. July 12, 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.
3. July 13, 2 pm ET. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join!
4. July 15, 8 pm ET. Next 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.
5. July 16, 8 pm ET. Media Support Call. 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. Dial (218) 862-1300, passcode 682494 to join this call.
6. July 20–23. RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC. Register today!
7. July 29, 8 pm ET. What’s Next After the International Conference? Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Did you have a great experience getting to know RESULTS at the International Conference but still feel very new at advocacy and aren’t sure what to do next? You’re in luck! This call will help you craft next steps if you are a first-time attendee at the International Conference and/or a new(er) advocate and want help moving your advocacy forward.
8. August 14, 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.
9. August 23, 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.