On Facebook, it’s “how many friends.” On Twitter, “how many followers.” On YouTube, “how many views.” In the world of grassroots advocacy, it’s “how large a network.”

Collectively, NCJW members have been part of just about every major progressive social movement in this country during the past century and, in many cases, were at the forefront of pushing for change. We have shown up in large numbers to march and to rally. We have successfully lit up phone lines to urge our representatives and senators to take up our causes. And thanks to NCJW’s Action Center, thousands of us have emailed our legislators, the president, and other public officials, to voice our concern about and support for a variety of issues.

One of our most recent — and successful — examples of mobilizing support has been NCJW’s Voices for Reproductive Choices campaign. We collected our voices and amplified them: a letter to the editor in the New York Times, articles in the Forward and New York Jewish Week, a series of action alerts, rally events nationwide, Hill visits, and telephone calls to Congress. Thanks to the action from NCJW members and sections around the country, in just four weeks’ time, we gathered nearly 6,000 signatures on behalf of NCJW’s Voices for Reproductive Choices petition!

We have taken action, but we must do more. And to do that, we need to get more — more people. More names. More email addresses. More donations. Congressional offices keep active track of how many emails come through on each issue. At NCJW we make it easy for our members and supporters to take action. Once you’re enrolled in our Action Center, it just takes a click of a mouse to make your voice count!

I am asking each of you, if you haven’t already, to join the Action Center. If you’re already enrolled, sign in to make sure we have your current information. If you are an active participant, I am asking you to share this resource with your friends, family members, and colleagues. Encourage them to sign up and take action!

Increasing our numbers doesn’t just benefit us as a national organization. It benefits each section and each member. And, ultimately, it benefits the quality of life for women, children, and families. To quote Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, “It is at the local level … that most women first become politically empowered — largely through participation in civil society organizations… One of the most important factors in women’s political empowerment is providing spaces for effective engagement with their governments so that they can negotiate for gender equality priorities in legislative processes and planning decisions.”

NCJW has been and will be a highly effective advocate for social change here in the US and in Israel. We can, and should, expand our numbers and our voices for change in policies at the local, state, and national levels. We must ensure women have the freedom to choose as well as full dignity and equality in their lives. If not now, when?