Note from the President: Bitter sweet news out of the State Department. For those of us passionate about the International Affairs Budget, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been a major disappointment. During his brief time at the State Department, more than 60 percent of the organization’s top personnel have left the agency. Imagine if 60 percent of the military’s 4-star General’s left the military in one year! Needless to say, I’m personally glad his tenure is over. But what’s next? This is where things get interesting.
The President’s new pick Mike Pompeo would not be my first choice for Secretary of State… or my 800th. During his time in Congress, Pompeo did little to advocate for the world’s poor and the International Affairs Budget. We’ll get a better sense of his views during his confirmation hearing, but keep in mind that Congress holds all of the power when it comes to funding the programs we care about. Your work is more important than ever! Last year we saw the President’s proposed 30 percent cuts to the International Affairs Budget get shot down in Congress. Emails, mobilizing others to email and in-district Congressional meetings are crucial right now for keeping the pressure on Members of Congress and preventing cuts to programs that help the world’s poor.
~ Clint Borgen
[hr]
Secretary of State
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[one_half]The President has announced via Twitter the departure of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. CIA Director Mike Pompeo has been nominated by the President to be Mr. Tillerson’s successor.[/one_half]
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Watch Secretary of State Tillerson’s Press Briefing regarding the transition here. Mr. Tillerson’s commission as Secretary of State will terminate at midnight on March 31st. During this transition period, all responsibilities have been delegated to Deputy Secretary of State Sullivan.
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Below is the full press release from the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce.
Chairman Royce Statement on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement after the president announced the departure of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson:
“Rex Tillerson has served our country with great energy and determination. He is a good man, a thoughtful leader and a business titan. Thanks to his diplomatic efforts, we have charted a new course to counter the full range of threats from Iran and apply maximum pressure on Kim Jong Un. I wish Rex well and look forward to working with our next Secretary of State. There are many serious challenges ahead.”
###
[hr]
Political Updates
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Lobbying Efforts
Total # of Lobbying Meetings in February: 103
Total # of Lobbying Meetings in 2018: 147
Lobbying Meetings Goal for 2018: 560
Advocacy Emails
Number of Advocacy Emails in February: 4,937
Advocacy Emails Goal for 2018: 100,000
% of Congress Emailed in February: 73%
[hr]
Congressional Office Meetings
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Political Affairs Team member Abby Jones met with Representative Marcia Fudge (D – OH 11th). Representative Fudge held a Town Hall meeting and Abby was able to hold an impromptu meeting with her about the International Affairs Budget.
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Advocate Kishan Venkataramu met with Representative Ro Khanna (D – CA 17th).
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Political Affairs Team member Sehej Singh met with Representative Zoe Lofgren (D – CA 19th) and discussed the International Affairs Budget.
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[hr]
Warren’s Address
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Listen to the latest from Warren about the goings-on in D.C.
Here are the Top 10 Articles for February on BORGEN Magazine. Because of the power of SEO, many articles receiving the most views each month were actually written 2-3 years ago.
[hr]
HR Team Updates
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The Borgen Project only hires 7% of intern applicants so it goes without saying that strong recruitment is incredibly important for making sure we have the numbers to select the best. There is a 98% increase in applicants – February 2017 vs. February 2018.
Content Team member Natasha Komen held a Pug Party fundraiser!
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[hr]
YouTube
Here are the latest videos made by our in-office team. And don’t forget to check out the rest of the videos on The Borgen Project YouTube channel. Watch, like, and share!
[hr top]
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2018-03-14 10:25:522018-04-08 13:39:34State of the Union March 2018
Forbes recently published a story that utilized a Borgen Project article written by Sarah Prellwitz of Idaho. We see this happen frequently, where a major news site references an article written by our Content Team members. Keep up the great writing! You never know who is reading your article.
We recently learned that the sponsors of the Economic Growth and Development Act will be introducing a larger bill that incorporates the EGDA while tackling more issues. This will ultimately be a good thing, but in the short-term, we’re going to scale back our advocacy efforts around EGDA. Look for the news on the new bill in 2-3 weeks.
~ Clint Borgen
[hr]
Political Updates
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Lobbying Efforts
Total # of LobbyingMeetings in January: 44
Total # of Lobbying Meetings in 2018: 44
Lobbying Meetings Goal for 2018: 560
Advocacy Emails
Number of Advocacy Emails in January: 4,681 emails sent.
Advocacy Emails Goal for 2018: 100,000
% of Congress Emailed in January: 62%. We emailed all 535 members of Congress in 2017. Let’s do the same for 2018!
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Sen. Johnny Isakson gave a Twitter shout-out to The Borgen Project last week.
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Congressional Office Meetings
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Advocate Eshaan Agrawal met with Martha Zoller, Policy Director for Senator David Perdue (R – GA).
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[hr]
Warren’s Address
Here’s the latest from Warren about the goings-on in D.C.
[hr]
Content Team Updates
These are the Top Ten Articles for January on BORGEN Magazine.
[hr]
HR Team Updates
There is a 157% increase in applicants for January 2017 vs. January 2018.
Bird-dog Award: Danielle Robinson, Political Affairs Team.
Capital Achievement Award (raised $2,000 or more): Nikita Iyer, Content Team.
Chief Closer Award (raised $1,000 or more): Bronti DeRoche, Content Team and Lea Sacca, Content Team.
President’s Circle Award: Charlene Preston, Political Affairs Team.
Public Outreach Award: Mikayla Merchant, PR/Marketing Team.
Visit the Our Team Members page and read about success stories with our organization.
[hr]
Getting the Word Out
Check out these business cards designed by Political Affairs Team member Abby Jones.
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PR/Marketing Team member Chloe Allen used chalk art and fliers as part of her One-Mile Campaign.
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Political Affairs Team member Pamela Lara Perez participated in this year’s Women’s March and created this sign and handed out these Borgen Project fliers.
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[hr_invisible] Letters to the Editor
Check out this Instagram post from Political Affairs Team member Melissa Balke. Melissa attended January’s fundraising event held in San Francisco that was hosted by Board Member Rachel Bell. Clint spoke at the event and was accompanied by his wife Kate.
[hr]
YouTube
Here are the latest videos from our Social Media Team member Elizabeth Gasciogne.
[hr top]
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2018-02-14 10:23:072018-02-14 10:23:07State of the Union February 2018
Number of Advocacy Emails in December 2017: 2,642 emails sent. Borgen Project interns and volunteers mobilized 61,872 emails to Congress since the start of 2017.
% of Congress Emailed in 2017: 100%. We emailed all 535 members of Congress in 2017! We couldn’t have done this without your hard work.
[hr]
Congressional Office Meetings
Political Affairs team member Chethan Lai met with Community Liaison Lily Griego from the office of Senator Michael Bennet (D – CO).
[hr]
Content Team Updates
Here are some of the stats for December 2017: Top Ten Countries with visitors to our site and the Top Ten Articles on BORGEN Magazine.
Capital Achievement Award (raised $2,000 or more): Charlene Preston, Political Affairs team (January 2018).
Chief Closer Award (raised $1,000 or more): Charlene Preston, Political Affairs team (December 2017) and Nick Edinger, Content team and Bronti DeRoche, Content team.
Public Outreach Award: Joshua Collins, Political Affairs team.
Visit the Our Team Members page and read about success stories with our organization.
[hr]
Getting the Word Out
Regional Director Nandini Tivakaran posted fliers around her school and gave a presentation about our organization.
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Letter to the Editor
Chloe Gerard, PR/Marketing team member, in The Pioneer Republican – Give to The Borgen Project.
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One-Mile Campaign
PR/Marketing team member Matthew Motton designed this flyer and added faux wheat grass at the bottom of each sign for a 3-D effect.
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YouTube
Another great video by Political Affairs team member Melissa Balke.
[hr_invisible] Here are the latest videos by Elizabeth Gascoigne, our Social Media team member, on The Borgen Project YouTube channel. Watch, like, and share!
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https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2018-01-24 10:22:092018-01-29 11:56:24State of the Union January 2018
Note from the President: What a year everyone! The complete numbers will be out in January, but 2017 has set records in just about every category: more political access/lobbying meetings than ever, more leaders being contacted by constituents about poverty-reduction bills, more visitors to the website. The list goes on but the end result is that you’ve built a poverty-reduction movement that is stronger than ever and growing incredibly fast. I want to give a special shout-out to everyone who made sure all members of Congress were contacted by constituents in support of poverty-reduction legislation this year. In the past, the House of Reps, with 435 members representing districts ranging from rural farmland to a couple of miles in a major city, has been very difficult to reach comprehensively. This year, we pulled it off with every single member of the House of Representatives being emailed by voters in their district. If you emailed your leaders and/or mobilized others you were part of this effort. I can’t thank everyone enough for giving a voice to the world’s poor and making sure powerful leaders feel pressure to do more.
– Clint Borgen
[hr]
Holiday Schedule
What: Winter Break
When: Saturday, December 23rd 2017 to and including Monday, January 1st 2018.
Arrangements: As a reminder, all trackers are due on Friday December 22nd. However, no trackers are due on Friday December 29th due to the break.
Happy Holidays! [hr]
Political Updates
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Lobbying Efforts
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We are having a record year for political access! As of November 13th, we held 458 lobbying meetings. Here’s a chart comparing our lobbying meetings this year, with year’s past.
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Year
Total Year’s End Number of Lobbying Meetings
2013
106
2014
131
2015
378
2016
383
2017
458 (*As of November 13th)
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Total Lobbying Meetings in November: 77
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 504
Advocacy Emails
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Total Advocacy Emails in November: 3,218 emails sent.
Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year: Borgen Project interns and volunteers have mobilized ~59,000 emails to Congress since the start of the year.
% of Congress Emailed Since January: 100%. We’ve emailed all 535 members of Congress! We couldn’t have done this without your hard work.
[hr]
Congressional Office Meetings[hr_invisible]
Regional Director, Madhavi Kuthanur, and Political Affairs team member, Danielle Robinson, met with Zachary Carstensen. Zachary is the Director of Outreach and Engagement for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D – WA 7th).
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Warren’s Address
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Content Team
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BORGEN Website Pageviews: November 2017 vs. November 2016
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BORGEN Magazine Pageviews: November 2017 vs. November 2016
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HR Team Updates
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The total number of applicants has risen significantly from September through November.
Political Affairs team member, Tim Sonnefeldt, in the Chicago Tribune – The right aid. (Fourth post down)
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One-Mile Campaigns
Fatema Murtaza implemented her campaign for the PR/Marketing team within her neighborhood with chalking, fliers, and car stickers.
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[hr_invisible] Fellow PR/Marketing team member, Katie Larsen, tabled at her school’s student university center and handed out brochures about our organization.
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Mobilizing
[hr_invisible] Regional Director, Maggie Carrig, created Borgen Project stickers that she has been using around campus.
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[hr_invisible] Political Affairs team member, Reyada Atanasio, created this flyer to mobilize others for our cause.
[hr]
Fundraising
Content team member, Brianna Summ, organized a garage sale and raised $90.
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[hr_invisible]Political Affairs team member, Colin Ford, held a Trivia Night fundraiser and raised over $300!
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[hr_invisible] Fellow Political Affairs team member, Melissa Bailey, organized a “Hiking for a Cause Event”.
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[hr top]
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-12-13 12:20:422018-01-24 09:35:56State of the Union December 2017
Impressive fundraising everyone! We’ve raised $340,000 thus far this year! Our goal for the year was $300,000 and last year we raised $270,000. We’re $30,000 away from raising $100,000 more than last year. Let’s finish the year strong. Amazing work!
~Clint Borgen[hr]
2017 Holiday Shopping & Giving
The Black Friday weekend (November 24th to 26th) marks the start of the holiday shopping season – with much of the shopping continuing into the work week on Cyber Monday (November 27th). When shoppers use this link to shop on Amazon.com, Amazon gives 4-8% of the total spent to The Borgen Project.
November 28th is now known as Giving Tuesday. On Giving Tuesday, our organization joins thousands of people across over 98 countries on this global day of giving through collaboration and social media.
Over the next few weeks we will be sharing holiday shopping & giving posts via Facebook and Twitter. Please share them on your social media platforms to encourage others to shop for our cause and to donate to The Borgen Project this holiday season.
[hr]
Political Updates
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Lobbying Efforts
Total Lobbying Meetings in October: 60
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 427. With this comes another record! We’ve surpassed our annual goal of 400 meetings this year!
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Advocacy Efforts
Total Advocacy Emails in October: 4,097
Total Advocacy Emails: Borgen Project interns and volunteers have mobilized ~56,000 emails to Congress since the start of the year.
% of Congress Emailed Since January: 97%. Keep up the great work and let’s take this to 100% by the end of 2017!
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[hr]
Congressional Office Meetings
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Haley Gouge, Regional Director, with Rep. Dwight Evans (D – PA 2nd)
[hr]
Bird-dogging
Political Affairs team member, Taylor Larson, attended a town hall meeting with Representative Beto O’Rourke (D – TX 16th) and asked a question about foreign aid. Representative O’Rourke is not seeking re-election in the House of Representatives. Instead, he is running for Senate in 2018.
View the town hall meeting here. Taylor’s question is approximately at minutes 56 to 59.
[hr]
Warren’s Address
Here’s the latest from Warren about the goings-on in D.C.
[hr]
Content Team
Here are some of the latest stats on visitors to our sites.
BORGEN Website Users: October 2017 vs. October 2016
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BORGEN Magazine Users: October 2017 vs. October 2016
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[hr]
HR Team Updates
There is a 66% increase in applicants – October 2016 vs. October 2017.
Political Affairs team member, Melissa Balke, created these videos to show how easy it is to call, email, & tweet Congress!
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Content team member, Paula Pujol-Gibson, wrote a song about her internship with The Borgen Project.
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Mobilizing
Here are some of the ways our team members spread the word and mobilized others to advocate on behalf of the world’s poor.
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Regional Director, Bella Chaffey, tabled at an internship fair held at CBU.
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Maja Stamenkovska, Donor Relations & Seattle office team member, transformed her apartment window (corner unit, high traffic area) to advocate for The Borgen Project.
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Content team member, Mary Efrid, posted fliers around campus for The Borgen Project.
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[hr]
Fundraising
Check out some of this year’s Halloween fundraisers.
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Isadora Ocampo, HR team member, held a bake sale during a Halloween party.
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PR/Marketing team member, Vimala Samynaden, used her face-painting skills during Halloween as part of her fundraising campaign.
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[hr top]
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-11-16 09:45:572018-01-24 09:34:53State of the Union November 2017
The bills we love are moving! The READ Act passed and was signed into law by the White House. The Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act passed in the House. And the Senate Foreign Relations Committee moved the AGOA & MCA Modernization Act forward… All of this occurred in the past 30 days! The great advocacy and mobilizing we saw this summer is moving these bills through. Let’s keep the pressure up!
This week, in a press release about recognizing the International Day of the Girl, Chairman Royce of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also mentioned that he is proud to have been a supporter of the READ Act H.R.601 and H.R.2408. Chairman Royce reiterated his support for protecting the rights of and empowering women and girls around the globe.
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Lobbying Efforts
Total Lobbying Meetings in September: 19
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 367. We are getting closer to our annual goal of 400 meetings for this year!
2017 Lobbying Meeting Goal: 400 [hr_invisible]
Advocacy Emails
Total Advocacy Emails in September: 4,767 emails sent. With this comes another record!
Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year: Borgen Project interns and volunteers have mobilized ~51,000 emails to Congress since the start of the year!
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Congressman Yoho was first elected in 2012 and is currently serving his third term in the House of Representatives. He is also the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. According to his bio, Congressman Yoho’s “approach to government is guided by constitutional principles, limited government, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, and free enterprise.” In the past, he was not a supporter of foreign aid. His views on this issue seem to have changed and he is the original sponsor of H.R.2747 Economic Growth and Development Act. This bill was introduced into the House in May 2017 and currently has the bipartisan support of 23 co-sponsors – 14 Republicans and 9 Democrats.
Here is an excerpt from a forthcoming article by Nina about the foreign aid budget, which includes directs quotes taken from her meeting with Congressman Yoho.
In response to the proposed budget cuts and these growing concerns, Rep. Ted Yoho introduced the Economic Growth and Development Act (H.R. 2747). This legislation will create an interagency mechanism that will open up U.S. foreign assistance funding to the private sector. This interagency mechanism proposed in this legislation will also increase efficiency in planning and coordinating with the donor-recipient countries in order to pursue long-term economic improvements. Moreover, it will require an annual report to be submitted by the President that will evaluate the effectiveness of the interagency foreign assistance programs. After speaking with Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida himself, he stated that “we are going through tough fiscal times as a nation and we need to make sure that [foreign] aid is used effectively”. Although Rep. Yoho had initially wanted to eliminate the foreign aid budget due to previous inefficiencies, he stated that “it is important to use the money invested [in order] to create stronger relationships with countries that can potentially become U.S. trading partners”. Rep. Yoho, along with many other leaders, recognize that targeted foreign aid focused on key developmental issues can be mutually beneficial for the U.S. and aid recipient countries.
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Regional Director, Haley Gouge, met with staffers for Senator Pat Toomey (R – PA).[one_half first][/one_half]
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[hr]
Warren’s Address
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Here is the latest from Warren about the goings-on in Washington D.C.
[hr]
Content Team Updates
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Here are some stats on visitors to our site in September: Top 10 Countries and breakdown by age range and gender.
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HR Team Updates
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Check out these photos from PR/Marketing team member, Kenna Johnson.
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Fliers
Here are some outreach fliers designed by our talented team members.
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Mariah Seward, PR/Marketing team.
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Haley Abraham, PR/Marketing team.
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Michaela Veillette, PR/Marketing team. member.
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[hr]
YouTube
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See how easy it is to Call Congress in this video created by Political Affairs team member, Christianna Palermo.
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[hr]
Fundraising
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Content team member, Tripti Gully, created handmade greeting cards for her fundraising campaign.
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HR team member, Shuya Dai, organized a dinner party for friends.
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While fellow Content team member, Hunter Paige, ran a half marathon.
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[hr top]
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-10-12 10:45:552018-01-24 09:34:12State of the Union October 2017
Announcing the winner of the 2017 mobilizing competition…
BELLA CHAFFEY!!!!!
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[hr_invisible]
Congratulations to our Mobilizing Star Award Winners: Ariel So, PR/Mktg team; Cameron Gebben, PR/Mktg team; Chelsea Jones, PR/Mktg team; Cody deDianous, Political Affairs team; Madeline Wiles, PR/Mktg team; Sean Newhouse, Content team; and Sidney Ross, HR team.
[hr]
Political Updates
[hr_invisible]
The READ Act has passed! Here’s the press release from Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s office. Thank you for all of your advocacy and mobilizing efforts over the past nine months.
Lobbying Efforts
Total Lobbying Meetings in August: 53
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 348; We are getting closer to our annual goal of 400 meetings for this year!
2017 Goal: 400
Advocacy Emails
Total Advocacy Emails in August: An impressive 7,361 emails sent!
Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year: Borgen Project interns and volunteers have mobilized 47,000 emails to Congress since the start of the year! To put that in perspective – that’s 7,775 more emails than we had between January and December of 2016!
% of Congress Emailed Since the Start of the Year: 96%. Let’s take this to 100% by the end of 2017.[hr]
Meetings with Members of Congress
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Clint meets with Senator Patty Murray (D – WA) on Capitol Hill.
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Clint and Board Member Don Girskis meet with Representative Adam Smith (D – WA 9th) on Capitol Hill. Representative Smith is also an Honorary Board Member of The Borgen Project.
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[hr]
Congressional Office Meetings
Imani Fields, Political Affairs team, meets with a staffer for Senator Sherrod Brown (D – OH).
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Warren’s Address[hr_invisible]
Here is the latest from Warren about the goings-on in Washington D.C.
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Content Team Updates
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We’re number 87,923!
Based on web traffic, the Alexa ranking put out by Amazon has The Borgen Project ranked the 87,923 (as of 9/13/17) most visited website in the world. This is a ranking of every website on the internet spanning shopping, news, government, etc. Google is ranked number one and YouTube number two. With more than one billion websites to compete with, just cracking the million mark is good. Nice work team!
[hr]
HR Team Updates
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There is a 17% increase in applicants for August 2016 vs. August 2017.
Bird-dog Award: Ilana Luther, Political Affairs team; Megan Crain, Political Affairs team; and Styrling Tanguosso, Advocate.
Capital Achievement Award (raised $2,000 or more):Amanda Quinn, Content team.
Chief Closer Award (raised $1,000 or more): Ariel So, PR/Mktg team; Emma Pizzuti, Political Affairs team; John Hardie, Political Affairs team; Lindsey Robideau, Content team; and Sydney Missigman, Content team.
Honors Award (raised $3,000 or more):Taylor Larson, Political Affairs team. Taylor has currently raised $3,245 and is the first team member to EVER receive this award! Congratulations, Taylor!
President’s Circle: Kayla Terrero, Political Affairs team and Megan Crain, Political Affairs team.
Public Outreach Award: Sean Newhouse, Content team.
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Visit the Our Team Members page and read about success stories with our organization.
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Brittany Fitzgerald, PR/Mktg team, conducted her campaign throughout the Milwaukee County public park where she posted fliers, interacted with others in the park and chalked sidewalks.
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Emily Sheppard, PR/Marketing team, got help from family and friends for her campaign. They organized into three groups and hung up Borgen Project fliers and handed out Call Congress cards across the University of Wyoming campus.
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[hr]
Mobilizing
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HR team member, Asher Parvu, teaches a friend how to call Congress.
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Katherine Gallagher, Content team, set up a mobilizing station at her cookout fundraiser.
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Regional Director, Haley Gouge, designed a postcard and a business card for her mobilizing efforts.
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[hr]
Fundraising
Check out some of the fundraising activities from this past month.
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Aslam Kakar, Content team, created these donation jars as part of his fundraising campaign.
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Emma O’Rourke, HR team, held a friends & family pizza fundraiser.
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Katherine Gallagher, Content team, held a cookout fundraiser.
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PR/Mktg team member, Laura Packwood, held a benefit dinner.
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Megan Crain, Political Affairs team, ran a half-marathon.
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https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-09-13 13:30:042018-04-16 16:00:42State of the Union September 2017
Note from the President: I’m loving the Summer 2017 stats! Lobbying, advocacy emails, articles, fundraising… the list goes on, but we’re seeing record or near-record numbers across multiple areas of our work. August is a crucial month for advocacy. Members of Congress are home for the month and you have lots of opportunities to attend events where they’re speaking or secure lobbying meetings. Members of Congress are known to go home in August with one view on a bill or issue and return to D.C. in September with a completely different stance. Take advantage of this “mind-changing” month and give them the incentive to focus on extreme poverty. Get your Bird-Dog on and orchestrate public pressure. As one Senator told me, he rarely goes to a town hall where someone doesn’t speak out against foreign aid. We need to change that. The majority of Americans care about the world’s poor and we need to make sure Congress is hearing from those people.
~Clint Borgen
[hr]
Political Updates
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Lobbying Efforts
Total Lobbying Meetings in July: 59
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 295 – We are getting closer to our goal!
2017 Goal: 400
Advocacy Emails
Total Advocacy Emails in July: 8,139 – Another record month!
Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year: ~39,000
% of Congress Emailed Since the Start of the Year: 95% [hr]
Key Committees
Take a look at our Key Congressional Leaders page. As of August 1st, we have met with more than 50% of the members of these key committees. Our goal is to meet with 100%! Below are the Members of Congress (broken down by committee) whose offices we still have not met with this year. If you are in these states and districts, keep up your calls & emails and get your friends & family to help with your efforts as well. We want to keep up the momentum of political access we’ve had over the few past months.
Senate Foreign Relations:Jim Risch (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Tom Udall (D-NM).
Senate Appropriations:Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Boozman (R-AR), James Lankford (R-OK), Steven Daines (R-MT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
House Foreign Relations:Mo Brooks (R-AL 5th), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA 48th), Christopher Smith (R-NJ 4th), Lee Zeldin (R-NY 1st), Steven Chabot (R-OH 1st), Scott Perry (R-PA 4th), Jeff Duncan (R-SC 3rd), Ted Poe (R-TX 2nd), Tom Garrett (R-VA 5th), Eliot Engle (D-NY 16th), Gregory Meeks (D-NY 5th), Karen Bass (D-CA 37th), William Keating (D-MA 9th), David Cicilline (D-RI 1st), Lois Frankel (D-FL 22nd), Brendan Boyle (D-PA 13th), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY 3rd), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY 3rd), and Ted Lieu (D-CA 33rd).
House Appropriations: Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ 11th), Robert Aderholt (R-AL 4th), Ken Calvert (R-CA 42nd), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL 25th), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE 1st), Andy Harris (R-MD 1st), David Young (R-IA 3rd), Steven Palazzo (R-MS 4th), Dan Newhouse (R-WA 4th), Scott Taylor (R-VA 2nd), Jose Serrano (D-NY 15th), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 23rd), Henry Cuellar (D-TX 28th), and Michael Quigley (D-IL 5th).
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Meeting Members of Congress
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Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ 8th) tweeted a photo from a meeting in his office with Clint & Board Member, Don Girskis.
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Former Political Affairs team member, Tanisha Pruitt, met up with Clint on Capitol Hill during his trip to D.C. in July.
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Kate Cook, Political Affairs team, met with Kamal Fulani, North Texas Regional Deputy Director, for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX).
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Regional Director, Nate Fowler, bird-dogged at a local event and met Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN 5th). Ellison is also the Deputy Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
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Cole Byram, Political Affairs team, met with a staffer at Senator Todd Young’s office (R-IN).
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Ohio Republican Party State Dinner July 2017
Political Affairs team member, Imani Fields, was invited to this year’s dinner. Take a look at some of the pictures from the event and read about her experience.
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2017 Ohio Republican Party State Dinner – Program
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Imani Fields in the lobby.
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Event attendees in the lobby.
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Imani with Miami of Ohio University College Republicans and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (center).
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Imani with Miami of Ohio University College Republicans and Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson – 8th District (center).
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Imani with Miami of Ohio College Republicans and Ohio Secretary of State, Jon Husted (center).
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Imani with Miami of Ohio University College Republicans and Ohio State Senator Frank LaRose, District 27 (center).
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Imani with Miami of Ohio University College Republicans and Ohio State Senate Representative Kirk Schuring, District 48 (2nd from left).
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I was invited to attend the Ohio Republican Party State Dinner on July 22, 2017. Hundreds of leaders and activists from all around Ohio, came out to support not only the continued growth of the Republican Party, but also the future prosperity of this country. The evening started off with an introduction by the chairperson of the Ohio Republican Party. She was followed by our very own U.S. Senator Rob Portman, who was given the honor of introducing the featured guest, Vice President Mike Pence. He gave a very passionate and uplifting address, and many displays of joy and appreciation could be seen and heard throughout his entire speech. As the dinner commenced, there was an award ceremony and then a section designated to the Republican candidates for governor of Ohio. They were each given time to briefly explain their positions and why they would be the best fit; and while I already know who I am voting for, it was still great to hear all of the positive things they have already accomplished, and what they have planned for this great state going forward. There were appearances by Senator Kevin Bacon, State Auditor Dave Yost, Attorney General Mike DeWine (who I had met previously), Congressman Jim Renacci, my U.S. Representative Warren Davidson (in terms of ‘dual citizen’) and so many more! It was an honor to be able to be a part of such an incredible event.
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Warren’s Address[hr_invisible]
Here is the latest from Warren about the goings-on in Washington D.C.
[hr]
2017 Mobilizing Competition Update: Only 2 Weeks Left!
Our current leader has submitted 150 names!
The Mobilizing Star Award will go to any volunteer or intern that mobilizes 20 or more people within one of the Key Congressional Districts. Mobilizing Star Award winners also receive a $25 Amazon gift card (multiple winners may be selected).
The Mobilizing Master Award will go to the volunteer or intern that mobilizes the most people (a minimum of 50) to email Congress by the end of the competition. The winner will receive a free trip to Seattle – including two nights stay at a hotel, a visit to The Borgen Project headquarters, and dinner with Clint Borgen and his wife. In the event the winner lives in the Seattle area and/or would prefer a trip to lobby in Washington, D.C. that can be arranged alternatively. The winner will be announced on September 8, 2017.
Emails must have been sent between June 19, 2017 through August 31, 2017
Names of those you have mobilized must be submitted in the Mobilizing List spreadsheet format by September 1, 2017 – contact your team manager for the spreadsheet
[hr]
Content Team Updates
Here are the latest statistics from the Content Team.
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Between July 2016 and July 2017: 51% increase in Sessions, 52% increase in Users, and 46% increase in Pageviews.
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Between July 2016 and July 2017: 53% increase in Sessions, 55% increase in Users, and 179% increase in Pageviews!
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HR Team Updates
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There is a 69% increase in applicants: July 2016 vs. July 2017.
Bird-dog Award: John Hardie, Political Affairs team.
Chief Closer Award: Alena Zafonte, Content team; Amanda Quinn, Content team; Cody deDianous, Political Affairs team; Emilia Otte, Content team; Emily Chazen, Content team; Jared Gilbert, Content team; Joshua Spooner, Content team; Kendra Richardson, Content team; Peter D. Spradling, Regional Director; Rilee Pickle, Content team; Ryan Linnen, Political Affairs team; Ryan Mash, Political Affairs team; Sabrina Cera, PR/Mktg; Sean Newhouse, Content team; Sophie Nunnally, Content team; and Sydney Cooney, Content team.
President’s Circle: John Hardie, Political Affairs team; Ryan Linnen, Political Affairs team; and Ryan Mash, Political Affairs team.
Public Outreach Award:Cameron Jones, Political Affairs team; Chelsea Jones, PR/Marketing team; John Hardie, Political Affairs team; and Ryan Mash, Political Affairs team.
[hr_invisible] Visit the Our Team Members page and read about success stories with our organization.
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Getting the Word Out
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Here are some of the latest ways our team members are spreading the word about The Borgen Project and global poverty issues.
Kaitlin Quaste, PR/Marketing team member, ran a 5K wearing a Borgen Project t-shirt and chalked trails.
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[hr_invisible] Fellow PR/Marketing team member, Madeline Wiles, designed tree tags for her campaign.
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Charlotte Wallis set up a table at a farmer’s market.
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Brandon Bistodeau and friend.
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Sabrina Cera holding one of her handmade signs.
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Haley Abraham with one of the fliers she designed for her campaign.
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YouTube
Political Affairs team member, Christianna Palermo, created this video about the International Affairs budget and addressed it to Senator Gillibrand (D – NY), Senator Schumer (D – NY), and Representative Paul Tonko (D – NY 20th).
[hr_invisible] Representative Tonko viewed the video and tweeted her back!
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Mobilizing
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HR team member, Mary Harriet Moore, organized a swarm with her volleyball teammates.
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Fellow HR team member, Emma O’Rourke, organized a swarm with her friends over a game of cards and drinks.
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Political Affairs intern, Caroline Slack, went to the MO POP Festival and created a swarm of socially conscious festival goers in support of the restoration of aid for the State Department and International Affairs Budget. Here’s Caroline with members of the musical project Jay Som. Caroline had them research the importance of foreign aid during their weekend stay.
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Sean Newhouse, Content Team, spoke at a Young Democrats of Westmoreland County meeting. He gave a presentation on what The Borgen Project does and discussed the benefits of foreign aid. All attendees emailed Congress in support of the Economic Opportunity and Development Act. The organization posted The Borgen Project’s information on their social media which assisted with Sean’s mobilization efforts.
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Fundraising
Take a look at some of the fundraising activities our Content Team has been up to this past month.
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Brandi Gomez raised $400 at her fundraiser held at a Chuck-E-Cheese’s.
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Kristen Reesor made these donation jars as part of her fundraising activities.
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Irena Huang held a bake sale and raised $151.
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[hr_invisible] Kelly Hayes held a garage sale/bake sale and raised $200.
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[hr_invisible]Amanda Quinn created donation jars and held a yard sale. One of her jars was placed at a local coffee shop and a larger jar was placed at her yard sale.
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[hr_invisible] Emily Trosclair organized a 5K fundraiser for The Borgen Project. Emily secured sponsors for the event, had 50+ participants, and raised $700.
Riley Bunch, Content team, gets some help from her cat Buddy.
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PR/Marketing team member Kesia Zsyddlowski’s dog happily joined in during her One-Mile campaign to promote The Borgen Project.
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[hr top]
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-08-16 08:28:312018-04-16 16:01:08State of the Union August 2017
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 236
2017 Goal: 400
Advocacy Emails
Total Advocacy Emails in June: 7,826 – the highest monthly total in Borgen Project history!
Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year: more than 31,000!
% of Congress Emailed Since the Start of the Year: 93% – which is the entire total for 2016! Let’s take this number to 100% by the end of the year.
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Meeting Members of Congress
Ilana Luther and Monette Moradi, Political Affairs team members, attended a town hall event for NY’s 12th District and met Representative Carolyn Maloney.
[hr]
2017 Mobilizing Competition: Mobilizing Star Award & Mobilizing Master Award
The 2017 mobilizing competition is under way!
The Mobilizing Star Award will go to any volunteer or intern that mobilizes 20 or more people within one of the Key Congressional Districts listed in the chart below. Mobilizing Star Award winners also receive a $25 Amazon gift card (multiple winners may be selected).
The Mobilizing Master Award will go to the volunteer or intern that mobilizes the most people (a minimum of 50) to email Congress by the end of the competition. The winner will receive a free trip to Seattle – including two nights stay at a hotel, a visit to The Borgen Project headquarters, and dinner with Clint Borgen and his wife. In the event the winner lives in the Seattle area and/or would prefer a trip to lobby in Washington, D.C. that can be arranged alternatively. The winner will be announced on September 8, 2017.
Emails must have been sent between June 19, 2017 through August 31, 2017
Names of those you have mobilized must be submitted in the Mobilizing List spreadsheet format by September 1, 2017 – contact your team manager for the spreadsheet
Key Congressional Districts for Mobilizing Star Award
Congressional Leader
District
Congressional Leader
District
Congressional Leader
District
Rep. Royce, Edward R.
CA-39
Rep. McCaul, Michael T.
TX-10
Rep. Cicilline, David N.
RI-1
Rep. Brooks, Mo
AL-5
Rep. Poe, Ted
TX-10
Rep. Bera, Ami
CA-7
Rep. Rohrabacher, Dana
CA-48
Rep. Mast, Brian
FL-18
Rep. Frankel, Lois
FL-22
Rep. Cook, Paul
CA-8
Rep. Rooney, Francis
FL-19
Rep. Boyle, Brendan F.
PA-13
Rep. Yoho, Ted
FL-3
Rep. Garrett, Tom
VA-5
Rep. Schneider, Brad
IL-10
Rep. Smith, Christopher H.
NJ-4
Rep. Engel, Eliot L.
NY-16
Rep. Suozzi, Thomas
NY-3
Rep. Zeldin, Lee
NY-1
Rep. Meeks, Gregory W.
NY-6
Rep. Espaillat, Adriano
NY-13
Rep. Donovan, Dan
NY-11
Rep. Sires, Albio
NJ-8
Rep. Lieu, Ted
CA-33
Rep. Chabot, Steven
OH-1
Rep. Deutch, Ted
FL-22
Rep. Keating, William
MA-9
Rep. Perry, Scott
PA-4
Rep. Wilson, Joe
SC-2
Rep. Duncan, Jeff
SC-3
Rep. Aderholt, Robert B.
AL-4
Rep. Newhouse, Dan
WA-4
Rep. Womack, Steve
AR-3
Rep. Granger, Kay
TX-12
Rep. Moolenaar, John
MI-4
Rep. Fortenberry, Jeff
NE-1
Rep. Simpson, Michael K.
ID-2
Rep. Serrano, Jose E.
NY-15
Rep. Fleischmann, Chuck
TN-3
Rep. Diaz-Balart, Mario
FL-25
Rep. Bishop, Sanford D.
GA-2
Rep. Cuellar, Henry
TX-28
Rep. Lee, Barbara
CA-13
Rep. Herrera Beutler, Jaime
WA-3
Rep. Pingree, Chellie
ME-1
Rep. McCollum, Betty
MN-4
Rep. Harris, Andy P.
MA-1
Rep. Quigley, Michael
IL-5
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie
FL-23
Rep. Young, David
IA-3
Take a look at Clint’s interview with last year’s winner, Ayusha Shrestha.
PR/Marketing team member, Katie Quaste, asks Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania to support the READ Act.
Madeline Wiles, fellow PR/Marketing team member, asks her Congressional leaders from Michigan to support the Protecting Girls’ Access to Education Act.
[hr] Mobilizing
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Alex Lampe, HR team member, organized a swarm to contact Congress.
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Here’s Political Affairs team member, Alexandra Woodward, and her swarm calling Congress.
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Katherine Gan, Political Affairs team member, organized a Living Room Summit with friends prior to their dinner party.
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Fellow HR team member, Lubin Park, also organized a swarm to contact Congress.
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Fundraising
Brittany Walls, PR/Marketing team member, designed these labels and thank you cards as part of her fundraising campaign.
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Magnet label
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Lip balm label
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Donor Thank You card front cover
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Donor Thank You card back cover
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Sabrina Cera, PR/Marketing team member, designed these fliers for her fundraising campaign.[one_third first][/one_third]
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The Borgen Project LIVE!
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PR/Marketing team member, Maggie Carrig, hosted a Snapchat Takeover to raise awareness about her internship with The Borgen Project.
I took over University at Buffalo’s Snapchat for a day to talk about The Borgen Project in Buffalo, New York. I worked with the communications staff at The University at Buffalo to discuss my Marketing and Public Relations Internship. The university gives its students and faculty the opportunity to show the community how they are spending the summer and how it makes their school great. It was a great opportunity to reach a lot of students in a short amount of time. The Snapchat story that I created was viewed by roughly 1,600 students. Several students even took screenshots of a link I posted to email Congress to support current legislation. This was a new way to make people aware of how simple it is for anyone to get involved and make a change. I also emphasized how great this internship was because you can work from anywhere and it gives the campaign a greater chance of reaching all types of people.
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Tom Pandolfo, Political Affairs team member, livestreamed a Facebook concert as his final fundraising event. Anyone that donated or called/emailed their representatives was able to request a song for him to play. For donors that contributed $100, Tom wrote personalized songs for them and performed the songs live during the concert. Tom also demonstrated for his concert-viewers how easy it is to call Congress. This screenshot is of Tom leaving a voicemail for Senator Marie Cantwell of Washington state.
View the full Live Stream concert here – https://www.facebook.com/PandolfoMalatesta/videos/10158894855010445/
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https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-07-12 14:29:072018-04-16 16:01:36State of the Union July 2017
Note from the President: One of the most rewarding aspects of running The Borgen Project is seeing the impact our volunteers are having across the country. Nowhere is that impact more noticeable than in my meetings with congressional offices back in D.C.
In May, I was on Capitol Hill with several team members and in meeting after meeting, congressional staffers commented that they hear a lot from The Borgen Project supporters in their district. Those generic emails and calls to congressional offices all matter and are tracked inside congressional offices. Not for the first time, two Senate offices even said that they hear more from The Borgen Project supporters than any other group! That is absolutely phenomenal considering the grassroots influence of the AARP, NRA, Sierra Club and countless other advocacy organizations.
There is one huge difference, however, between us and the other politically influential groups: funding. While those organizations have tens of millions of dollars to work with, The Borgen Project’s total budget last year was less than $240,000!
We take great pride in being a “force multiplier” for every dollar donated. We believe one dollar can have the impact of $100 if you find creative ways to utilize it. To put in perspective the impact that every fundraising campaign and dollar donated has at The Borgen Project, you need look no further than to Clayton Haglund of Irvine, CA. Clayton raised $2,300, which was one percent of The Borgen Project’s entire budget last year. Clayton has a one-percent ownership of everything The Borgen Project accomplished last year. He fueled one percent of the effort that:
Passed three bills in Congress, impacting hundreds of millions of people.
Drove 2.4 million people to borgenproject.org.
Led to lobbying meetings with 93 percent of the Senate.
Built a network of volunteers in 532 cities.
The list goes on, but the point is quite simple: every dollar counts, every personal fundraising campaign counts and every person in The Borgen Project system has the ability to hold leaders accountable and change lives.
– Clint Borgen
Political Updates
May 2017 was another record-breaking month for our organization. Great job team!
Lobbying Efforts
Total Lobbying Meetings in May: 114
Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 207
2017 Goal: 400
Advocacy Emails
Total Advocacy Emails in May: 4,773
Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year: 23,822
% of Congress Emailed Since the Start of the Year: 90%
Congressional Meetings
Here are photos from some of the meetings held in late April and through the end of May.
Michelle Mathis, HR team member, met with Senator David Perdue’s office (R – GA).
Advocate, Nandini Tivakaran, met with Stephanie McKenzie of Senator Bill Cassidy’s office (R – LA).
Amy Ortega, Political Affairs team member, met with staffer Alyn Fernandez – Regional Director for Senator Marco Rubio (R – FL).
Clayton Haglund, Regional Director, met with Representative Mimi Walter’s district representative (R – CA 45).
Regional Director, Caitlen Sellers, attended an Open House held by Representative Alma Adams (D – NC 12). Representative Adams was quoted saying, “People always ask me if calling Congress really makes a difference. It absolutely does! Keep calling Congress!”
2017 D.C. Lobbying Trip Experience
Winners of this year’s lobbying trip contest share their biggest takeaways from the experience.
Ally Klemp and Emily Schwartz, Regional Directors, pose in front of the Capitol during the 2017 D.C. Lobbying Trip.
Nate Fowler, Political Affairs team member, and one of the 2017 D.C. lobbying trip contest winners.
Emily Schwartz:Even though our trip was important and got The Borgen Project and the issue of poverty in front of a lot of people, my biggest takeaway was that our lobbying efforts that week were not nearly as valuable as constituent calls and emails. Many offices remarked that when they hear support for these issues from their constituents, they are more likely to co-sponsor them. It was so interesting to hear directly from Congress that the people’s opinions matter. When Congressional staffers and interns are fielding calls from concerned constituents all day, they can’t help but remember the major issues. So, if The Borgen Project can get more and more people contacting their Congressional leaders, it will have a huge impact. I also learned that if we mention our Congressional leaders by name in our letters and published pieces, those pieces will get more attention from the leaders. And, if we can persuade big names (heads of Chamber of Commerce, CEOs of companies, etc.) to write letters to the editor about this issue, that will likely be noticed by leaders.
Nate Fowler:Advocating on behalf a citizen-fueled organization like The Borgen Project made me reflect on the influence that Americans have over our government. While this viewpoint has been diluted by the billions spent on campaign ads and backroom lobbyists, this organization’s record and the attention we were given during this trip, allude to the reality that when we dedicate ourselves to being heard by our nation’s government for the betterment of our world, we are. This was a humbling experience, not because of how powerful I realized a Senator is, but because it made me realize how powerful I could be in guiding their actions.
Warren’s Address
Here is the latest from Warren about the goings-on in Washington D.C.
Have a listen to the “refreshed” version of a PSA written by Neil Decenteceo, a Regional Director in Florida. Alpha Media will broadcast the PSA on 7 of their stations in Florida through the end of September 2017.
Check out these photos from Regional Director, Caitlen Sellers. Caitlen met with a delegation of women entrepreneurs from Saudi Arabia.
Check out these fliers designed by Regional Director, Ally Klemp.
Fundraising
Here are photos from some of this past month’s fundraising events.
Amy Ortega, Political Affairs team member, held a combined fundraising and mobilizing event.
Fellow Political Affairs team member, Bailey Reed, held a fundraising event over fondue.
HR intern, Yumiao Zhu, held a fundraiser by cooking dinner for her friends.
And take a look at this flyer designed by Political Affairs team member, Megan Crain, for her fundraising activity.
More Pets for The Borgen Project!
Carrie Clower, Regional Director, got help from her doggy friends to raise support for the Reach Every Mother and Child Act and the AGOA & MCA Modernization Act.
https://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg00adminhttps://borgenteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpgadmin2017-06-14 08:51:102024-06-13 14:34:08State of the Union June 2017
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[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_half]
[/one_half]
[/one_half]
[/one_half]
[/one_half]
[/one_half]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
[/one_third]
