RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update May 12, 2020

Quote of the Week

“You have the chance now to save hundreds of thousands of lives. You. Now.”

– RESULTS Cheyenne volunteer Ann Erdmann in a May 7 letter to the editor in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle

RESULTS Coronavirus Resources

Our coronavirus pandemic page is a great resource for you with information on conducting virtual meetings, advocating online, generating media, what’s happening on coronavirus and poverty in Congress, and more. Visit the page regularly to get the latest news on our work during the outbreak.

Table of Contents

• Global Poverty Campaigns Update
• U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
• RESULTS Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Global Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Ask Congress to prioritize global health and education during the COVID-19 crisis

Got Ten Minutes? Ask your legislators to speak to congressional leadership about global priorities during COVID-19

As a leader in global health and development, the United States must urgently respond to contain and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and protect hard-fought gains in global health and education in low-income countries. Although the virus threatens near universal disruption, it’s the communities facing poverty, already pushed to the margins, that face the greatest risks. And it’s not just the direct effects of COVID-19 that are of concern. It’s the impact on other health services and education as well as the toll COVID-19 will take on fragile economies. As Congress considers additional emergency COVID-19 funding, we must urge support for specific priorities as part of a larger emergency international relief package of at least $12 billion.

TAKE ACTION: Read our latest blogpost which contains an outline of and rationale for our global COVID-19 policy priorities. Take these priorities to your legislators and ask them to forward them to House and Senate leadership, particularly of the Appropriations Committee and of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations, so that these provisions are included in the next COVID emergency funding bill.

Got Another Ten Minutes? Get published on protecting global health and education during the pandemic.

Getting powerful, personal pieces published in your local paper is a terrific way to get the issues we care about noticed by decision-makers. Right now, we need the media to sound the call – marginalized communities can’t bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.

Utilize our May Action Sheet to underscore our top action by getting published. You can use the action sheet’s accompanying outreach guide to engage your action network and other RESULTS supporters in writing and submitting letters to the editor – a great thing to do in the run-up to the International Conference. You can even inspire a new letter writer by sharing this quick action alert which is designed to help anyone get published.

TAKE ACTION: Use our May Action Sheet to engage your action network in writing and submitting letters to the editor. Use our action alert to help new writers try their hand at writing and submitting a letter to the editor as well – perhaps for the very first time!

QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY

Congratulations on your outstanding work. Did you know that the sign-on letter urging $1 billion emergency funding for the Global Fund (in the context of the COVID-19 crisis) garnered 105 signers? Did you also know that this year’s set of House and Senate sign-on letters across our campaigns – all 8 letters – were a clean sweep in terms of having more signatures than last year? That’s down to your hard work, and we couldn’t be prouder. Thank you for your stellar advocacy!

A new advocacy program for African diaspora leaders. On Thursday April 16, RESULTS kicked off the African Leadership Cohort. This program is aimed at increasing African Diaspora representation within the RESULTS movement through new advocate recruitment, new leadership development, and building a creative and safe space for African Diaspora community. The African Leadership Cohort (ALC) will center the voices and elevate the power of African immigrants within the RESULTS movement. Read more on our blog.

Nutrition report is out. The 2020 Global Nutrition Report: Action on equity to end malnutrition is now available. Read the report online.

U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to provide emergency rental assistance

Got Ten Minutes? Use media to keep pushing on housing and hunger

Your advocacy is working! Today, House leaders released their draft legislation for the next COVID-19 response. It includes the priorities we are seeking:

• $100 billion for emergency rental assistance
• A national moratorium on evictions for one year (from date of enactment)
• A 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit from June 2020 through September 2021

In addition, the House proposal includes expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) – longtime RESULTS priorities – along with many other provisions. This could not come too soon. At the end of last week came the staggering news that unemployment in April was at nearly 15 percent, three times the level it was two months ago. As a result, millions of families are struggling to keep a roof over their head despite increased short-term unemployment benefits and cash payments.

Congress has the power to help. Acting now can help us prevent a worse situation down the road. Your media advocacy can make a difference. Use letters to the editor this month to push lawmakers into action.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to submit letters to the editor urging Congress to assist low-income renters and hungry families in the next COVID-19 response (just like the new House bill). The May 2020 U.S. Poverty Action has sample letters to get you started. Use the options provided to submit multiple letters. If you need assistance, please contact Jos Linn. Once you get published, let us know and leverage your media by sending copies to your congressional offices and sharing it on social media.

Got Fifteen Minutes?  Keep scheduling lobby meetings

The next COVID-19 bill is going to be a hard fight. If we want that bill to include provisions for struggling renters and hungry families, we must persist. Your online activity is one step. On the May 4 Housing Day of Action, 251 people took action using our online housing alert (826 have taken action on housing since March 1). Your media is another step. RESULTS volunteers have generated 81 media pieces on housing this year, with many more expected this month. And then there’s the cream of the crop – your direct advocacy with lawmakers and their staff. In 2020, RESULTS volunteers have already done 126 lobby meetings to discuss housing and other U.S. poverty issues. This is you building political will (and part of the reason the new House bill includes the provisions we want).

But we must persist. If there are congressional offices you have yet to meet with, schedule meetings with them now. Also, we hope everyone participating in the virtual RESULTS International Conference will also lobby Congress during our week of action, June 22-25. Once you register for the Conference, coordinate with your group to start scheduling follow-up meetings during the week of action, with an emphasis on getting virtual face-to-face meetings (please let us know about your week of action meetings here).

TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to continue scheduling meetings with representatives and senators and/or their staff. In your meetings, tell them to support $100 billion in emergency rental assistance, a national moratorium on evictions, a 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit, and an expansion of the EITC/CTC as outlined here. Use the April Action and our Lobbying page for background and materials. When you get a meeting scheduled, please contact RESULTS staff to help you get ready. After you’ve done your meeting, please let us know how it went by filling out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form.

QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY

Watch racial equity conversation on May 21. On Thursday, May 21 at 2:30 pm ET, join Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist voices, and Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, for a conversation on how our housing and homelessness response to COVID-19 must center racial equity and address systemic inequities and discrimination. You can register for this event here.

Take action to protect immigrant families during pandemic. Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) is urging you to take action to ensure that the next COVID-19 legislation eliminates barriers to health screenings, provides diagnosis and treatment, and supports other basic needs for immigrant families. RESULTS joined 650 other organizations calling on Congress to fix provisions from pervious COVID-19 bills that denied financial relief to immigrant families. Finally, if you are connected to immigrant communities, please remind them that Pandemic EBT for SNAP (P-EBT) is available to people regardless of immigration status and is not considered in the public charge test. See resources to help here.

RESULTS Announcements

Register today for the RESULTS International Conference! Registration for 2020 RESULTS International Conference is open! We’re going virtual this year. On June 20-21, join us online to hear from top speakers, get advocacy skills trainings, and prepare for lobby meetings held during our local advocacy week of action (June 22-25). Go to www.results.org/conference/about to register today. If you’d like to participate in lobby meetings during the week of action, the deadline to sign up is May 26 to allow enough time to prepare together. After you’ve registered, work with your groups to book your virtual lobby meetings with your senators and representatives, focusing on getting virtual face-to-face meetings (and please log all your week of action meetings here). If you don’t plan to lobby, you can register for the virtual conference until Friday, June 19 (and if you’d like to invite someone to attend the conference, why not use our laser talk to help you make that invitation?)

“Celebrating 40 Years of Advocacy” fundraising. Celebrate RESULTS’ anniversary and help fund the next chapter of our work. Thanks to a group of generous donors, gifts from first-time donors and increased gifts from returning donors will be matched 1:1 up to $165,000! Just like advocating, donating is a powerful way to make a difference. Visit results.salsalabs.org/40years to learn how you can participate. If you have questions, please contact Mea Geizhals at [email protected].

Cameron Duncan Media Award Nominations. RESULTS is now accepting nominations for the 2020 Cameron Duncan Media Award. This award is given each year to a journalist or editor for outstanding work on issues related to poverty (see a full list of past honorees online). To nominate someone, send a short nomination email (1-3 paragraphs) with links to recent relevant clips that demonstrate the journalist’s dedication to poverty issues to Jos Linn by Friday, June 5.

RESULTS quarterly meeting with Grassroots Board Members. On Thursday, May 14 at 9:00 pm ET, come share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas about RESULTS with your RESULTS Grassroots Board Members. Join at https://results.zoom.us./j/427521404. Or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 427 521 404.

Join Understanding Domination v. Partnership Culture webinar. Join our next anti-oppression discussion focused on the differences between domination and partnership culture and how these perspectives impact our view of gender, race, age, and economic status. The webinar is Tuesday, May 19 at 9:00 pm ET. Our discussion guide includes a video to watch before the webinar and how to join.

Don’t forget to report your actions! Are you all caught up with reporting your lobbying, media, and outreach actions for the first part of the year? Click through for report forms for your lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities.

Have you missed any trainings recently? We have some great webinar recordings on holding a virtual group meeting, holding a remote lobby meeting, writing/submitting letters to the editor, and engaging new advocates successfully. Check them out!

RESULTS Fellowship. The RESULTS Organizing and Advocacy Fellowship (formerly known as REAL Change) is a hands-on, year-long advocacy program for people 20–30 years old who learn how to create change through advocacy. Learn more and apply today. Applications are open until September 30. The new class will start in December.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The Senate is in Washington this week while House members are working remotely. Submit your remote meeting requests today.

Tuesday, May 12: Book Discussion, The Righteous Mind, 9:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom online or dial (669) 900-6833 US or (646) 876-9923, meeting ID 655 036 085, password: 641539. Focusing on pp. 150-218.

Thursday, May 14: RESULTS Quarterly Meeting with Grassroots Board Members, 9 pm ET. Come share your thoughts and ideas with your RESULTS Grassroots Board Members. Join at: https://results.zoom.us./j/427521404. Or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 427 521 404.

Monday, May 18: Global Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm ET and 8:00 pm ET. Join a great conversation via https://results.zoom.us/j/464361707 or, by phone, dial (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 464 361 707.

Tuesday, May 19: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 324 294 681.

Tuesday, May 19: Understanding Domination v. Partnership Culture webinar, 9:00 pm ET. Please review the discussion guide which login information and a link to a video to watch before the webinar.

Wednesday, May 27: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Sign up online.

Saturday, June 6: RESULTS United Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828.

June 20-21: RESULTS Virtual International Conference. Register here.

June 22-25: RESULTS Week of Action. Read more here.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page.

Please let us know about your recent grassroots successes in lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory.