As we kick off this new year at Faith in Women, we first want to take this opportunity to celebrate the amazing contributions of our supporters in 2017. In December we asked you to participate in a year-end engagement survey to let us know about the work you have done in your communities to advance and advocate for reproductive health and rights in Mississippi–and we were blown away by what we learned from the responses!
Supporter Activities
Over the past year, our supporters have engaged in all kinds of activities, including:
- Supporting the sexuality education work of Teen Health Mississippi that improves the lives of teens and young adults
- Contacting state and federal representatives about issues that impact marginalized communities, including immigration, police violence, Medicaid expansion, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- Championing pro-choice women running for elected office
- Attending lobby visits coordinated by Planned Parenthood Southeast
- Conducting and presenting research on advocacy to academic conferences
We are amazed at the breadth and depth of the work you all do on a daily basis to make Mississippi a more just, compassionate place for women and girls.
Partnerships with Organizations 
At Faith in Women we know that working across justice movements is critical for long-term, sustainable social change, so were pleased to learn from all of you about how you support many other like-minded organizations through financial giving and volunteering, including:
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Common Cause
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
- Jackson Women’s Health Organization
- League of Women Voters
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- Planned Parenthood
- Sister District
- Southern Poverty Law Center
About Our Members 
Our survey was helpful in learning more about the individuals who participate in our programs. Here are a few key pieces of data that we thought were most important to share:
- Nearly all (88%) of our supporters identify with a particular faith tradition or spiritual practice
- 56% of our membership participates regularly, either as leader or attendee, in a particular faith community
- 31% of respondents identify as spiritual or religious but do not affiliate with a specific faith community at this time
Why is this important? Because it reinforces what we know to be true–that people of faith, even in Mississippi, want to see a more just world for women and girls. And while the majority of our members identify as people of faith or faith leaders (we are called Faith in Women, after all), we also have some members who do not personally belong to a faith tradition but still support the work we do to create spaces that allow for nuanced conversations and advocacy regarding faith and reproductive health, rights, and justice.
Responding to the Survey
One thing we heard loud and clear–you all want more! More opportunities to connect with each other locally, more in-person events to learn about issues, and more web-based activities to join. We’ll do our best to make this happen!
As we finish our planning for 2018, we will be prioritizing the program and education areas that our members most requested of us in the coming year:
- Abortion in Mississippi
- Reproductive Healthcare
- Prevention of gender-based violence
- Women’s economic security
- Networking opportunities
Thanks to all of our members for a justice-focused year. We can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in 2018!