Mark your calendars! September Advocacy Meetings start September 5th

Thanks to the commitment of Champions like you, we have made great strides in securing funding to support malaria elimination efforts. As we look towards the election cycle it’s important that we keep up the steady drumbeat of support for malaria programs. Together, we have the opportunity to continue to strengthen our relationships with members of Congress by leading virtual meetings through the month of September.   

This year, meetings will take place from September 5th through September 19th with specific sets of states meeting on designated dates. Champions will be grouped by state to meet virtually with their elected officials in support of life-saving global malaria programs including The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. 

As we prepare for these meetings, please take note that we will be doing things slightly differently. Each state will have a designated meeting date. Review the breakdown below and block your calendar for your state meeting date. 

Remember, that participating in our September Virtual Advocacy Day is the best way to position yourself to be selected for our annual Leadership Summit in March 2025!   

RECORDED TRAININGS

• Monday, July 15th – “The Malaria Dividend” Recording and Slides
• Monday, July 29th – “Malaria Research and Deployment” Recording and Slides, focusing on key malaria interventions: Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), Intermittent Protective Treatment in Pregnancy (IPTP), Indoor Residual Spraying, and the RTS,S and R21 Malaria Vaccines. Check out the linked videos for more information on each intervention!
• Monday, August 12th – Talking Points Overview Recording and Slides

MEETING CALENDAR

MEETING DATE: Thursday, September 5th  
(Training: Monday, August 26, 6p ET) 

• Illinois 
• Mississippi 
• New York 
• North Carolina 
• South Carolina 

MEETING DATE: Friday, September 6th 
(Training: Monday, August 26, 6p ET) 

• Virginia 
• Wyoming 
• Delaware 
• Georgia 
• Michigan 

MEETING DATE: Monday, September 9th 
(Training: Monday, August 26, 6p ET) 

• Alaska 
• Alabama 
• Arkansas 
• Kansas
• Louisiana 

MEETING DATE: Tuesday, September 10th 
(Training: Monday, September 9, 6p ET) 

• Iowa 
• Minnesota 
• Missouri 
• Nebraska 
• North Dakota 
• Oklahoma 

MEETING DATE: Wednesday, September 11th 
(Training: Monday, September 9, 6p ET) 

• South Dakota 
• Texas 
• Wisconsin 
• Kentucky 
• Tennessee 
• Indiana 

MEETING DATE: Thursday September 12th 
(Training: Monday, September 9, 6p ET) 

• Connecticut 
• Florida 
• Maine 
• Maryland
• Massachusetts 

MEETING DATE: Monday September 16th 
(Training: Monday, September 9, 6p ET) 

• New Jersey 
• Ohio 
• Pennsylvania 
• Rhode Island 
• Vermont 

MEETING DATE: Tuesday, September 17th 
(Training: Monday, September 16, 6p ET) 

• New Hampshire 
• West Virginia 
• Colorado 
• Idaho 
• Montana
• New Mexico 

MEETING DATE: Wednesday, September 18th 
(Training: Monday, September 16, 6p ET) 

• Utah 
• Arizona 
• California
• Nevada 

MEETING DATE: Thursday September 19th 
(Training: Monday, September 16, 6p ET) 

• Hawaii 
• Oregon 
• Washington 

SCHEDULE  

We kindly request that you block your calendar from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time on your designated meeting date to accommodate schedules with congressional offices. 

FORMAT  

Meetings will take place virtually from the comfort of your home. If you are new to advocacy, this is the perfect opportunity for you to strengthen your advocacy muscles, as you will be able to directly reference your talking points.   

The United to Beat Malaria team will provide meeting links and talking points ahead of your meetings. 

Remember that participating in our September Virtual Advocacy Day is the best way to position yourself to be selected for our annual Leadership Summit in March! So please be sure to only complete the sign-up link if you are certain you will be available to complete your meetings. 

TRAINING WEBINARS  

To help you succeed, the grassroots advocacy team will host a series of trainings listed below. Please note, you are required to attend the training that corresponds with your meeting date. We look forward to answering your questions!  

MEETING PREPARATION  

• Prior to your meetings, we recommend you do some light research on your Congressional delegation’s interests and responsibilities in Congress. To get started, follow the check-list below:  
• Follow your members on social media.   
• Identify which talking points would be most persuasive for your meeting.   
• Read up on their professional backgrounds, their committee assignments, any membership groups to which they belong, their legislative accomplishments, etc. Most of this information is available on your individual legislators’ home pages found at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.    
• Most importantly, be ready to share why malaria elimination is important to you.  

QUESTIONS  

Questions about Virtual Advocacy Meetings? Contact Maegan Cross, Senior Associate, Grassroots Advocacy at MCross@unfoundation.org