Global Weekly Update May 26, 2014

Top Action: Generate Media on the Global Partnership for Education 

We have an audacious, yet reachable goal of 25 editorials, 30 op-eds, and 125 letters to the editor on the Global Partnership for Education, and while we're still making our list and checking it twice, we believe so far you've gotten at least 8 editorials, 10 op-eds, 40 letters to the editor, 7 features, and 5 radio spots. WONDERFUL! Keep going!

Global access to educatio is already in the news. Unfortunately, tragickidnapping of Nigerian school girls has thrust the issue of access to basic education into the spotlight. If you've been feeling helpless about what to do, take the next step with RESULTS. We can take a stand for basic education so that education for all is a foregone conclusion. Grab pen and paper . . . take a hold of your laptop . . . get writing! 

What could you do?

1. Pitch an Editorial. Contact the editor of a newspaper and ask them to write an editorial on the current crisis in education and the opportunity we have to right things in June at the pledging conference for the Global Partnership for Education. Use our media toolkit to prepare for and make your pitch. 

2. Create an Op-ed. Channel your passion on this issue into an op-ed that you write alone or with a community leader or educator. Use our editorial packet and May Action Sheet as resources.

3. Write a Letter to the Editor and Engage Others to Write, Too. Use our May Action sheet to write a letter to the editor and/or to engage a group of people in writing letters to the editor during an Education & Action meeting. There are almost unlimited writing hooks in papers on education: Malala Yousafzai, the Nigeria crisis, teacher salaries, Common Core, charter schools, education budgets, etc. 

Check out our blog for inspiration, as it features your media. 

Resources!

Find a collection of our support resources on our website.

• Updated editorial packet, with new pitch angles and hooks to help you persuade your local writer or newspaper to cover GPE!
• Recording of the May Global National Conference Call on the Global Partnership for Education featuring Sarah Brown
• RESULTS Report: Greater Impact Through Partnership: 8 Reasons to Invest in the Global Partnership for Education and a new blog post on Reason #8, "Demand for the Global Partnership for Education is on the Rise."​ 
• A tip sheet to help you make the case to your local community of "why education, why now?"
• General help securing a meeting with your editorial board
• A sample meeting request you can customize

81 Signatures on the Letter to President Obama on GPE!

Incredible work! Thanks in large part to your efforts, a record 81 members of the House joined a letter led by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) calling on President Obama and USAID to show bold leadership at the Global Partnership for Education pledging conference on June 26 and pledge $250 million over 2 years to help 29 million new school children get into primary school. The final list of signatures is on our website. Marvelous work, as this letter will send our message loud and clear. 

International Conference: Get Ready!

*New Guest Speaker Announced* Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI Alliance, will be joining us at this year's conference!

1. Don't Wait to Register! The late registration rate takes effect June 3.

2. Preparation Checklist! Want to get ready for the conference? Can't attend this year but want to be part of the action from home? This checklist is what you need!

3. Lobby Day Meetings on Tuesday, June 24. Now is the time to book your Lobby Day meetings on Capitol Hill! It's going to be a powerful day as we descend on the Hill to make our case for the end of extreme poverty. Coming with others from your state? Get in touch with your fellow advocate attendees and work together to secure face-to-face meetings for that day with your senators. Coming solo or for the first time? Get in touch with Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, for assistance with your Lobby Day bookings. And check out our best advice on securing a meeting. Can't attend the conference this year? Why not secure a face-to-face during August recess or make plans to dial via conference call into meetings being held by your fellow advocates on Tuesday, June 24?

IMPORTANT: Then, don't forget to report your meeting bookings. Let us know the details in our online form. 

4. Lobby Day Preparation. Once you have your Lobby Day meetings booked, schedule a group lobby prep session! The legislative handbook, a great primer on our issues, will be available next week, and that will be of use to you as well.  Want to take advantage of this one-on-one coaching in advance of the big Lobby Day on Tuesday, June 24? We can schedule Lobby Day prep calls at various times during the first two weeks of June. First, check with your group to see how you best want to gather for a meeting. (Also, consider if you will be holding some meetings with U.S. poverty advocates or, in the case of the Senate, with other groups in your state). Once your group is ready to request a time slot, e-mail Crickett Nicovich, Global Policy Associate, with the following information:

• Two preferred time slots for the meeting
• Who will be joining the call
• Preferred method of connecting for the call (Skype, direct line, etc.)
• Members of Congress with whom you'll be meeting and some relevant background on those members

And if you're coming to the conference on your own for the first time, please contact Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroot Associate, if you could use a hand! 

5. Lobby Day Reception. Watch this space for sample invitation templates for the June 24 evening reception; this week, you'll have what you need to invite your Members of Congress. 

6. Submit Photos! We are collecting photos from your groups and communities to put into a slide show during the International Conference. Please e-mail your photos to our office. For those who will not be with us in DC, be with us in spirit! Put a message about how YOU are helping end poverty or what you wish to see us accomplish on paper and include it in your photo. 

7. Ask Questions! Do you have a question you'd like to submit to one of our main conference speakers? Submit your question online!

8. Agenda. Check out agenda updates online. 

Fundraising Update: Thank You, Cindy Levin!

This week, RESULTS Grassroots Development Associate Cindy Changyit Levin will be leaving RESULTS staff. Cindy has been an invaluable resource and inspiration for our fundraising efforts the last few years. She has worked tirelessly to find new and creative ways to engage and support RESULTS volunteers in doing the essential work of raising money for our anti-poverty efforts. Anyone who has worked with Cindy knows that she brightens any room with her presence and inspires you to face challenges head on and succeed when you didn’t think you could. Her last day will be May 29. She will be missed.

Fortunately, she is not going far. Cindy came to RESULTS as a volunteer and continues to demonstrate what a wonderful advocate for the end of poverty she is. Thankfully, Cindy will continue to be a RESULTS volunteers in the St. Louis area, co-leading the new global group started there. She will also continue to fundraise for RESULTS and will of course be in attendance at the RESULTS International Conference in D.C. next month (with her daughters)! You can follow Cindy’s adventures at her Anti-Poverty Mom blog.

Thank you, Cindy. You have been a great asset to RESULTS and we look forward to working with you going forward in creating a world free of poverty. After Thursday, you can direct your fundraising questions to Jen DeFranco. Also, if you or someone you know is interested in doing fundraising support for RESULTS, you can see more details about the open position online.

Our nation has joined other world leaders in recognizing the value of educating all our children, the world’s greatest resource. We stand by that pledge and hope our leaders will too.

– Nancy Curtiss, Olympian; March 1, 2014

For a complete calendar, see our website.

1. Next House and Senate Recesses of 2014: Senate: May 26-30; House, June 2-6. Schedule face-to-face meetings.

2. May 30, 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. June 11, 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. June 14, 2 pm ET. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Campaigns. Join the call at (888) 409-6709.

5. June 16, 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.

6. June 17, 8 pm ET. Monthly Media Support Call. Dial (712) 775-7300, passcode 954747. Get great tips, encouragement, and support from fellow advocates so that you can achieve powerful, effective media work.

7. June 21-24. 2014 RESULTS International Conference in Washington, D.C.