The results are in!

Thank you to everyone that participated in our membership survey.

We were overwhelmed with the thoughtful and insightful comments we received this year. It is precisely this collective voice that gives us our political influence. Your input directly shapes our work and we greatly appreciate everyone taking the time to share their thoughts on our direction this year.

Based on our 2011 member survey results, cutting military spending to meet the needs of our communities ranked the highest when compared with our other core issues.  These results, along with an increasing public awareness of the potentially dramatic impact on funding for critical domestic programs and growing public opposition to the war in Afghanistan, have led us to adopt our Move the Money Campaign as the main umbrella for Peace Action’s work over the next year.

Check out a summary of the responses below, as well as some of our favorite comments from this year.

Which statement best describes why you support Peace Action?

"I am part of the Exeter peace vigil.  We are small, so it's good for me to make a larger impact."

This is the unique strength of Peace Action's grassroots network. By working together, we have the people power to make an impact on our nation's priorities. With 100,000 members across the nation, our small efforts add up to a larger collective impact. Join or renew your membership today!

"Solid, credible information and practical action based on decades of respected experience."

We are committed to continuing to provide information and ongoing opportunities to take action. Sign up for weekly opportunities to make a difference by joining our Peace Action Alert Network.

In 2012, as Peace Action works to grow and expand its network, which of the following should be a priority?

"Work against this ongoing war mentality -- it's pretty awful."

Awful indeed!

"Prevent a war with Iran and  Syria."

Many of you expressed concerns with the possibility for yet another war in the Middle East. And not a moment too soon!

Since closing our survey, we have launched a petition to prevent war with Iran and we are committed to pushing at every level for peaceful negotiations, not war and conflict.

As Peace Action prepares to kick off Peace Voter 2012, a non-partisan campaign that brings critical foreign policy issues to the election-year debate, which of the following would you like to see Peace Action do more of?

"Make the case on how this will affect jobs and the economy.  The big issues for people are jobs and the economy, so I think that the case has to be made to show the connection."

Our Move the Money campaign will be the umbrella under which all of our work is coordinated this year. With our economy devastated, more and more people recognize that we need to Move the Money from wars and weapons to human needs at home.

"Increase public awareness of military financial costs."

We are committed to making the war economy an election year issue. Through engaging candidates, educating the public, and taking action at critical times, we will not allow out of control military spending to bankrupt our economy!

Do you have other thoughts on where we should focus our resources in the year to come? If so, please share them with us!

"I think we should connect the dots between reducing military spending and turning around and using it to create green jobs at home. Protecting the earth is a critical element in the struggle for peace. War will come from our endangering our earth. So we must help people understand how the two are connected."

This really gets to the heart of the matter. We don't just want to cut military spending for a leaner, meaner military; we want a cleaner, greener economy! Our Move the Money campaign is bringing this struggle for peace right to the heart of the problem -- our militarized economy. In cities and towns throughout the country and in the halls of Congress on Capitol Hill, Peace Action organizers are confronting our elected officials with true solutions to the economic and climate crisis.

"In a year when we have Presidential and Congressional elections and continued economic struggles for the 99%, it's importants to tie "move the money" together with education about candidate positions and endorsements. With as little expenditure of time and money as possible by the national office, affiliates should be encouraged to finance their own GOTV [get out the vote] and PAC fundraising efforts for candidates in their districts. This might be a good opportunity for some of the larger, more experienced affiliates to help newer and smaller affiliates in swing districts."

Wow! This insightful comment is pulling a page right out of our playbook. Our annual Organizers Meeting brought together Peace Action leaders from across the country. Affiliates led trainings for each other on candidate briefings, get-out-the-vote, and voter guides to help inform potential voters of candidates' positions. Look out for these resources on our website soon!