Aftereffects of 9/11 Still Affecting NRLC's Financial Position

By Don Parker

At the National Right to Life Convention in Pittsburgh last month, several workshops and part of a general assembly were devoted to challenges facing the pro-life movement in the area of fundraising. The emphasis was definitely needed.

Although it may seem like a dry topic, the finances of our local, state, and national pro-life groups are critical - - they often determine whether lifesaving programs can even exist - - that is, whether some unborn children will live or die.

Challenges to the financial strength of the pro-life movement have been many over the past year. Terrorist attacks hurt charitable giving to many organizations; mails disrupted by anthrax prevented delivery of some contributions; and the economy was slow until early this year. All of these have had a serious effect on giving to National Right to Life and some of its state affiliates.

In addition, many small organizations have cropped up in recent years with fundraising campaigns in the name of partial-birth abortion and other pro-life issues. They have raised millions of dollars with little noticeable effect. In fact, in some cases, over 90 percent of the money raised has gone to the fundraisers themselves. Unfortunately, this draws down on contributions to the productive pro-life work of National Right to Life, state right to life groups, and crisis pregnancy centers, among others.

Because of these problems, and because of the critical needs of the movement, National Right to Life will be asking its members for extra help for the remainder of this year. In previous times of emergency, our members have come through and allowed programs that save lives to continue. We hope and pray you will be there again for the babies, as you always have been.

A few things to keep in mind:

* Make sure you are familiar with a group that calls or writes to ask for money for pro-life issues. Because they have a proven track record of saving lives, passing pro-life legislation, and lowering abortion rates, we recommend pro-lifers support their state and National Right to Life organizations.

* Help us get others to give to your state and National Right to Life Committees. You may ask them to give, or make copies of the attached form. Or you may call or write for a Partners for Life packet. Partners for Life is a National Right to Life project where our wonderful volunteers mail 10 pre-printed letters to their pro-life friends and ask them to join National Right to Life. Those who receive the letters typically send small contributions, and the total from each package averages over $50. In this time of ever-tighter budgets, it can be a tremendous help to our efforts! To receive a Partners for Life packet, call us at 202-626-8813, or send in the form below. We'll put a packet in the mail for you right away!

Thank you so much for all you do for the movement. As the challenges seem to grow, so does the satisfaction of seeing the numbers of abortions drop year after year. National Right to Life, and the babies, are deeply grateful for your support.