RESULTS Weekly Update October 15, 2024

Quote of the Week

“Policies that ensure our safety, security, and prosperity. That’s what we all want. Together, we can demand it.”

– RESULTS New Hampshire Advocate Annabelle Ortiz in an October 2 op-ed in Other Words

Table of Contents

• Election engagement: Three weeks until Election Day
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Election engagement: Three weeks until Election Day

Election Day is now just three weeks from today. In the time that we have left before then, what will you do to make poverty an election issue?

Will you search for candidates to ask them to reduce child poverty with an expansion of the Child Tax Credit for families with low incomes? Will you urge them to help end global malnutrition with a bold pledge at the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit? Will you ask them to reject cuts or restrictions to SNAP that would cause greater hunger? When you ask these questions, you bring poverty to the forefront of the conversation. You educate candidates on what’s at stake and remind them to whom they are accountable.

Or perhaps it’s media. Have you submitted a letter to the editor urging the House to pass the End Tuberculosis Now Act? Have you pushed lawmakers to address homelessness by working to make housing affordable? Have you reminded voters that Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has saved millions of children from preventable disease? Your next letter could be the tipping point that translates a mere thought into action.

That first conversation, that first email, that first letter to the editor is where change begins. You can’t move a mountain all at once. It starts with moving one rock. And then another. And another. Then others see you moving rocks and join in. And pretty soon, the mountain is moved. That is the power of your advocacy. In these last three weeks before the election, don’t stare at the mountain you want to move. Instead, find the first rock and pick it up.

TAKE ACTION: Help us make poverty an election issue by talking to candidates and getting media published today. Use our candidate engagement resources and engagement guide (which has sample questions to ask) to find and talk to candidates. Also, please continue to generate media for our Double/50 media campaign. You’ve gotten 67 media pieces published in 21 states since September 1. Excellent work! Let’s get 300 pieces and all 50 states covered by December 31. You can find LTE templates and hooks for letters and op-eds in the Double/50 Campaign media hooks tracker. And please let us know when you get published by completing our media report form. Thank you!

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Don’t let two vital global poverty actions stall! You may have heard that about a month ago, the Senate finally voted unanimously to pass the End Tuberculosis Now Act through the hotline process. The Senate bill has now been referred to the House. This month, it will be important to ask House members – especially those that have co-sponsored the bill – to push Leadership, Speaker Mike Johnson and Whip Steve Scalise to have the bill be voted on after the election. Read our recent press release about S.288’s passage as we next urge action in the House through co-sponsorship and, ultimately, passage. Plus, we are still continuing to gather co-sponsors for resolutions in both the Senate and the House which support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in advance of the full pledging conference in 2025. We need more co-sponsors to help us reinforce the Administration’s earlier pledge. Co-sponsorships have slowed. Please ask your legislators to co-sponsor the Gavi resolutions (S.Res.684 and H.Res.1286). Use our online action today to make your Gavi resolution requests.

IRS Direct File. The United States Treasury Department announced that the new IRS Direct File tool will be available to 30 million taxpayers in 24 states for next year’s filing season! Direct File is a free and easy way for filers with simple tax returns to get the refunds owed to them without having to pay exorbitant fees to tax prep companies. Check the announcement to see if your state will be eligible!

What was the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Like? Hear about the UNGA and its work on world health straight from a presenter, our own Dorothy Monza who works on our maternal/child health portfolio. Enjoy her vivid description of her part in the event and share her determination to make change in the context of equity. Read this latest blogpost.

Announcements

Join the Fall Friends & Family campaign! Fall is a time to reflect on the good things of life and to consider sharing with others. One thing you can share is your passion for RESULTS’ mission. How? Launch a Friends & Family fundraising page and invite your network to support you in your work to end poverty! Friends and Family fundraisers are easy to set up, customize, and share with your community. Visit www.results.org/fundraise to view current fundraisers being held by your fellow advocates and learn how to create a page for yourself or a group!

Register for the National Webinar on November 2. During next month’s National Webinar, we will hear from Dr. Joanne Carter and Board Chair Kul Gautam in conversation. Dr. Joanne Carter is RESULTS’ executive director, and Kul Gautam serves as RESULTS Board Chair. He is also Former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. Together, they will explore key questions: What is RESULTS’s vision and mission post-election? How do we continue to raise the profile of our issues and keep building on our successes toward a world free of poverty? Come along for an invigorating webinar on Saturday, November 2 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Register today.

Submit Nominations for Leadership Awards. Nominate a RESULTS grassroots volunteer for the Bob Dickerson Leadership Award. We give this award for extraordinary leadership and commitment to our mission. Nominate a journalist, editor, or grassroots volunteer for the Cameron Duncan Media Award. We give this award for outstanding poverty-related media work. To nominate for a 2024 award, please complete the awards nomination form by Monday, November 4. We will announce nominees and winners in December. For more information, contact Joanna DiStefano.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: Both the House and the Senate are on recess until November 12.

Find these and other events on our website Events Calendar.

Tuesday, October 15: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, October 15: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter, 8:30 p.m. ET. Read more.

Wednesday, October 16: Action Network Manager Calls, 12:30 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/95416781155 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 954 1678 1155. No registration required.

Wednesday, October 16: Media Office Hour, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET. Drop in at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494. No registration is required.

Thursday, October 17: New Advocate Orientation, 1:00 p.m. ET. Registration open!

Monday, October 28: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 p.m. ET. Contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Tuesday, October 29: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 p.m. ET. Registration is open.

Wednesday, October 30: New Advocate Mentor Community Call, 8:00 p.m. ET. Register today for this quarterly call.  

Friday, November 1: 2025 RESULTS Fellowship Application Closes!

Saturday, November 2: National Webinar, 1:00 p.m. ET. Guests: RESULTS Executive Director Dr. Joanne Carter and RESULTS Board Chair Kul Gautam. Register for the webinar.

Typically, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Grassroots Resources

• EOPs: Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
• Actions and volunteer resources: Visit our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].
• Please report your actions. Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our form to add to/edit your info and to sign up for updates and alerts.
• Share your story. If you have an inspiring story about advocacy, please tell us about it. Also, if you want to celebrate the actions of a new volunteer, sharing about the experience.
• Questions for the Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
• Staff and jobs: RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.