November 2016 U.S. Poverty Action

Grow Our Movement with the November Outreach Webinar

This year’s election provides you a great opportunity to grow your local RESULTS group and broaden our impact on poverty issues. People want their vote to mean something even after the election — and you can provide that by introducing them to RESULTS. Each new person you add brings us that much closer to realizing a country and world without poverty.

RESULTS is hosting a National Outreach Webinar on Tuesday, November 15 at 8:00 pm ET. This will be one week after the election, which is an ideal time to inform new people on how the election results will impact our issues going forward. Powerful guest speaker Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, President and CEO of the Center for Global Policy Solutions, will provide her election reactions and insights on how best to make issues of poverty and closing the racial wealth gap a top priority for the next President and Congress.

Use this opportunity to grow your group and create a stronger voice for the end of poverty.

Take These Steps to Have a Successful Local Outreach Event

1. Pick a location for your event (now). Your location should be convenient to get to (and park/reach by public transit), have a good internet or phone connection, and be large enough to accommodate the people you are inviting. Someone’s family room, a library, a church, or a community center are good options.
2. Set Your Agenda and Confirm the Time (now). When do you want your meeting to start and end? The webinar will start at 8:00 pm ET and will run approximately 45 minutes. Your agenda should not only include the webinar, but also time for you to give people a brief overview of RESULTS and your local group. Eastern and Central time zones may want to do this before the webinar and Mountain and Pacific Time zones may want to do it after. You also want to provide time for questions after the webinar and time to make an “ask” for people to join your group. Use our sample agenda for ideas on how to structure your meeting.
3. Localize the RESULTS promotional materials for your event (now). Once you have your location and time, tailor our Outreach Webinar flyers listing the details for your local meeting. Find these materials at the bottom of our Outreach Webinar page.
4. Make a list of invitees (now). Start with a list of friends and family, regardless of how you think they might respond. Each time a name pops in your head, put it on the list. Each person in your group should do this (we can help you connect out-of-town friends to their local RESULTS group).
5. Start Personally Inviting People to Attend (now up to event day). This is the most important task for your event. Personal invitations (a conversation in person, a phone call, a personal e-mail with phone call follow-up) are essential. People are more likely to accept an invitation to an event when someone they know personally invites them. Once you have your list, start contacting people. As you think of new people, invite them. Invite people all the way up to November 15 – people will surprise you. As you invite people, note on your list if they are coming or not.
6. Finalize agenda (a week before your event). Meet as a group to confirm everyone knows their role at the event itself. Practice your speaking parts and give each other feedback. Also, if you are serving food at the event, decide what it will be and who is bringing what.
7. Test your equipment (2-3 days before event). Go to your meeting location and test your computer or phone for the webinar, check the internet connection, and test any other equipment you are using (projectors, screens, speakers, etc.).
8. Gather and print out materials (2-3 days before event). Make sure you have your PowerPoint, action sheets, sign in sheets, participations forms, brochures, pens and paper ready to go. Download and print off these materials from the Outreach Webinar page. Also, set your next RESULTS meeting so you can tell people at the meeting (we have a flyer template you can use).
9. Do Reminder Calls (day before event). Using your list, call each person who confirmed to come (and maybes) to remind them of the location and time of the event and that you look forward to seeing them there. Personal reminders are pivotal to ensuring a good turnout.
10. Join and have fun! Join the webinar online at http://fuze.me/32255914 or by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. Arrive early to set up, stay late to clean up, and have a great time in-between.
11. IMPORTANT! Ask attendees to join your local RESULTS group (the “Ask”). At the end of the evening, invite attendees to join your local RESULTS group as volunteers. Be bold and confident when you make your “ask” (e.g. “Who wants to join this important effort?”). If people are unwilling to join, ask if they’d prefer to donate to RESULTS (can donate at the bottom of the RESULTS Participation Form).

Ensure a Success Event with Personal Follow-Up

So you’ve had a great event with lots of people and a number of potential new volunteers. But you haven’t sealed the deal yet. If you don’t follow up from your event, your new people will move on to other things.

1. Send Thank You Notes (within 48 hours of your event). Send personal thank you notes to everyone who attended the meeting, with a reminder of the date and time of your next meeting. Divide up the names among each member of your group.
2. Do Follow-up Calls (within 1 week after your event). Call each person who signed up to join the group. Have a conversation about that they liked about the webinar/event, why they want to get involved, and what they hope to get out of their RESULTS experience. Remind them again of the next meeting time and location.
3. Do Reminder Calls for Your Next Meeting (day before meeting). Same as #9 above.
4. Include Time in Your Meeting for New People. Making new people feel welcome will ensure that they stay involved. Dedicate time during the first meeting to allow people to introduce themselves, share why they want to get involved, and ask questions. Plan an easy action the group can take together (write letters, practice a laser talk, plan a meeting) so that new people feel included.