Global Weekly Update September 20, 2010

Top Action: Pedal-to-the-Metal on Media Until Global Fund Replenishment Meeting, Oct. 5

We have two opportunities to get the U.S. to take leadership on funding the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria with $6 billion over 3 years—the MDG Summit this week, and at the Global Fund replenishment meeting on October 5. So we must continue to push out media that calls on the president to take action on this. France and the UK have already agreed to increase their investments to the Global Fund, will the U.S.? We must keep the pressure up. Here are your tools:

1. Accumulated Global Fund Media. You have done a FANTASTIC job generating media. We have generated 13 editorials, 8 op-eds, and 30 letters to the editor! There is much more media as well. Here’s what you can do with it:

• Send it to your members of Congress in the House and Senate. Ask them to check on the status of the Global Fund pledge request with the administration. If your members of Congress did not support this, let them know that there has been a lot of support in Congress and among the public. I will help you the next time you make a request.
• Send it to your local papers. Use it as a way to encourage them to write on the Global Fund and the MDG Summit. You might say, “There has been a lot of media on the MDG Summit, including all of this media on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. This Summit is the biggest international event in recent history. You are planning on covering it, aren’t you?” It’s also a way to let the papers who did write know that their work is having impact.

2. Editorial packet, Winstone Zulu op-ed, and other tools on the RESULTS Blog.

3. Action request to Secretary of State Clinton. Get it out to everyone in your community.

Let’s keep going until we get the job done!

RESULTS Creates Champions and Takes Direct Action to Move 2/3 of House and Senate!

Tomorrow, September 22, HR 2000 will go to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. This is after RESULTS has worked with congressional champions and leaders, and individually with members of Congress to garner cosponsorship of the legislation by two-thirds of House and Senate. This is an amazing feat that many never have been accomplished in RESULTS history.

This was achieved with incredible determination and leadership by many of our activists and staff. To name a few, Wilma Soloman and the New Jersey activists worked with Representative Holt to introduce the legislation. Lenny Chorazy of Northern Virginia got his representative to agree to lead on the bill, and Lenny personally walked the halls of Congress to put the bill over the top. Grassroots chapters, like the ones in Illinois who got all but one Illinois representative on the bill, went above and beyond their traditional reach. Jen Maurer did an incredible job creating target lists of members who should be on the bill and supporting activists to dig deep and remain persistent, which helped get us over the finish line.

We’ll keep you informed about next steps for leveraging this opportunity. In the meantime, take a moment to celebrate the individual and group successes you had, and feel the power that RESULTS has when we all work together. You may be one activist or one group, but you carry the power of an entire nation of RESULTS activists with you anywhere you fight poverty. Congratulations!

Incredible Stand Up Events

There were quite a number great Stand Up/Outreach events this past weekend. Congratulations to all of you who participated. Be sure to report on your events on at the Stand Up website.

Also be sure to follow up with those who attended your events and make sure they have an opportunity to become RESULTS activists. Invite them to be trained at the New Activist Orientation: September 29, October 13, October 27, November 10. All sessions at 9 pm ET. Call in number is: (712) 432-3100, passcode: 761262.

The following groups had stand up events. Where there others?

Amherst College, MA; Asheville, NC; Atlanta; Austin (on YouTube); Cleveland; Coastal CT; Indianapolis; Madison, WI; Marin County, CA; Miami (pancake breakfast); New York City; Omaha; San Francisco (on ONE Blog); Westchester, NY

Congratulations on getting the word out on the MDGs!

Fall Fundraising Campaign Kicks Off & Update

Fall Fundraising Update

As fall fundraising gears up into full swing, Development Associates, Beth Wilson and Mark Coats are reaching out to regional coordinators to brief them on the Friends and Family campaign and to secure time on the regional coordinator conference calls to share information and review materials volunteers will need to conduct their local Friends and Family campaigns. Beth and Mark will walk volunteers through the process from developing prospect lists and setting goals to preparing letters, making follow-up phone calls and tracking gifts.

Solicitation materials will be sent to each group the week of September 27. The package will include all of the collateral materials volunteers will need to accompany their solicitation letters (e.g., the 30th Anniversary Brochure, remittance envelopes, and the monthly sponsorship brochure). Other instructional materials such as sample letters, the follow-up phone script and thank you letters may be obtained online at https://results.org/resources/fundraising_tools/.

If your group is considering a fundraising event or if you have questions about the Friends and Family letter writing campaign, please contact Donna Howard at (202) 783-4800 x124 or online at [email protected]. Support for large and small group events is always available.

Upcoming Fundraising Events

October 12: RESULTS Des Moines fundraiser.

October 16: RESULTS Santa Fe Fundraiser.

November 16: RESULTS Columbus Fundraiser.

December 5: RESULTS Chicago fundraiser

December 9: DC Fundraiser

I’m new to this but I’m heartened to find such positive supportive people. Last Friday I received a call from Washington. It was Congressman Sherman’s aide! I’d written a long but particularly passionate letter and even though he’d gone away on his two week annual vacation he was thoughtful enough to follow-up later with a phone call in response. I remembered what I read about talking points and thanking our representatives for their support. The training and written materials are already paying off. I realize this is probably a coincident but, wow! Talk about “RESULTS!” I’m just so pleased and impressed by this experience that I can’t help “proselytizing” to others about the effectiveness of getting involved in this campaign to educate and empower our citizens who care. Thanks to everyone at RESULTS for all the work that you do!

— Carol N. Hart, community organizer

September 20–22: UN MDG Summit.

October 5: Global Fund Replenishment Meeting

Sept. 29; October 13, 27; Nov. 10: New Activist Orientation. (712) 432-3100, passcode: 761262

October–December: Fall fundraising campaign.

October 3: Muhammad Yunus will be on the Simpsons to talk about the power of microfinance! Think about hosting a house party. Listen to this interview with Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson and microfinance advocate.

December 1: World AIDS Day. Interested in an event to raise awareness about TB-HIV coinfection? Think of all the possibilities, and then apply for a mini-grant to help your event take off!

Other Dates

September–November: We’ll be working to identify U.S. TB patient advocates who can speak powerfully about their experience with TB to make it real for our communities.

January 2010: Media training for TB Controllers and grassroots activists.

June 19–21: RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC