One challenge the NGO community often faces, whether we’re advocating for increased resources for health and development programs, or for our government to respond to a humanitarian emergency overseas, is the misperception that the American people do not support government spending on international relief and development programs. However, with 13.6 million individual donors and millions of grassroots activists, it’s clear that the American people are more than simply supportive of international relief and development. Rather, lawmakers and policymakers must realize that there is a large constituency in the United States that is committed to advancing an agenda that has poverty reduction at its core.

InterAction is exploring ways to better coordinate its members’ messages at key political moments so that we can more fully take advantage of policy opportunities in a way that leverages the collective grassroots potential of our entire community. In doing so, we will develop the ability of the American people to speak with one voice on behalf of the world’s poor, and will begin to shift perceptions in Washington, DC about the broad support for international relief and development programs among voters in the United States.