U.S. Poverty Weekly Update December 6, 2016
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | December 6, 2016
“With the election behind us, it’s time to look ahead to next year. Here is a suggestion for our new president and Congress, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit.”
– RESULTS Milwaukee volunteer and Expert on Poverty Kali Daugherty in a November 21 letter to the editor in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Got Two Minutes? Got Two Minutes? Prepare for this Saturday’s Joint National Webinar
- Got Ten Minutes? Submit Your Own Letter to the Editor about Protecting Critical Anti-Poverty Programs (December Action)
- Got Twenty Minutes? Gear Up for a Busy 2017 by Scheduling Meetings Now
- Plan to Join RESULTS Messaging Webinar Next Week
- Quick News
- Upcoming Events
Quick Action: Urge Lawmakers to Protect Important Anti-Poverty Programs
| Take Action! |
Got Two Minutes? Prepare for this Saturday’s Joint National Webinar
After spending time on our national webinar last month assessing what the election may mean for Americans living in poverty, this month we’ll take a breath and use our national webinar to both celebrate what we’ve accomplished in 2016 and rally ourselves for the challenges and opportunities we face in 2017. We will gather this Saturday, December 10 at 2:00 pm ET for the RESULTS National Webinar, which will be a joint webinar with RESULTS U.S. and Global Poverty volunteers. It’ll be inspiring to hear what volunteers have been proud of this year and what they are inspired to do next year. Please join us.
Also, this webinar will be a great follow-up opportunity for new advocates you met during the November National Webinar with Dr. Maya Rockeymoore. Please reach out to them and invite them to join your local group for the webinar.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to remind your local RESULTS group about the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Conference call this Saturday, December 10 at 2:00 pm ET (note the later time). Coordinate with your group where you will meet for the call. The webinar is done through Fuze meeting. To join online, login at http://fuze.me/32255914 or dial in by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. Plan to log in or call in no later than 12:25 pm ET. If you have questions about Fuze or how to log in, please contact Jos Linn at [email protected]. We will have the December 2016 National Webinar slides available later this week in the Take Action box on the RESULTS Homepage.
Got Ten Minutes? Submit a Letter to the Editor about Protecting Critical Anti-Poverty Programs (December Action)
Millions of Americans are facing an uncertain future going into the holidays. They know that a new Congress is coming in and already there is talk about repealing the ACA Medicaid expansion, which force millions back into the ranks of the uninsured. Others remember the constant assault on SNAP over the last few years and wonder if this Congress might finally succeed in cutting this critical anti-hunger program and converting it to a block grant to states. But this future is not set. If enough people speak up and push just enough members of Congress in the right direction, we just might avoid these radical changes. But your voice is needed now more than ever.
We’re going to use media to make the case. We want to get at least 30 media hits before the end of this month. Members of Congress need to know now that any plans to attack anti-poverty programs in early 2017 will be met with stiff resistance. Your media – and lots of it – will send that message.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to write and submit your own letter to the editor telling your members of Congress to stand firm and oppose efforts to dismantle important anti-poverty programs. See the December Action for talking points for your letter and remember to call on your members of Congress by name. If you need help with drafting, fact-checking, or editing your letter, contact Jos Linn ([email protected] for assistance). Also, see our RESULTS Blog post from media expert Willie Dickerson on how to maximize your chances of getting published.
If you don’t have time to write your own letter, use our online media alert to send a quick LTE today. It is imperative that we get as many letters and other media pieces published as possible. See our Media Guide for outlets in your state.
Got Twenty Minutes? Gear Up for a Busy 2017 by Scheduling Meetings Now
In the coming weeks, RESULTS will officially unveil its First 100 Days Campaign – an ambitious and inspiring grassroots effort to shape the legislative agenda for the new Congress. This campaign will focus on every local RESULTS group meeting with their congressional offices to talk about important priorities in the fight against poverty in the first 100 days of 2017. Face-to-face meetings will be our most effective action in influencing these political decisions and the best way to get these important meetings is to start now.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to get started now on our First 100 Days Campaigns by requesting face-to-face meetings with your members of Congress (both House and Senate). To request a meeting, search for scheduler names on our Elected Officials page. If a new member of Congress is not listed there, go to their campaign website . For language to use in your requests, use our online lobby meeting request letter. Contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) if you need help with scheduling your meetings. Once you get a meeting scheduled, contact Meredith Dodson ([email protected]) to set up a lobby prep call to get you ready.
Join RESULTS Messaging Webinar Next Week
This year’s election was divisive and the outcome has created a lot of uncertainty. As a result, many RESULTS volunteers are now not sure how to talk about the election in relation to their work with RESULTS. Next week, RESULTS Director of Communications Colin Smith will host a webinar on Wednesday, December 14 at 8:00 pm ET to discuss ways you can talk about RESULTS and our continued commitment to create the political will to end poverty in the wake of the 2016 election. This will be an important discussion and very helpful in your advocacy work. We will also have a companion sample op-ed you can use to talk about poverty, the election, and citizen engagement in your local media outlets. Please plan to join (login information will be on the RESULTS Events Calendar later this week).
Quick News
RESULTS Free Agents Meet Next Tuesday. Our U.S. Poverty Free Agents will meet for their monthly support calls next Tuesday, December 13 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. If you live in an area with no active RESULTS U.S. Poverty group, join these monthly calls to celebrate recent successes and get coaching on taking action. To participate, login in at http://fuze.me/32256018 or dial by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32256018#.
RESULTS December Intro Calls Are Next Week. If you know someone looking to do something meaningful after this year’s election, invite them to join one of our RESULTS Intro Calls. This is a great way to learn about our work and get involved. Because of the holidays, we will hold both of this month’s calls next week – Monday, December 12 at 9:00 pm ET and Friday, December 16 at 1:00 pm ET. They can register for an Intro Call on the RESULTS website.
Sign Your RESULTS Group on to SAVE For All and Child Care Letters. As noted last week, the Coalition on Human Needs is circulating SAVE for All sign-on letter urging the new Congress to preserve critical policies and services that serve low-income Americans. Please sign your local RESULTS groups onto this letter by clicking here. In addition, the Child Care/Early Learning Coalition is looking for state and local signers for a letter to President-elect Trump about increase funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Please contact Faith Powell at [email protected] by this Thursday, December 8 to sign your local RESULTS group onto this letter as well.
Upcoming Events
Go to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Also, find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.
Upcoming staff vacations: Jos Linn, December 17 – January 2; Meredith Dodson and Kristy Martino, December 21 – January 2.
RESULTS Joint U.S. and Global Poverty National Webinar, Saturday, December 10 at 2:00 pm ET. Join online at http://fuze.me/32255914 or by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. Listen to previous webinars on our National Webinars page.
RESULTS Introductory Calls, Monday, December 12 at 9:00 pm ET and Friday, December 16 at 1:00 pm ET. If you want to learn more about RESULTS, register for an Intro Call on the RESULTS website.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, December 13 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. To participate, login in at http://fuze.me/32256018 or dial by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32256018#.
RESULTS and the Election Messaging Webinar, Wednesday, December 14 at 8:00 pm ET. Login info TBD.
RESULTS Offices closed, Saturday, December 24 – Monday, January 2. Happy Holidays!
RESULTS International Conference, Saturday, July 22 – Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC. More details soon.
If you have a question, comment or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Vanessa Garcia at [email protected]. You can download RESULTS’ most recent Annual Report at: https://results.org/about/annual_report/.