The Power of Partnership in Sustaining Our Advocacy
Beth Wilson, Development Associate
March 26, 2011
The use of the word "partner" to describe RESULTS volunteers is no accident. We volunteers are in an amazing and powerful partnership with RESULTS’ national staff. They identify the campaigns and create the opportunities that we focus our citizen advocacy efforts on. They work with our NGO allies to identify what is needed, develop partnerships with members of Congress to initiate legislative campaigns (such as sponsoring bills or letters), and effectively impart to us the skills, information, and motivation to use our citizen power. That’s when we "partner" volunteers step up and do our part. As constituents, we create personal relationships with our elected leaders and let them know that real people in their districts care about poverty issues. We educate citizens in our own communities and mobilize citizens to take action.
You see, it truly is a partnership and, without us, RESULTS’ smart and strategic work wouldn't succeed. It takes all our combined voices talking to our members of Congress about the legislation identified by RESULTS staff to successfully convince our legislators to do the right thing. In partnership with our national staff, we are incredibly successful. But without each side of the partnership – staff and volunteers – doing their part, RESULTS wouldn't work.
This is a wonderful marriage of efforts, but it isn’t free. That is why the grassroots also participate in raising money for RESULTS. No one else can do this with the same motivation, conviction, and dedication as we can. It truly is up to us to create the base funding for our staff so we can do our work and be effective! Please join us this year in planning a fundraiser to help raise the money needed to sustain the strong and amazing staff we have.
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