About Us
NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, the state's largest grassroots pro-choice organization, has been working to protect choice for over 40 years. Our mission is to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. To accomplish our mission, we have the NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Political Action Committee (PAC); NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Foundation, a section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization; and NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Affiliate, a section 501(c)(4) tax exempt organization. Each of these entities has its own board and strategic plan. Although separate, they work together to promote and safeguard women's reproductive health in the state of Missouri. NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Affiliate Founded in 1969, the Affiliate is the head of the organization. It oversees the PAC and the Foundation and is responsible for managing the office and staff. NPCM engages in educational, lobbying and political activities around a broad range of reproductive health issues. Each election year, NPCM endorses, through the recommendation of its PAC, fully pro-choice candidates and publishes and widely distributes a voter’s guide. The Affiliate also provides expert legislative analysis, testimony and organizing and bill support services. NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Foundation Formed in 1997, the Foundation is a nonprofit social welfare organization devoted to educational activities. The Foundation conducts public education, trainings and outreach programs aimed at empowering people to become active in the political process. The Foundation also educates candidates on reproductive health issues. The Foundation operates the Clinic Escort Program and recruits and trains volunteers to assist women and their significant others get safely past anti-choice protests as they enter and leave PP’s Reproductive Health Services in St. Louis and Hope Clinic in Granite City, IL. The Foundation also operates the Campus Organizing Program which mobilizes pro-choice students. In 2005, the NPCM Foundation released the groundbreaking Pharmacy Access Project—the most comprehensive report of its kind. The Pharmacy Access Project found a lack of access to emergency contraception in Missouri pharmacies. In response to this report, the Foundation has embarked on a massive statewide organizing project to educate women and pharmacists about the availability and health benefits of emergency contraception. The Foundation can testify as to its research findings upon legislative request. NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri PAC NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri PAC was formed in 1988 to help elect pro-choice candidates to office. It seeks to protect pro-choice incumbents from challengers and to elect pro-choice officials. During the 2008 election cycle, NPCM PAC made approximately 10 times more direct cash contributions to endorsed candidates than any other pro-choice organization in Missouri reported, in addition to substantial independent expenditures and influencing our members to support PAC-endorsed candidates financially. NPCM PAC-endorsed candidates won 80% of the time in 2008, and in those races in which we spent money in a contested primary, our success rate was 66%. During the 2008 elections, our PAC communicated with 50,000 pro-choice voters statewide through mail, email, phonebanks, and canvasses; sent over 35,000 pieces of direct mail in independent expenditure campaigns in targeted races; sent personnel to physically staff five campaign offices; trained candidates in framing a winning pro-choice message; conducted a GOTV operation including “knock and drags” on election day, poll-watching, and election-day phoning. We were widely credited with providing the slim margin of victory in a ferociously contested state Senate race when our endorsement triggered a flood of other endorsements, with the money and volunteers that accompany them, for the winning candidate. Our Voters Guide is provided to all members in major election years, first for the primaries, and then for the general election. PAC Endorsement Process NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri PAC & NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC The process is different for candidates seeking endorsement from the national organization, NARAL Pro-Choice America, versus our state affiliate, as we each have separate PACs. NARAL Pro-Choice America has a federal PAC and we have only a state PAC and each organization has its own guidelines. Both, however, require the completion and return of a candidate questionnaire for endorsement of any candidate. STATE CANDIDATES: If you are a State Candidate looking for the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, contact us at 314.531.8616 FEDERAL CANDIDATES: If you are a Federal Candidate looking for the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice America, contact: Julie Stitzel, Deputy Director-PAC at 202.973.3050. **********************
Staff Contact Information: Political and Field Organizer: Paige Sweet Office Manager: Joyce Robinson, Ext. 10 ********************** Affiliate Contact Information: NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri 1210 S Vandeventer St. Louis, MO 63110 Fax: 314-531-8615 Phone: 314-531-8616 www.prochoicemissouri.org > |