U.S. Poverty Weekly Update September 6, 2016
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | September 6, 2016
“Let's expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) so more workers can make ends meet and have a shot at a brighter future.”
– RESULTS Louisiana Rachid Ouedraogo in a September 1 letter to the editor in the Lafayette Advertiser
- Got Two Minutes? Prepare for the U.S. Poverty National Webinar this Saturday at 12:30 pm ET
- Got Ten Minutes? Invite Members of Congress to Tomorrow’s Hunger in America Exhibition
- Got Twenty Minutes? Start Planning Your Media Strategy for September
- Quick News
- Upcoming Events
Got Two Minutes? Prepare for the U.S. Poverty National Webinar this Saturday at 12:30 pm ET
Join us for the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar this Saturday, September 10 at 12:30 pm ET. September is a big month in our work with the annual release of the U.S. Census’ Poverty Data for the previous year. We use this data to generate media about poverty in America (one of the few times each year the media even talks about poverty) to push lawmakers into action. On this weekend’s webinar, we’ll preview what the data might look like (it will be released on September 13) and how you can use it to generate powerful media in your community about investing more to end poverty in the U.S. We’ll also hear from our very own Willie Dickerson, RESULTS volunteer from the RESULTS Snohomish (WA) global group, who one of the most prolific generators of letters to the editor. He will share with us his secrets for getting letters published. Join us for this important and inspiring webinar.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to remind your local RESULTS group about the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Conference call this Saturday, September 10 at 12:30 pm ET. 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; if you cannot join online, 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 September 2016 National Webinar slides available later this week in the Take Action box on the RESULTS Homepage.
Got Ten Minutes? Invite Members of Congress to Tomorrow’s Hunger in America Exhibition
Congress returns to DC today, just in time for Hunger Action Month. HAM is focused on raising awareness of hunger in America, which is still a persistent problem, and the need to protect and strengthen resources to combat it. As part of this push, RESULTS, Feeding America and others are sponsoring the Hunger in America Congressional Exhibition on Capitol Hill tomorrow. This exhibition gives attendees the opportunity to learn about hunger in America through both statistics and stories. Help us make this exhibition a success by urging your members of Congress to attend.
TAKE ACTION: Urge your House and Senate Agriculture/Nutrition aides and their bosses to attend the Hunger in America Congressional Exhibition tomorrow, September 7 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET in the Rayburn House Building Foyer. Send the aide a copy of the Exhibition flyer and urge them to RSVP at [email protected]. Find aide names and office contact information on our Elected Officials page. The exhibition is free.
Got Twenty Minutes? Start Planning Your Media Strategy for September
Next week, the U.S. Census will release its 2015 poverty data, which will let us know if poverty in the U.S. got better or worse in 2015. It will also show how safety net programs contributed to lifting Americans out of poverty last year. This is a big event in the anti-poverty community and one of the few times when then national media actually talks about poverty in a meaningful way.
The data release is always a great opportunity for you to generate media in your local media. RESULTS will help you take advantage of this by focusing our September Action on getting letters to the editor and op-eds published about the data. With the election just around the corner, this will give you a unique chance to highlight these issues when people are paying closer attention to national policy around these issues.
You can start preparing now for the data release so when it comes out, you can hit the ground running.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to prepare to take the September Action when the U.S. Census 2015 Poverty Data comes out. Here’s what you can do now to get ready:
- Look for hooks. Read newspapers in your area to see if there are any stories about poverty, the election, or any other stories you think might be a good hook for talking about the new poverty data. You can find a list of media outlets in your state in our Media Guide.
- Connect with local reporters and writers. If you find a story or opinion piece you like, e-mail the reporter or editorial writer thanking them for the piece and remind them that the Census data is coming our September 13. Offer to send them information about the data after it comes out.
- Coordinate your targets with your group. Coordinate with your local RESULTS group via phone, e-mail, or at this weekend’s National Webinar as to which news outlets you plan to target. What angle will you take with your letter or op-ed? Will you focus on one paper or numerous ones? Will you look at alternative publications like weekly or monthly papers? Do you know anyone at these news outlets you can reach out to about covering the poverty data story? Talk these things over so you have a plan you can execute once the data comes out.
- Attend this weekend’s National Webinar. On Saturday’s National Webinar, we’ll talk about the poverty data release and offer helpful tips on how to get letter published about it. Be sure to tune in or if you cannot be on live, listen to the recording afterward.
Once the data is released next Tuesday, we will update our September Action to include the Census data and talking points you can use to draft a good media piece, so be sure to check back. As always, if you have questions or need help with your letters and op-eds, please contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) for assistance.
Quick News
Register for Tomorrow's CHN Poverty Data Webinar. Don’t forget to register for CHN’s 2016 Poverty Data webinar on September 7. This annual webinar will walk you through the process of the September 13 release of the U.S. Census 2015 U.S. Poverty Data, including what to expect from the data and how to search it. Senior Fellow at CBPP Jared Bernstein, CHN’s Debbie Weinstein, and Ellen Teller of FRAC will speak. The webinar is tomorrow, September 7 at 3:00 pm ET. Register for it today on the CHN website.
Join EITC Twitter Chat Tomorrow at 1:00 pm ET. To help raise awareness of the importance of expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities are holding an #ExpandEITC “Twitter chat” tomorrow, September 7 at 1:00 pm ET. If you are on Twitter, follow these accounts @CenterOnBudget, @ChuckCBPP, and @dashching for questions and answers about the EITC. Be sure to re-tweet what you see to those in your network.
Hunger Question Petition Submission Will Feature RESULTS. Last week, we noted that Vote to End Hunger (VTEH) has created a petition urging the Presidential Debate Commission to include a question about ending hunger in one or more of the upcoming debates. The petition will be submitted next week to the Commission. As part of that event, VTEH will be holding a telephonic press conference on September 12 which will feature RESULTS Indianapolis member, Expert on Poverty, and Grassroots Board Member Maxine Thomas. Show your support for this effort by signing the petition today and urge others to as well. You can sign at: http://votetoendhunger.org/petition-to-the-presidential-debate-commission/.
Send in Your 2017 Fundraising Plans. Please remember to help us make an accurate prediction of our 2017 grassroots fundraising by filling out this Google form with your 2017 fundraising plans by September 21.
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.
Congressional Recesses: House: Monday, October 3 – Friday, November 11; Senate: Monday, October 10 – Friday, November 11. Request face-to-face meetings. After your meeting, please tell us how it went by filling out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form: www.tinyurl.com/RESLRF.
Hunger in America Congressional Exhibition, Wednesday, September 7, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET. Rayburn House Office Foyer, Washington, DC. See details here.
CHN Poverty Data Webinar, Wednesday, September 7 at 3:00 pm ET. Register at the CHN website.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Saturday, September 10 at 12:30 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.
U.S. Census 2015 Poverty Data Release, Tuesday, September 13. Find the data at: http://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty.html.
RESULTS Introductory Call, Friday, September 14 at 9:00 pm ET. If you want to learn more about RESULTS, register for an upcoming Intro Call on the RESULTS website.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, September 20 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#.
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/.