Action Center

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Action Center: Resources and Tools

As millions of our sisters and brothers around the world suffer from poverty, hunger, violence and other injustices, we are called to respond through love and action. By advocating, giving and mobilizing our communities, we can work together to meet the needs of our global family and end world poverty.

Find resources and tools to advocate effectively, fundraise to provide lifesaving support for people in greatest need, and develop your leadership skills to mobilize your community to join a powerful movement to transform the world.

Advocate

Advocacy is one of the most effective ways to ease human suffering and build a more just world. When an unjust policy or system is changed because of our collective advocacy actions, millions of people, families and communities have the opportunity to thrive.

Your advocacy actions are more effective when they are addressed to your members of Congress. Enter your address below and find out who your U.S. Senators and Representatives are and how to contact them.

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Building relationships with members of Congress and their staff is key to effective advocacy and influencing Congress.

We have the power to influence policy and make things happen. In fact, research shows that the voices and actions of constituents like you have the greatest impact on members of Congress and their decision making.

There are many ways to lift your voice on the issues you care about.

Download this PDF to learn about six key actions you and your community can take to advocate for a more just world.

Use the Champion Scale to analyze where your congressional member stands in their level of support for the issues that matter most to you. Determining their position will help you decide what methods you will use to strengthen their collaboration.

Download the PDF to learn more about the Champion Scale.

Research shows that nothing is more impactful than in-person meetings with your member of Congress.

Constituent meetings offer a valuable opportunity to develop relationships with members of Congress and their staff. Meetings are a powerful way for staff and members of Congress to hear why you care about the issue and how you and your community are organizing on the issue. Meetings also give you the opportunity to ask your member of Congress to support your position.

For more tips on how to take this action, download the how-to PDF guide below or watch the training video. Use the planning worksheet to help you outline the roles and flow of your meeting.

Emails and letters on an issue can influence your members of Congress, but it’s best to make them personal. Share who you are and why you care about the issue—it will make your message 10 times more effective.

Key Tips

  1. Identify yourself as a constituent and list the organization that you represent or are a supporter of.
  2. Limit your letter to one page if possible and be sure to state why this issue matters to you.
  3. Be clear and specific about what you want your legislator to do.

For more tips on how to take this action, download the how-to PDF guide below or watch the training video.

Whether it’s Twitter or Facebook, the social media platforms you use can be powerful tools to contact Congress. In fact, research shows that just 30 posts or comments from constituents on an issue will help get the attention of congressional offices.

For more tips on how to take this action, download the how-to PDF guide below.

Attending town halls sponsored by your member of Congress—whether in-person or virtual—is an opportunity to hear from your member, learn about their focus areas and raise your voice on issues that matter to you.

For more tips on how to take this action, download the how-to PDF guide below.

Op-ed pieces and letters to the editor in your local press amplify the issues you care about and promote support in your community. Congressional offices monitor local media, so it's an effective way to put your issue in front of your members of Congress.

For more tips on how to take this action as part of our current campaign issues, download the how-to guide below or watch the training video.

Participate in Spring Recess—a key period when members of Congress will be working from their home states and districts—to voice your priorities and advocate on behalf of our global family. 

Use these legislative resources and planning tools to prepare for your congressional meetings. 

Legislative Backgrounders and Talking Points

Meeting Leads Checklist

Additional Resources

Tell us about your Spring Recess advocacy meeting! View the Guidance for Reporting Congressional Visits. For participants that are not part of a CRS Chapter or Club, report your visit using the Advocacy Reporting Tool.

Fundraise

Your financial support—through a direct donation or by organizing a community fundraiser—helps provide basic necessities like food, clean water and shelter to people most in need and empowers communities to overcome the impacts of poverty.

Your fundraiser can create lasting change. Use your skills, talents and fundraising passion to make a real difference in the lives of people around the world, all while having fun and building relationships within your community. CRS’ Community Giving Toolkit offers easy-to-follow guidance, clear examples of successful fundraisers and answers to frequently asked questions. Join in the life-saving mission of CRS by mobilizing your community through giving.

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Lead the way to a more just world by fundraising as a community! Bring together your community with opportunities for encounter, prayer and giving that changes lives.

Explore three CRS fundraising options by following the link below to discover ways you and your community can make a difference. Each option contains a toolkit to support your fundraiser and resources for engaging your community.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER YOUR FUNDRAISER HERE

Mobilize

Our impact is multiplied when our families, friends and communities get involved. And to transform our world, everyone is needed. Invite your community to join the movement to end global poverty and participate in this lifesaving work.

Building a movement dedicated to transforming the world may seem daunting. But at CRS, we believe it’s possible with your help.

Within your community, there are many people who want to make a difference. And when you team up with them, you have the power to transform the lives of people in need.

Use our sample messages, photos and videos in the Communications and Social Media Kit to inspire your community to take action today for a better tomorrow.

Learn more about the movement to end global poverty and how you and your community can get involved.

Take action with your community year-round to raise awareness on hunger, climate change and other global issues.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS

Use these background resources to expand your knowledge of the U.S. Congress, key pieces of legislation and issues related to global poverty.

The U.S. Congress organizes and conducts its work through a committee structure. Congressional committees oversee particular issue-areas related to policy and legislation.  

Download the PDF below to learn about the core congressional committees that work on international policy and legislation. 

The Farm Bill is a multiyear package of legislation that oversees a variety of domestic and international food and agricultural programs. While the overwhelming majority of the Farm Bill covers programs in the United States, CRS focuses its advocacy on international food aid programs, including Food for Peace, Food for Progress, McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Farmer-to-Farmer. In anticipation of the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization, CRS and its supporters will engage legislators—especially members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees—to reauthorize these Farm Bill programs and to amend specific provisions in the bill that strengthen and improve program efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability.

The backgrounder document provides information and talking points for how to structure your meetings with members of Congress. The leave behind can be shared with them before or after a congressional visit.

Use the following resources to learn more about this piece of legislation.

Use the following resources below to learn more about this piece of legislation.

The 118th United States Congress convened January 2023. As freshmen members of Congress get settled, this is an opportunity to build relationships, educate them on key humanitarian issues and raise your voice to address global poverty and its root causes. The backgrounder document provides information and talking points for how to structure your meetings with new members. The leave behind can be shared with them before or after a congressional visit.

Congress has been quickly passing legislation to respond to the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Congress continues to prioritize U.S. domestic needs in the next supplemental package, Congress and the Administration recognize that to address COVID-19 we need to resolve the pandemic everywhere, which includes U.S. global leadership in providing additional funds for poverty-reducing humanitarian and development assistance.

This document is designed to provide background information and talking points about how this supplemental funding can help address malnutrition and forced displacement. Use it to help you take action and communicate with the offices of your members of Congress.

Download the PDF below to learn more about this piece of legislation.

The Global Child Thrive Act passed into law in January 2021. This law directs the administration over the next year to integrate Early Childhood Development activities into current international programs supporting vulnerable children and their families and to report to Congress annually on its progress.

This document is designed to provide background information and talking points about how the Global Child Thrive Law will helps address malnutrition and forced displacement. Use it to help you share this exciting update, express gratitude and inform your members of Congress on the implementation phase.

Download the PDF below to learn more about this piece of legislation.

Each year, Congress negotiates how to spend U.S. taxpayer dollars through a process called appropriations. About 1% of the U.S. federal budget is appropriated, or allocated, for spending by Congress to foreign assistance. Half of that 1% is directed toward poverty-reducing humanitarian and development aid. The House and Senate ultimately decide on funding levels for our budget. Following the Administration’s budget release, Congress develops and negotiates their proposals, and it is important for interested stakeholders to share their priorities.

The backgrounder document provides information and talking points to help you communicate with your members of Congress about the appropriations process and its connections to global poverty.

Reference the annual chart of budget accounts for congressional offices that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and CRS advocate for to address global poverty and share it in your communications with members of Congress.

Read examples of the impact of U.S. funding in CRS programs by each key account with the appropriations leave behind document. This document can be shared in English with Congressional offices either before or after a visit on appropriations.

Download the backgrounder or watch the video to learn more.

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