Results

RESULTS IS A NONPROFIT, grassroots American organization that advocates for the poor. Its goal is to create the political will to eliminate hunger and the worst features of poverty by effectively lobbying policymakers. The vision that RESULTS wants to share is one of a world without chronic hunger and the crushing defeat that poverty imposes. Starting from a 1976 report of the National Academy of Science that the resources were available to end poverty, the inevitable conclusion drawn was that the political will is missing. The political activities that RESULTS promotes are designed to encourage individual initiative. The goal is to so empower people with courage, information, and political skills that they will be able to exercise their personal and constitutional rights in an effective and politically powerful way.

Petitioning governing authorities for the redress of grievances is a basic right. To exercise this right effectively in the policy process means that people have to have the knowledge and skills to effectively lobby public officials if their grievances are to be ended. The RESULTS organization recognizes that a solitary individual, especially if poor, will have a hard time “beating” city hall. However, a group of highly motivated activists, especially if registered to vote, can often move political forces so that policymakers will not only grant a fair hearing to issues but will act to make significant changes, especially if these are helpful but not expensive.

The lobbying RESULTS engages in is based on the premise that elected officials have the right and the power to do much more for the poor than is currently being done. It also rests upon the belief that all people, even the poor, have a right to full participation in the political process. As a citizens' grassroots lobby, RESULTS has organized over 100 local groups across the United States. The local groups typically have four to eight activists who meet monthly, or more often. The grassroots groups are engaged with either domestic poverty issues or global poverty issues.

RESULTS is focused on educating voters on the issues of hunger and poverty both locally and globally. To promote its educational work it has created an Education Fund. The educational mission conducts public forums, trains citizens in democracy (so that people cannot be kept from exercising their political rights by ignorance), and holds media conferences. It also is devoted to educating the public, the media, and civil and political leaders about the issues of poverty. Materials for its education program are produced by research and adopted for other sources.

RESULTS trains volunteers in various activist milestones. These are concrete activities that are step-by-step guides for leaders to use to introduce new volunteers and other community activists to advocacy in the political process. These milestone actions build a cadre of people who are the foundation of a local group. The activists trained with this method are soon able to effective lobby policymakers.