Learn how to speak with others about volunteering with RESULTS. Practice the EPIC Laser Talk: Inviting Others to Join the RESULTS Movement, and connect with friends, family, and the community on why volunteering with RESULTS inspires you.
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A fun way to let people know about RESULTS is to host a table at an event in your community. Many local events allow groups and vendors to set up tables so attendees can browse for different opportunities in their area. Festivals, volunteer fairs, community expos, and conferences related to social justice are all great venues for a table. You can include the following on your table:
A fun way to let people know about RESULTS is to host a table at an event in your community.
A fun way to let people know about RESULTS is to host a table at an event in your community.
A fun way to let people know about RESULTS is to host a table at an event in your community.
The energy during the election season brings about opportunities to engage with candidates about our issues, as well as find others in your community who care about those issues and are civically engaged. Prepare yourself for these opportunities to attend a town hall or candidate forum and do some “bird-dogging.”
Bird-dogging is a tactic used by grassroots activists to get political candidates on the record about issues such as global health and development, affordable housing, or tax policy. You may also use this opportunity to get noticed by media, bring awareness to your group and RESULTS, and grow your political and people power.
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Elected officials pay special attention to the constituents who make the effort to get to a town hall, and it’s a chance to get your issue on the record publicly.
A key tool for creating political will is by offering to present at a local event in your area about RESULTS and/or one of our issues. This helps to expose others in your community to our organization and our work. Identify an audience that shares an interest in our issues or how we work. Pick your topic and identify your target audience and main point of contact. Draft and practice your presentation and be sure to pass a RESULTS Sign Up Sheet around the audience. Then follow up after your successful presentation!
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A key tool for creating political will is by offering to present at a local event in your area.
A key tool for creating political will is by offering to present at a local event in your area.
A key tool for creating political will is by offering to present at a local event in your area.
There are many opportunities to bring an advocacy workshop to a community group in your town. Civic groups, schools, church groups, and other organizations are often looking for guest speakers, and you could bring a topic not often discussed.
An outline for an effective advocacy workshop includes introductions, a primer on RESULTS, and a word about the importance of grassroots lobbying. Here is a link to a sample meeting agenda and talking points.
Laser talk coaching is another important element to have in your advocacy training before you close. For a deeper dive into crafting your advocacy training, keep reading.
There are many opportunities to bring an advocacy workshop to a community group in your town.
RESULTS has created an easy format for our volunteers to use to create powerful “laser talks” – short and compelling talks, less than 2 minutes long, that end with a call to action. Laser talks are the backbone of our advocacy work.
RESULTS has created an easy format for our volunteers to use to create powerful “laser talks” – short and compelling talks, less than 2 minutes long, that end with a call to action. Laser talks are the backbone of our advocacy work.
Have you ever thought about how many people all around the country who are looking for a group like RESULTS?
There are some additional elements that are important to any great outreach meeting:
Although very effective, personal inviting is also time-consuming. That is why you want a group of people doing it at the same time; a group RESULTS calls the “Inviting Team.” An Inviting Team is RESULTS activists and people in your community who care about RESULTS who are willing to invite others to your event. Make sure there is a point person for the arranging of your logistics (location, locking/unlocking of facility, technology needs, building signage) and publicity (any additional advertising you are choosing to do above and beyond your targeted inviting). As the time for the meeting approaches, make sure there is a location logistics point person, assign hospitality to someone, have a RESULTS Sign Up Sheet so attendees can list their name and contact information. And don’t forget to follow up.
We have many more tips. Read on!
Letter-writing meetings are a great way to engage people in your community in advocacy that is quick, easy, and effective.
If you are drawing a blank on what a timely, powerful letter-writing topic might be, not to worry. RESULTS provides monthly action sheets with talking points and background information that will provide you with the information you need to write a timely, compelling letter. Check out the latest monthly action sheets on our website and find one that works for your group. These action sheets include not only a relevant action you can take, with guidance, but a sample meeting agenda as well. Allow an hour so that activists have a chance to read through the materials and ask questions, write their letters, and even share them with the group if they wish.
Letter-writing meetings are a great way to engage people in your community.
Letter-writing meetings are a great way to engage people in your community.
It takes more time to send a personalized letter, and as a result, policymakers take them more seriously than what they receive online.
Letters to the editor are fundamental to media for advocacy. They are quick to write, and members of Congress read the letters in their local paper every single day.
Letters to the editor are fundamental to media for advocacy. They are quick to write, and members of Congress read the letters in their local paper every single day.
Social media can be a great way to amplify our advocacy actions and continue to build community. At RESULTS, we do deep relationship-building with members of Congress through calls, letters, and face-to-face meetings, as well as publishing opinion pieces in the media. Research shows that these continue to be some of the most effective ways to get through to policy makers and drive change. Rather than a replacement of that “deep advocacy” work, we see social media as a complement to it.
Click the following link for social media and brand tips for advocates.
One way to successfully fundraise is by hosting an event in your community. Most groups new to these events choose to host a house party. This is a relatively small event, where your group personally invites people to attend, you share some light food and drink, and hear about RESULTS’ successful work in a comfortable setting. Some parties include guest speakers or short videos to highlight the importance of investing in RESULTS anti-poverty advocacy. At the end of the evening, you simply ask those in attendance to make a contribution to our work. It’s that simple.
We have a comprehensive set of fundraising support tools designed to make the execution of a fundraiser as clear and easy as possible.
A fundraising event can be an inspiring and fun endeavor, allowing you and your group to educate your community on the issues, expose them to the power of RESULTS, and enlist them as partners in our work.
A fundraising event can be an inspiring and fun endeavor, allowing you and your group to educate your community on the issues, expose them to the power of RESULTS, and enlist them as partners in our work.
Many people have found success in raising funds – and sharing the story of RESULTS — through Friends and Family Campaigns.
Pick a theme for a forum in your town or city: citizen empowerment, an issue forum, coalition-building, or even a fundraiser. Then what?
Organize a community forum on a RESULTS issue.
Your community is made up of many different constituencies who care about the same issues we care about.
Your community is made up of many different constituencies who care about the same issues we care about.
Your community is made up of many different constituencies who care about the same issues we care about.
Your community is made up of many different constituencies who care about the same issues we care about. One helpful way to think about creating a broader community of support and action is to imagine it as a pyramid.
At the top of the pyramid are the movers and shakers in your community or “grasstops.” These people possess political clout, and can help your group influence legislators and the media.
Your RESULTS group sits in the center, organizing activities in your community. The middle of the pyramid is your local RESULTS group. You are the glue that holds the network together and a vital source of information and actions for other organizations and individuals trying to make a difference.
Your RESULTS Action Network forms the base of the pyramid. The bottom of the pyramid is made up of community partners your group can network can enlist to make calls or write letters at short notice.
Your community is made up of many different constituencies who care about the same issues we care about.