a bright future

pro-life wisconsin’s 2015 annual report

ProLifeWI.org262.796.1111

why we existPro-Life Wisconsin is dedicated to the care and protection of the most vulnerable persons in our society — the elderly, the disabled, preborn children and their mothers and fathers. We are cultivating a society in which every human life is welcomed, treasured, and loved.

A legislative and educational organization, Pro-Life Wisconsin works to spread the

message that every human being has an infinite value and priceless dignity. We

ensure that the powerful will protect the vulnerable, and we only endorse legislation

and candidates that are 100% pro-life.

Since 1992, we have been a presence of love and integrity. We are trusted to cherish

all life from conception to natural death without exception and without compromise.

state director’s message It is an honor to share with you Pro-Life Wisconsin’s 2015 Annual Report. It was a year of years – and our future is looking brighter than ever.

We had our legislative plan in place for 2015, but God had other ideas. He sent us David Daleiden – the young man whose videos shocked the conscience of America. These videos helped us to enact legislation that we had been working on for years, stripping the abortion giant Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin of $8 million annually! Then in October, Planned Parenthood of Grand Chute/Appleton CHOSE to shut its doors – the kind of CHOICE we at Pro-Life Wisconsin like the best! Nationally, abortion centers are falling like flies. So many victories. God is so good! All the time!

Pro-Life Wisconsin has one of the best staff I have ever seen. Because their approach is smart, decisive & innovative, we accomplished great things. Our development director, Matt Von Rueden, led the way by making 2015 our 2nd best fundraising year – EVER. Our communications director, Sam Guzman, shined brightly with our re-branding efforts, marketing our new look on a totally new website and reached over 150 million people on social media – 26 times the entire population of Wisconsin! Matt Sande, our legislative director, is the who’s who on the isthmus in Madison. His expertise in legislative affairs has reaped both large and small victories for babies in the womb and those vulnerable to the incessant onslaught of the Culture of Death. Without a good office manager, we would be toast! Bonnie Zamorski brings so many skills and faithful persistence to the table. Her legacy to the pro-life movement is her quiet, unfailing way.

Our Fall Banquet Fundraiser at the Harley-Davidson® Museum was the largest crowd we have ever had at an event of this type. Our keynote speaker, former Planned Parenthood manager turned pro-life, Abby Johnson, captivated the audience with her story – and now her life’s work – to end abortion forever.

And we are doing that – one day at a time. Please help us write the final chapter of abortion in America by getting involved with Pro-Life Wisconsin!

May God bless you and your families, now and forever!

DAN MILLERState Directordan.m@prolifewi.org262-796-1111 ext. 11

MATT SANDE Legislative Directormatt.s@prolifewi.org262-796-1111 ext. 13

BONNIE ZAMORSKI Office Manageroffice@prolifewi.org262-796-1111 ext. 10

SAM GUZMANCommunications Directorinfo@prolifewi.org262-796-1111 ext. 12

MATT VON RUEDENDevelopment Directormatt.v@prolifewi.org262-796-1111 ext. 15

our staff

PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN EDUCATION TASK FORCE OFFICERSPRO-LIFE EDUCATION

President: Brad ConnersVice President: Steven Donley, D.C.Secretary: Charmaine Herbert Treasurer: George Kriegl Spiritual Advisor: Bishop Donald J. Hying

PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRO-LIFE LEGISLATION President: Tom ZignegoVice President: Todd Miller, M.D.Secretary: Charmaine HerbertTreasurer: George Kriegl

our board

BOARD MEMBERS: Brad Conners, Steven Donley, D.C., Kent Duncan, Charlie Van Hecke, Charmaine Herbert, George Kriegl, Todd Miller, M.D., Michael J. Phillips, M.D., Tom Zignego

EDUCATE

Pro-Life Wisconsin’s True to Life media campaign and Speakers' Bureau educate the public on a variety of pro-life issues. In communities throughout our state, Pro-Life Wisconsin’s local affiliates change hearts and minds by spreading the Gospel of Life. By educating friends and neighbors about the connection between contraception and abortion, our affiliates help build strong families thereby reducing sexual promiscuity, unplanned pregnancies, and chemical and surgical abortions.

LEGISLATE

Through advocacy at the state capitol in Madison, we urge our elected officials to ban surgical abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life and health of the mother. We advocate passage of a state constitutional amendment to establish the legal personhood of every preborn child from conception. We defend the conscience rights of medical professionals who refuse to prescribe or dispense abortifacient drugs or devices, and we work to stop all efforts to legalize euthanasia, assisted suicide and infanticide.

ACTIVATE

Grassroots activism is at the heart of the pro-life movement’s efforts to build a culture of life. Real cultural change will only happen neighbor to neighbor through a network of educated, caring and compassionate pro-lifers. Pro-Life Wisconsin’s affiliates bring attention to the impact of abortion on Wisconsin’s local communities through public, peaceful protests, providing local churches with pro-life materials and resources, sidewalk counseling, participating in civic parades, hosting information tables and so much more.

what we do

NEW BRAND IDENTITY

OLD BRAND IDENTITY

rebrandbold new look, unchanging message

In the 24 years since Pro-Life Wisconsin's founding, the culture has undergone massive changes. Technological innovation has exploded, attention spans have shortened, argument has become less rational and more emotive, and communication has become increasingly visual. While many of these changes are positive, they also present new challenges in effectively sharing the pro-life message.

Accordingly, in the fall of 2014, Pro-Life Wisconsin began the process of a complete rebrand that would help us share the Gospel of Life with the contemporary culture in a compelling, beautiful, persuasive way. Aided by a team of talented creatives, we re-focused on our core values and mission, and developed a compelling new brand identity.

Pro-Life Wisconsin's new brand is more than a new coat of paint. It is a way of thinking and acting that shapes everything we do. We love our new brand, and we are confident that it will help us change hearts and minds and cultivate a culture of life!

educatetrue to life media

Pro-Life Wisconsin seeks to educate a broad demographic of Wisconsin citizens through media and advertising. When you join the True to Life Media campaign through your tax-deductible gift, you are ensuring that the message of personhood and the dignity of every human being is being promoted in your local community. In 2015, Pro-Life Wisconsin Education Task Force (ETF) made an estimated 154.5 million impressions through all advertising media outlets. These ads were broadcast statewide in movie theaters, on television, on the radio, in newspapers, on the internet, and on city buses.

new pro-life wisconsin website

Our commitment to innovatively reaching the culture with the pro-life message didn't end with our new brand. After months of hard work, we were proud to simultaneously launch our beautiful new website in conjunction with our new brand identity.

This mobile friendly website is loaded with content, including educational articles about abortion, personhood, the harms of artificial contraception, end of life issues, and more. Multimedia content abounds, with videos and social memes ready to share with friends. Petitions, upcoming events, and an "email your legislators" form enables visitors to act on their pro-life convictions.

social media outreach

Social media is an important part of Pro-Life Wisconsin's efforts to spread the message of the value of each human life. While much popular content was shared this year, one example stands out as a witness to the incredible power of social media: A viral 4D ultrasound video. This simple video of babies playing in the womb was liked, commented on, and shared by over 4.9 million people and viewed over 40 million times!

Hearts and minds are being changed by the footage as well, with moving testimonies such as this one left in the comments: "Seeing things like this really makes me wish that I had kept my baby. I regret it every single day. I wish I could walk in that office and stop myself from making the decision that I did."

This viral video isn't done sharing the beauty of life in the womb. Even though it was posted months ago, the powerful footage continues to reach an average of 8 million individuals and garner thousands of new page likes each week.

Facebook comment from Judy:

"It just amazes me what the human body can create and

maintain from within. The womb is a perfect creation. If not by

God, than how?"

2015 annual auction

Pro-Life Wisconsin's 2015 Annual Auction Dinner was our biggest auction ever, with nearly 600 people packing the Harley-Davidson® Museum in downtown Milwaukee to capacity for an inspiring evening of food, fun, and friends — all in support of Pro-Life Wisconsin's life-saving work.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki issued a powerful invocation, asking God to help Wisconsin build a culture of life. Following dinner, Abby Johnson delivered a powerful talk on the dignity of every human life, regardless of how he or she was conceived, and proclaimed that together, we can win the battle for life.

Abby also shared how her adopted son, Jude, who was conceived in rape, is considered expendable by many on both sides of the abortion debate. But she said that his life is precious and worth protecting too. Her stirring words were met with a standing ovation and cheers of support.

end of life conference

Pro-Life Wisconsin was proud to be a sponsor and planning committee member for the inaugural Human Dignity at the End of Life Conference, held at St. Camillus in Milwaukee. This innovative event featured expert speakers from across the United States, and the diverse audience included doctors, students, nurses, and other medical professionals, those of all religious persuasions or none at all. All were educated about how best to protect and respect human dignity at the end of life and heard a clear articulation of pro-life principles related to end of life healthcare.

Response to the conference was overwhelming, with attendance nearly exceeding capacity. Feedback from attendees was incredibly positive, and many expressed excitement for the conference.

campus alive programThrough the campus alive college grant program, Matt Fradd gave a keynote speech. Matt is an internationally known chastity speaker who speaks to thousands of teens and young adults each year. Because chastity is an important part of a culture of life, Pro-Life Wisconsin sponsored two of Matt Fradd's speaking engagements in the La Crosse area. In two days, Matt spoke to hundreds of high school students and nearly two hundred college students, passionately calling them to avoid the dangers of pornography and to embrace pure and chaste love.

speakers' bureauPro-Life Wisconsin's speaker's bureau offers 100% pro-life speakers to parishes, churches, schools, and other venues to speak on a variety of different topics related to the dignity of human life. In 2015 alone, 63 speaking engagements were booked through Pro-Life Wisconsin's Speakers' Bureau, reaching thousands of Wisconsin citizens with the beautiful truth of human dignity and personhood at all stages of life.

legislateno life left behind

Pro-Life Wisconsin seeks to end abortion, not simply regulate it. Recognizing this as the end goal of the pro-life movement, and keeping in mind the dignity of every human life created in God’s image, Pro-Life Wisconsin will not support legislation with exceptions allowing for abortion in some cases. We do not have the moral authority to negotiate even one precious life away. To do so would undermine the very foundation of the pro-life movement. Every piece of legislation we support recognizes and promotes the dignity of all human persons, from conception to natural death.

defunding planned parenthood

of wisconsin of $8 million

Pro-Life Wisconsin worked for months lobbying for this legislation and was proud to stand with Governor Walker as he signed two pro-life bills into law that, together, are expected to eliminate approximately $8 million annually in public funding from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI), the state’s largest abortion provider. Wisconsin Act 151 redirects federal Title X family planning funds away from organizations that perform abortions to public entities including state, county, and local health departments and clinics. Wisconsin Act 152 dramatically reduces PPWI’s inflated Medicaid reimbursement rate for contraceptive drugs. We are grateful to Governor Walker for signing into law legislation that respects the consciences of Wisconsin taxpayers who oppose public funding of abortion.

banning the sale and use of aborted fetal body parts

Pro-Life Wisconsin strongly advocated Assembly Bill 305, legislation that would prohibit the sale and use of aborted fetal body parts. The UW-Madison is currently conducting medical research using aborted fetal tissue. Targeted television commercials sponsored by Pro-Life Wisconsin ran in the Milwaukee and Green Bay media markets urging Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke to schedule Assembly Bill 305 for a floor vote. Regrettably, the vote was never scheduled despite majority support in the Assembly. Recognizing that the ends do not justify the means and that preborn children killed by abortion deserve a proper burial, Pro-Life Wisconsin will continue to fight for this bill in every legislative session.

fighting to remove an exception from 20 week abortion ban

Pro-Life Wisconsin backed legislation shielding preborn children from the excruciating pain of late-term dilation and evacuation dismemberment abortions. But we could not formally support Senate Bill 179 because it included an exception for a “medical emergency.” Because the term medical emergency was defined to allow direct abortion, the medical emergency language in the bill constituted an unacceptable life-of-the-mother exception. The exception in the bill was a patent denial of equal protection under the law. We must never codify the importance of one innocent human life over and above another. Physicians must provide equal care for mother and child, and must never be given license to intentionally kill either one of them. Pro-Life Wisconsin supported an amendment to remove the life-of-the-mother exception from the bill, but the amendment failed for lack of support.

activategrand chute planned parenthood closed

October of 2015, during a 40 Days for Life Campaign, our pro-life activists in the northeastern part of the state were celebrating an answer to many hours of prayer. The Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Grand Chute, just outside of Appleton, shut down! Now only 3 surgical abortion facilities are left in the state of Wisconsin. A huge thank you to all those who prayed, witnessed, and took part in closing down this horrible place! As of the printing of this annual report (7/2016) this abortion center remains CLOSED!

protest planned parenthood ralliesThousands of activists took part in Protest Planned Parenthood rallies across the state after the Center for Medical Progress undercover videos, by David Daleiden, exposed the sale and use of aborted fetal body parts by Planned Parenthood in the summer of 2015. PLW and our local affiliates coordinated these well attended rallies.

march for life chicago 2015

march for life washington dc 2015

Something miraculous happened at the March for Life in 2015! Two PLW buses arrived in Washington, D.C. with 112 activists from across the state at about 10:00 A.M. Wed. January 21st. Our first stop was to pray at the Planned Parenthood. As we lined the sidewalks and began to pray a woman walked out of the door. She said with a smile, “I’m keeping my baby!” A baby saved and we all got to witness this miracle. This same Planned Parenthood in Washington D.C. has since closed it’s doors for good! Miracles abound!

For the first time ever, PLW took a bus of over 50 pro-lifers from the Milwaukee area down to the March for Life Chicago. It was an excellent way for those who could not get all the way to Washington,D.C. to still be a voice for the voiceless and participate in a major march for life event. Due to its popularity, we look forward to continuing to expand this program in future years.

second annual loving life 5k run/walk

baby shower

The second annual Loving Life 5K Run/Walk was a huge success. About 80 participants ran or walked along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee's Grant Park suppooting PLW’s Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) Outreach. Eleven businesses and organizations sponsored and thousands of dollars were raised to reach out to women in crisis pregnancy situations.

In spring of 2015, we received a call. It was a young mother who lived just blocks away from the abortion facility on Farwell Avenue in Milwaukee. She was being pressured to abort her child. Seeking support, she met with us and we formed a relationship that would be life-saving! Late summer we put the word out, and through your generosity, hosted a baby shower for her. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in September and has brought her by the office for visits periodically. What a blessing it was to meet this baby!

other outreach activities • 40 Days for Life Campaigns

• Griswold vs. Connecticut/ Pill Kills Prayer Vigils

• National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Babies Prayer Vigils

• Empty Manger Christmas Caroling

• Good Friday Pro-Life Stations of the Cross

sidewalk counselor trainingsIn 2015, new state director, Dan Miller has shared his 5 years of experience sidewalk counseling with hundreds of activists across the state through numerous Sidewalk Counselor Training Classes. Whether it’s on the sidewalks, or in conversations with family or friends, these individuals are now equipped to have a conversation with a woman considering an abortion.

affiliate program

Pro-Life Wisconsin’s state-wide network of local affiliates were busy at work in 2015 organizing pro-life talks, prayer vigils, parades, writing letters to the editor of their local papers, and so much more! Without dedicated hardworking volunteers at the local level we would not have victories to celebrate. Thank you to all who have taken action at any level and in any way this past year. You are Pro-Life Wisconsin. Without the support of grassroots activists and multichannel efforts across the state the mission would wither.

Bishop Donald Hying observed, “It (Pro-Life Wisconsin) has many people at all levels plugging into the pro-life movement….whether it’s financially, through prayer, through public witness, through education.”

You’re the young girl from Marshfield, WI who sold crafts at her local farmers market and mailed the proceeds to Pro-Life Wisconsin. You’re the many coordinators at the church level who have opened their doors and hosted a pro-life educational talk. You’re the many who have participated in prayer vigils. You truly are the life blood of the organization. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

2015 expenses

How is Pro-Life Wisconsin funded?

The work of Pro-Life Wisconsin is funded by fundraising events, grants, and the generosity of individual donors.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Education Task Force's total expenses for 2015 were $551,479.

68 percent ($373,800) went to carrying out our programs, including sidewalk counselor training sessions, our Medical Decision Making seminars, and our True to Life Media Campaign.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Education Task Force, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, undergoes an independent audit to verify the financial information in this report and on

the 990s filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Copies of our 990s are available by request.

ways to give

one time gift: Whether it is $10 or $1,000, your one time gift helps change hearts and minds through our legislative and educational work.

justice hero monthly gift: Regular monthly gifts are the lifeblood of Pro-Life Wisconsin. Your recurring gift provides critical support that we can count on.

planned giving: A planned gift is a way to ensure that Pro-Life Wisconsin will continue to actively evangelize the Gospel of Life for years to come.

amazonsmile: AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that donates 0.50% of the price of eligible purchases to charities. Just select Pro-Life Wisconsin Education Task Force as your recipient.

other ways: Many of us drink coffee on a daily basis. Now you can support Pro-Life Wisconsin while buying your coffee from 100% pro-life LifeBoat Coffee. You can also support us by shopping at Kwik Trip and Charity Mobile. Designate Pro-Life Wisconsin Education Task Force as your recipient.

For more information on these and other ways to donate, contact Matt Von Rueden at Matt.V@ProLifeWI.org or call 262-796-1111 ext.15.

15850 W. Bluemound Rd.Suite 311Brookfield, WI 53005P: 262.796.1111F: 262.796.1115W: ProLifeWI.org