January 2017 U.S. Poverty Action

Plan Your First 100 Days Campaign

Do a “Full Court Press” on Ending Poverty by Meeting with Congressional Offices in the First 100 Days of 2017

In January, RESULTS is launching its First 100 Days Campaign, an ambitious endeavor to shape the agenda of the new Congress and Trump Administration during their first 100 days in office. We know that meeting and building relationships with members of Congress and their staff is the most powerful route to creating the political will to end poverty. Therefore, our goal for this new campaign is to have 100 percent of RESULTS groups and Free Agents meeting face-to-face with their members of Congress or key staff during the first 100 days.

The 2017 Group Planning process will focus on the first 100 Days of 2017 (roughly through the end of April). You’ll make plans and set goals for this period so your time and energy will laser-focused on making this campaign a success. You’ll make plans for the rest of the year later this spring. Below is a guide to help you develop a powerful and effective group plan using RESULTS best practices.

Please complete your 2017 First 100 Days Group Plan no later than January 31, 2017. We encourage you to use the January 14 U.S. Poverty and Global Poverty National Webinars as an opportunity to plan. Otherwise, meet to plan some other time in January.  To prepare for your planning, please:

• Ask group members to complete the 2017 Individual Planning Sheet and bring it to your planning meeting (coming soon).
• Use the Group Planning Guide and fill out the Group Plan Summary as you plan.
• Have pen and paper available in case people want them for notes and exercises.
• Be creative, be bold, plan to have fun!​

First 100 Days Campaign Planning

A. Set the Stage. Use your completed 2017 Individual Planning Sheets and the Group Plan Summary for this section.

1. Choose a facilitator, timekeeper, and set up any rules you want for planning.
2. Outline your group norms. What “norms” do you want as part of your RESULTS group this year? (e.g. accountability, meeting regularly, following through on actions, etc.) Write these “group norms” down in section I of the 2017 Group Plan Summary.
3. Spend a few minutes celebrating your 2016 accomplishments and what excites you about the First 100 Days of your RESULTS advocacy in 2017.

B. Create Your First 100 Days Plan

1. Working with your Members of Congress
   1. List the names of your members of Congress, the point person in your group for each of them, and the key DC policy aide(s) for our issues. Find aide names here.
   2. Put a date by which you will submit a meeting request for each member of Congress. Face-to-face meetings with your lawmakers are your goal.
   3. We encourage you to assess where each of your members of Congress is on the Champion Scale. Discuss and write down one or two key actions that the group might take to move each member of Congress up the Champion Scale.
   4. If you cannot get a face-to-face meeting, request an in-person meeting with the closest local staff and ask if the appropriate aide in DC can join that meeting remotely. If you are not close to a local office, set up a conference call or video conference with your group and the DC aides who handle our issues.
   5. Once you get a meeting scheduled, please contact Meredith Dodson ([email protected]), to set up a lobby prep call to get ready for your meeting.
2. Additional First 100 Days Goals.
   1. Please list your Group Leader name(s) and when your monthly meetings will take place.
   2. The First 100 Days Campaign is also about growing our movement. The November election has prompted many people to ask “how can I be more engaged in my democracy?” Answer that question by inviting them to get involved with RESULTS. Identify the number of people (and number of activities) you want to engage via outreach during the campaign. Brainstorm when, where, and how you will reach out to new people.
   3. List how many group members plan to attend the 2017 RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC (July 22-25). List their names if known.
   4. Do you plan to do a fundraiser before the end of April? If so, please circle what you plan to do (online Friends & Family Campaign, an event, or something else), the amount you want to raise, and the approximate date you will do it.
   5. Your Local Action Network (people additional to your group who can take quick action) will be important in helping shape the anti-poverty agenda in Congress. Use the First 100 Days Campaign to engage them (“Our group is meeting with our Senator next week; can you supplement our efforts by calling their offices today”)? List how many new people you’ll engage into your Local Action Network during the first 100 days?
   6. List how much media you will generate during the First 100 Days.

Congratulations! You have completed your First 100 Days Plan! Well done! If you did your First 100 Days Plan on paper, please take a few minutes to enter this information in our online First 100 Days Group Plan Summary (www.tinyurl.com/First100Plan).  Please do this no later than January 31, 2017. If you cannot enter your plan into the online form, please send a copy of your 2017 First 100 Days Group Plan Summary to your Regional Coordinator and Jos Linn ([email protected]).