Leading with Action: Advocacy Workshop

Goals for Today Learn about RESULTS and advocacy Learn about an issue of poverty and effective take action on it Learn advocacy skills: speaking & writing powerfully, meeting with elected officials Find out who is interested in continuing their advocacy with RESULTS and/or how people will use their new skills.

Introductions Name Why is it important for you to take action on poverty? Or Who do you want to be in the world? Complete the phrase, “I want to be someone who…”

What is RESULTS? RESULTS is movement of passionate, committed, everyday people. Together we use our voices to influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty. As volunteers, we receive training, support, and inspiration to become skilled advocates.

What is RESULTS In time, we learn to effectively advise policy makers, guiding them toward decisions that will improve access to health, education, and economic opportunity. Together we realize the incredible power we possess to use our voices to change the world.

Example of Success Our advocacy has helped cut needless child deaths in half since 1990, from 12.9 million per year to 5.9 million today. Last year we secured a U.S. pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria that will help save 8 million lives. Locally we have move our Representative and Senators to…

What RESULTS Groups Do Meet twice per month to plan and take action. On the second Saturday, we connect to a national webinar with hundreds of RESULTS volunteers around the U.S. to learn about the issues, learn to speak powerfully, and take action to influence our elected officials. We also develop plans to influence our decision makers through face-to-face meetings, the media, and community action.

What is Advocacy? Who knows the name of your representative? Your senators? Who has written to them? Who has called them? Who has met with them? What allows us to be in relationship with our elected officials? We live in a country where our government officials are elected to carry out the people’s business as our representatives. So, who pays these people? Who do they work for? If we pay their salaries and they work for us, who should supervising them?

What is Advocacy? We live in a country where our government officials are elected to carry out the people’s business as our representatives. So, who pays these people? Who do they work for? If we select them to work for us, pay their salaries and they work for us, who should supervising them?

Our Relationships RESULTS believes that we need to be in relationship with our elected officials to make sure they know what we care about, and what we want them to do. Our goal is to move them up the Champion Scale by being in relationship, providing good information, making specific requests, and mobilizing the media and community.

Assess where they are on the Champion Scale, then move them up What are We Trying to Do? Assess where they are on the Champion Scale, then move them up 4 Champion 3 Leader 2 Advocate 1 Supporter 0 Uninformed or Neutral -1 Opponent Any move we make on the Champion Scale is a win. If they move from Opponent to silence, there is less opposition. If we move them from a supporter to advocating with another member of Congress, it is a win.

Let’s Look Up or Members Who is your Representative? Who are your Senators? Tell us something interesting about them. Who is the Foreign Policy Aide? What is their phone number? Store it. You can also reach them with the Congressional Switchboard number: (202) 224-3121

Good News About Influence Over 1200 congressional staff members were asked over time, “What are the most influential advocacy tactics if your boss has not reached a firm decision on an issue? Source: Congressional Management Foundation

How Decision Makers Decide Constituents Staff Colleagues Media Paid Lobbyists Experts Personal History

Write a letter Honorable FirstName LastName Address Washington, DC Zip Code Date Dear Representative or Senator xxxxx: EPIC message and personalized context Sincerely, My Name My Address My Phone and email

Contacting Staff Senate aide email formula: FirstName_LastName@SenatorLastName.senate.gov House aide email formula: FirstName.LastName@mail.house.gov