PICTURING YOUR PROGRAM:
PLANNING FOR ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

A publication of the Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
By Kris Bein and Sally Laskey

Co-created with the wisdom, insight, and experience from past and present project
staff from the Resource Sharing Project, National Sexual Violence Resource Center,
National Organization of Asians and Pacific Islanders Ending Sexual Violence, and
the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition: Elizabeth Barnhill, Valerie
Davis, Cat Fribley, Maria Jirau-Torres, Nina Jusuf, Guadalupe Lopez, Nicole Matthews,
Eric Stiles, Taylor Teichman, Stephanie Townsend, Karla Vierthaler, Kelly Wilt and Mira
Yusef, and with thanks to Project Sites and OVW staff working on the project.

Editing assistance provided by Karen Litterer and Norio Umezu Hall

Please note that this publication uses they/them/theirs in the singular to recognize
there are more than two genders and affirm survivors who are transgender or who
identify outside the gender binary.

This publication is supported by Grant No. 2009-TA-AX-K011 awarded by the Office
on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings,
conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the
author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office
on Violence Against Women.

© The Resource Sharing Project and National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2019.
All rights reserved. The content of this publication may be reprinted with the following
acknowledgment: This material was reprinted, with permission, from the Resource
Sharing Project and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s publication titled
Picturing Your Program: Planning for Organizational Growth

INTRODUCTION
Dual/multi-service programs — organizations that serve survivors of sexual violence
as well as providing domestic violence services or other services — work incredibly
hard, care deeply about survivors and their community, and want to provide services
that their communities need. Taking a thorough look at how programs have structured
services for survivors of sexual violence is an essential part of how we care for
survivors. This toolkit provides guidelines to explore program values, resources, and
structures related to sexual violence services, based in the work of the Sexual Assault
Demonstration Initiative (SADI).
(http://www.resourcesharingproject.org/sexual-assault-demonstration-initiative-0)

There are almost unlimited ways for programs to grow and change; each program will
determine the path that is best for them. Through intense work with dual/multi-service
advocacy agencies, the SADI identified some significant attributes and practices that
can propel a program’s growth:
(See pages 75–89 in Townsend, S. M., National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project,
& National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2017). Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative: Final
Report. Des Moines, IA & Enola, PA: National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project &
National Sexual Violence Resource Center.)

Openness to Learning: Learning as an ongoing process. To be open to learning,
programs must facilitate learning and continuous transformation, have humility about
their own knowledge, and ask for help when needed. Being open to learning means
being willing to engage with and learn from people who had different views and
accept constructive feedback, even when it is challenging.

Openness to Change: When programs are open to change, they are willing to consider
radical alterations, not minor modifications. As one SADI participant said, “It’s never
just the sexual assault services. This is about challenging your core. You thought
everything was established with your core services, but integrating sexual violence
makes you rethink everything.” Leaders who are open to change facilitate a process of
transformation in a team approach.

Stable and Empowering Leadership: The SADI found that “organizations
that accomplished the most comprehensive changes were led by people who
demonstrated trust in and empowerment of their staff.” The extent to which leaders
encourage collaborative approaches to problem solving influences the extent to which
the program can grow and change. Stability of leadership was also found to have a
strong influence on program stability and readiness for change, as any transitions in
leadership are a significant change in and of themselves.

Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Commitment: When programs ground themselves in
knowledge about racism and other forms of oppression, advocates are able to better
understand how social norms and values shape their program and communities,
and can begin to shift the ways in which they (and their program) connect to their
communities and survivors. A commitment to anti-racism becomes real and effective
when it is fully integrated into the program’s mission and daily activities.

Support for Staff: This takes the form of practices and approaches that reduce the
potential for vicarious trauma. Staff are given regular support and trauma-informed 
supervision. Support for staff also means that staff who
have experienced sexual violence feel respected by the program.

Picturing Your Program: Organizational
Assessment Toolkit uses these lessons
to guide you through a process to
assess your program’s services to
survivors of sexual violence. The
SADI TA Providers and Documenter
developed and used these tools
with advocacy programs in the
SADI. We then refined and revised
them for this toolkit. An important
principle of the SADI was that
enhancing services and sustaining
those services can only be achieved
and sustained through organizational
change. Beginning an organizational
change process begins with an honest
assessment of how the program’s policy
and procedures, staffing, and culture
support or do not support service to survivors
of sexual violence. 
(Townsend, S. M., National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project, & National Sexual
Violence Resource Center. (2017). Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative: Final Report. Des Moines,
IA & Enola, PA: National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project & National Sexual
Violence Resource Center.)
 
In this toolkit, you will find a variety of tools to help you assess your policy and
procedures, staffing, and culture:

Readiness for Change: A Guided Reflection has questions to spark
intentional conversations about program wellbeing and capacity for change. This
tool will help your team have some interesting conversations together and gain new
insight into your work.

Making Survivors’ Pathways Visible is an activity to highlight how survivors of sexual
violence experience your program. In this activity, you will explore how survivors
access your program and move through services.

People to People is a tool for exploring internal
resources and networks. It will help you look at
the connections within your program and think
about these questions: Who holds the expertise
on sexual violence in the program? How is
knowledge about sexual violence shared?

Pages to Practice is a checklist for reviewing
the documents of your program. Documents
are powerful things. In reviewing your
program’s documents, you will explore: How
much does the organization know about sexual
violence, especially outside of an intimate
partner violence construct? How holistic are the
sexual assault services that the organization
provides? What do the program’s policies and
procedures say about sexual violence? How do
they support staff?

These tools are most effective when all four are used. We recommend that you
complete all four tools in this order, though your schedule may mean you choose to
complete them in a different order.

The Readiness for Change,
Making Survivors’ Pathways
Visible, People to People, and
Pages to Practice tools are
most effective when all four
are used. We recommend
that you complete all four
tools in this order, though
your schedule may mean you
choose to complete them in
a different order.

WHO SHOULD USE THIS TOOLKIT?
This toolkit is appropriate for dual and multi-service programs that have a significant
interest in enhancing their sexual assault services. The toolkit is based on work done
with the SADI project sites that included four traditional mainstream programs, a
culturally specific program, and a tribal government-based program. How to use each
section of the toolkit will vary slightly based on the type of program. Programs that
have the time and resources to invest in this change process, those that have working
relationships with partner programs, coalitions and technical assistance providers, and
those that are interested in learning are best suited to this effort.

Organizational change takes investment from everyone. It is dynamic and requires
a great deal of capacity, engagement, and commitment. It is useful to have a core
group of staff representing the diversity of the program and all its sectors to help lead
the change efforts. These individuals will need the support from leadership and the
organization as a whole to shift their responsibilities and invest more of their time in
organizing and implementing the activities in this toolkit. This team should include
staff from various supervisory levels, lengths of time with the program, and expertise
in sexual violence. Critical analysis and communication skills are of the utmost
importance for team members.

Everyone in your program brings different and important perspectives to
organizational change. These tools are designed to be used with stakeholders
throughout the program to give you the most comprehensive picture possible. Every
program is different, however, so each one will want to determine how to cluster and
survey the people who comprise the program. Here are some typical categories:
• Executive Leadership (ED, CEO, etc. of a community-based advocacy program,
or of the umbrella organization)
• Program Leadership (program director/manager, if within a tribal government,
county government, or umbrella organization; this is the person (or people) who
has daily management and interaction with the advocacy program)
• Mid-level program management (such as director of advocacy,
clinical supervisors)
• Tribal Government (depending on the tribal government structure, this may be
the leadership of the unit/division that contains the advocacy program and/or
the Tribal Council)
• Board of directors
• Direct service staff (advocates, counselors, preventionists; these are the
staff that provide services related directly to anti-violence programming for
their daily work)
• If the organization has multiple different direct service programs, you may want
to separate these staff from the anti-violence program for this assessment (for
example, an umbrella organization’s homeless service program)
• Administrative staff (finance, human resources, fund development, reception,
etc; these are the staff members that typically focus on the operations of the
program rather than directly on anti-violence programming)
• Volunteers, interns, law clerks, etc for the anti-violence programming

Throughout the toolkit, you will be asked to consider these various groups that we’ll
call internal stakeholders. We recommend that you make a list here of the categories
of your internal stakeholders to refer back to. Some programs might want to list
every person’s name in each group; for others, listing just the groups will be sufficient
to move forward.

WHEN SHOULD THE TOOLKIT BE USED?
It is recommended that the activities from this toolkit be implemented over a three
to six month period to get an initial picture. From this, you can develop your plan for
enhancing sexual assault services. Programs can then use these tools again, after
implementing action steps from their plan, as an evaluation method.
For some programs, it will work well to complete one tool per staff meeting over a
series of several staff meetings, ending with an overall review. Other programs might
choose to block off a few days to intensively work through the whole toolkit. Look at
your program’s schedule for the next year — considering major events and any times
that tend to be extra busy — and decide how your program would like to devote time
to these tools.

HOW SHOULD THE TOOLKIT BE USED?
Developing a clear picture of your program’s current landscape
and capacity for growth is a journey, and this toolkit
provides some guideposts. Many of the tools in this
kit can be completed as a large group discussion
with all internal stakeholders, a series of small
group discussions or focus groups, individual
written assignments that are collected and
analyzed, or personal reflection. Depending
on your program’s size, complexity, and
organizational culture, you can choose
the method that works best for you.
Other tools have a specific process to
follow, with recommendations of specific
stakeholders to involve.

This toolkit should be used in conjunction
with the Listening to Our Communities
Toolkit, which provides guidance on
conducting community needs assessments.
(https://www.nsvrc.org/publications/nsvrc-publications-toolkits/listening-our-communities-assessment-toolkit)

The tools in this kit will require you to dive
into some fundamental questions about
your program’s organizational identity, beliefs,
and practices. This can be difficult and perhaps
emotional at times. Before you begin activities in
this toolkit, it will be helpful for your team to set some
agreements about ethical communication and mutual
respect. (http://www.resourcesharingproject.org/facilitator-guide-open-ethical-communication-gu%C3%ADa-para-facilitadores-di%C3%A1logos-sobre-la-comunicaci%C3%B3n)

This will ease your progress through the tools here, and
support your work culture overall. You may also want to practice some
specific facilitation skills for these important conversations (Green, L (2018). Facilitator’s Guide: Conversations on Rural Helpline Services. Des Moines, IA: National
Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project.): 

• Take turns speaking. Don’t allow folks to talk over one another. This ensures that
everyone can be heard and understood. Some facilitators find it helpful to keep
a list of the order in which people raised their hands to contribute; this can aid
in keeping participation equitable.
Find a way for everyone to contribute. Not everyone will have the same comfort
level in sharing. For a small close-knit group, consider inviting folks who haven’t
had a chance to share much. For larger groups consider providing multiple
ways to contribute to the dialogue, such as small group work, going one by one
around the group, or a write-in option.
• Get comfortable with silence. There will be lulls in the conversation and that
is okay. This gives time for folks to reflect and give thoughtful answers. If the
silence goes on too long (try counting to ten or twenty to yourself), consider
restating the original question or posing a new question to the group.
• Ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are designed to inspire
longer and more meaningful answers instead of simple one word responses.
Most of the questions we pose throughout this guide are open-ended. As you
design more specific questions with your program in mind, use our questions
as inspiration.
• Don’t be afraid to re-focus the group. Conversations naturally diverge and head
in different directions. When the diversion no longer seems productive, gently
refocus the conversation back to the original question or stated goal.


WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
That is up to you! There’s no one right path for organizational growth, just as there’s
no single path for survivors’ healing or community wholeness. After you develop
a picture of your program’s policies and procedures, staffing, and culture with this
toolkit, there are a few preparations that will get you started on your path:
• Throw a party to celebrate your hard work.
• Collect all your notes, maps, and draft reports into one comprehensive report.
Take any notes on ideas for change or recommendations to create a section on
your program’s possibilities.
• Meet with your internal stakeholders to discuss the findings and what they
mean to everyone. Review your comprehensive report and your possibilities and
talk about what steps your team would like to take next.

It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start. Here are a few different questions
that might help to point you in the right direction:
• Are there any relatively small changes indicated in your report, changes that
you could start today? Taking small steps and getting a taste of success can
give you energy to keep going.
• Are there any big changes indicated in your report, changes that might have
a major impact? Making one big change can cause a chain of other effective
changes to occur, or might address several issues at once.
• How do the findings fit in with your strategic plan, if you have one? Can you
combine some actions of your strategic plan with possibilities in your report?
If you are beginning a strategic plan soon, it might work well to integrate your
findings into the strategic plan.
• Is there any work that can be incorporated into grant applications?
• What possibilities is your team most excited about? What possibilities seem the
most daunting or challenging?
• Looking at your possibilities, are there some that will go more smoothly if
they follow others?

Organizational change work is dynamic and requires a great deal of capacity,
engagement, and commitment. You do not need to attempt this work in isolation! Your
state, territory, or tribal sexual assault coalitions is there to support and guide your
efforts. 
(http://www.resourcesharingproject.org/technical-assistance-coalitions
http://www.niwrc.org/tribal-coalitions)

Additionally, the SADI TA Providers are available to provide information:
• National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project (http://www.resourcesharingproject.org/)
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center (https://www.nsvrc.org/)
• Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (http://miwsac.org/)
• National Organization of Asians and Pacific Islanders Ending Sexual Violence (http://www.napiesv.org/)

READINESS FOR CHANGE:
A GUIDED REFLECTION
This guide will help you facilitate a series of conversations with your internal
stakeholders on various aspects of your program’s readiness for change. Developing
a clear picture of your program’s capacity for change and growth is a journey of
reflection, not judgment. The goal is to have transparent and open conversations
about your program’s wellbeing and capacity. Each section of the reflection guide
has a series of questions that were developed based on the findings of the SADI and
research on organizational change.
This reflection guide’s questions can be completed through small or large group
discussions, focus groups, interviews, or written responses that are compiled. Each
section of this reflection guide has suggestions for participants from among your
internal stakeholders. These reflections can be guided by a member of your team or,
if you prefer, a contracted facilitator. We recommend that you read through the entire
tool and create a plan and schedule that works best for your program.

There are five guided reflections:
• Anti-Racism Commitment: This section will help you get a snapshot of your
program’s anti-racism commitment in various aspects of your work.
• Stable and Empowering Leadership: This two-part section will help you look at
the program leadership’s stability and empowerment practices.
• Support for Staff: This section will help you assess how the program
cares for staff.
• Openness to Change: This section will provide a snapshot into how well the
program learns from change and uses change to improve the quality of work
environment and services to survivors of sexual violence.
• Openness to Learning: This section will examine the extent to which the
program is open to learning and seeks new knowledge to improve the quality of
work environment and services to survivors of sexual violence.

However you choose to complete the questions, make sure you have someone
assigned to collect notes and write a report. To create your draft report, collect all the
different answers to each question and summarize them, noting any similarities or
differences. For example, you might note that “five out of our seven staff thought…” or
“the leaders thought X but most (18 of 20) direct service staff thought Y.” As a general
rule, it is best to leave individual names out of the report, so personalities don’t cloud
the data. Also consider an overall reflection of themes from each section, and the
program’s strengths and areas for growth in these facilitators of successful change.
After the draft is complete, give all the internal stakeholders who participated in data
collection an opportunity to review and edit.

After presenting the draft report, facilitate a discussion with all internal stakeholders
about what you learned and what it means to everyone. You may do this in small
groups with a report-back to the large group, or as one large group discussion.
Consider the size and needs of your stakeholders, and use facilitation techniques that
will encourage full and honest participation from all (see tips on p.8).

These reflections can be taxing. Conduct a check-in activity at the end of each to
determine how people are feeling about the process.


Guided Reflection #1

ANTI-RACISM COMMITMENT
This section will help you get a snapshot of your program’s anti-racism commitment in
various aspects of your work.
Participants: all internal stakeholders
Format: discussion, focus groups, or written responses

1. How is anti-racism woven into the work of your program, such as the mission,
values statement, staff work plans, and the agency strategic plan? Does your
program have a formal process for assessing the effectiveness of your internal
anti-racism work?

2. How well does your program understand the connection between ending racism
and ending sexual violence? How does this show up in the program’s internal
and external activities and practices? You may wish to consider this by different
groups of your internal stakeholders, or look at the program as a whole, or both.

3. Does your program make public statements regarding dismantling racism on
an ongoing basis — even when it demands risk-taking? For example, publicly
supporting the Black Lives Matter movement or the Water Protectors.

4. How do your program’s leaders reflect the communities you serve? (BMP Assessment of Organizational Readiness for Social Change)
Check one and make a few notes below.
Our leadership
does not reflect
the community
we serve in terms
of race, ethnicity,
economic status,
gender, age,
etc. There is
little interest
in recruiting,
developing,
or promoting
leadership
that reflects
those we serve.

Our leadership
does not reflect
the community
we serve. The
program has tried
to change this
through diversity
training or other
efforts, but with
little success.

Our leadership is
not fully reflective
of our community,
but it is more
reflective than it
has been in the
past. The program
is consciously
working to
address this issue.

Our leadership
reflects and is
representative of
the communities
we serve. We
have ongoing,
well-developed
procedures in
place to recruit
and develop
leaders from the
community

Guided Reflection #2
STABLE AND EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP
This two-part section will help you get a picture of the stability of leadership and the
leader’s empowerment practices.

LEADERSHIP STABILITY
Participants: program leadership, board of directors, unit/division management within
a tribal government, and/or members of management in an umbrella organization
Format: discussion, or written reflection

1. How long has the current leader(s) of your program been in place? Does the
program’s leader(s) have plans to leave in the next year?

2. How is the relationship between your program leader(s) and larger
organizational management, tribal government, or Board? Consider factors such
as frequency of contact, warmth, openness of communication, and regularity of
performance evaluation.

EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP
Participants: all relevant program leadership, direct service staff, and administrative
staff. Please note that anonymous feedback may be more appropriate for some
organizations, as it can be intimidating and difficult for employees to feel safe and
comfortable giving feedback to their supervisors.
Format: discussion, focus groups, or written responses

1. How do your program’s leaders practice empowerment? Consider the following
aspects of empowering leadership in your response:
• People with power in the organization have demonstrated an ability to share
power and step down when appropriate or necessary.
• People in leadership positions encourage staff to solve problems
together and have begun conversations about serving survivors of sexual
violence in new ways.
• There are clear policies and procedures on supervision, performance, and
professional development that are communicated and followed consistently.
• Policies and procedures on supervision, performance, and professional
development are supportive and kind.
• People in leadership practice direct and ethical communication, and teach these
skills to others.

2. The organizational structure and decision-making process within your program
can best be described by which of the following? (BMP Assessment of Organizational Readiness for Social Change)

Check one and make a
few notes below.
Leadership
make most
of the decisions.

Leadership
regularly
consults with
staff and other
stakeholders,
but there is no
formal leadership
structure with
decision-making
power beyond
the leadership.

Leadership
consults with
staff and other
stakeholders.
We are working
on developing
a more formal
powersharing
process.

Decision-making
structures and
accountability are
clear, and power
is formally shared
among people at
different levels of
the organization.

Guided Reflection #3
SUPPORT FOR STAFF
This section will help you assess how the program supports staff. Please note that
anonymous feedback may be more appropriate for some organizations, as it can be
intimidating and difficult for employees to feel safe and comfortable giving feedback
to their supervisors.
Participants: all relevant program leadership, direct service staff, and
administrative staff.
Format: discussion, focus groups, or written responses

1. How does your program attend to the wellbeing of staff? Consider the following
best practices in your response:
• The program has adequate (four weeks or more per year) paid time off.
• Staff is encouraged to use their paid time off. Structures and procedures are put
in place to allow staff to use their paid time off.
• The program has reasonable and compensated on-call time.
• The program has formal avenues for debriefing and emotional support.
• The program attends to the specific emotional and physical safety needs of
advocates of color
• The program provides benefits that support health and wellbeing, including
access to counseling and healthcare.
• The program supports individualized training and staff development plans.

2. The nature of advocacy work demands that programs understand trauma and
its impacts, for both primary trauma and vicarious trauma. Do you believe your
program’s leadership understands vicarious trauma and provides appropriate
supervision and support to mitigate it? Why or why not?

3. Do you believe your program’s leadership understands primary trauma and
that many staff members may be survivors? Do you believe the program has an
organizational culture that is respectful of staff who are survivors? Why or why
not? Consider the following questions in your response.
• What are your program’s formal policies regarding staff who are survivors?
• What are the informal practices regarding staff who are survivors?
• Are there limits placed on staff and volunteers who are survivors? (For example,
some programs have policies that require an amount of time to elapse before
a survivor can serve the program, or prohibit staff members from disclosing to
clients whether they are survivors.) What does this communicate to survivors
about the program?

Guided Reflection #4
OPENNESS TO CHANGE
This section will provide a snapshot into how well the program learns from change
and uses change to improve the quality of work environment and services to survivors
of sexual violence.
Participants: all internal stakeholders
Format: discussion, focus groups, or written responses

1. Do you believe that differences of opinion are valued within your program?
How have you seen this demonstrated?

2. Do you believe your organization and/or program has a desire for growth and
improvement? Consider the following in your response:
• Does the program have misconceptions or incorrect knowledge about how the
organization serves or does not serve survivors of sexual violence?
• Does the program voice support for enhancing services for survivors of
sexual violence?
• Is the program open to radical change and doing more than tweaks or
superficial actions?

3. How programs use evaluation and feedback from clients is an important aspect
of openness to change. Does your organization evaluate how your activities
advance the mission and/or vision? (BMP Assessment of Organizational Readiness for Social Change)
 
Check one and make a few notes below.
Unless something
is obviously
going wrong,
we assume that
our activities are
working.

Our program
staff and their
supervisors
evaluate their
programs. These
evaluations do
not reference our
agency’s mission
or vision, and are
often dictated
by funders’
guidelines or
grant proposals.

Our programs
are routinely
evaluated
based on our
agency’s goals
and anticipated
outcomes, which
stem from our
mission or vision.
However, we
rarely discuss the
results of these
evaluations.

We set goals
and strategies
that reference
our agency’s
mission or
vision. Programs
are routinely
evaluated and
we discuss the
results among
ourselves and
with others in
the organization.
We then make
changes in the
program based
on our mission/
vision, and on the
evaluation results.

4. How do survivors and community members participate in your organization? ( BMP Assessment of Organizational Readiness for Social Change)
Check one and make a few notes below.
Survivors and
community
members receive
services, but do
not have any say
in the services
they receive
or the goals of
the organization.
We are interested
in feedback and
periodically ask
survivors and
community
members for
their opinions
or feedback
through surveys,
evaluations,
comment cards,
or meetings.
However, this
process is not
consistent
and there is
no structured
way for clients/
constituents to
have a say in how
the organization
operates.
We get feedback
from survivors
and community
members in
different ways
and take that
feedback into
account when
we evaluate
our agency’s
work. We have
tried to bring
constituents into
leadership roles
(such as board
members), but
we haven’t done
it consistently
and when we
have done it, the
results have not
gone very well.
Survivors and
community
members
successfully
participate in our
organization at
every level, from
giving feedback
on services
to serving on
committees,
leadership
groups, and the
board of directors.

5. The degree to which leaders are open to change guides the success of any
change efforts. Therefore, it’s important to look specifically at the program
leaders’ attitudes and practices towards change. You may consider the levels of
leadership separately or as a collective to answer these questions:
(Adapted from http://www.buildingmovement.org/pdf/NICE.pdf)

• Do they create opportunities for and support others to serve as formal or
informal leaders? How have you seen this?
• Do they actively seek input and contributions from and engage others in
decision-making and policy-setting? How have you seen this?
• Do they express, through their words and actions, a value for engaging
constituents and community members in community development and/or
system change? How have you seen this?
• Do the program’s leaders provide time, resources, and venues for staff to reflect
and improve on sexual assault services?

6. In addition to leaders’ openness to change, successful change relies on all
internal stakeholders’ belief in the program’s ability to change and their
own motivation. Do staff members show an interest in other ways of doing
things and continued growth? How do they show faith in the program’s
capacity for change?

Guided Reflection #5
OPENNESS TO LEARNING
This section will examine the extent to which the program is open to learning and
seeks new knowledge to improve the quality of work environment and services to
survivors of sexual violence.
Participants: all internal stakeholders
Format: discussion, focus groups, or written responses

1. Does the program support formal, continued learning for all staff members?

2. Which of these statements most closely represents where your program is?
Check all that apply and make any notes you wish below.
Learning on sexual violence in general:

The program has no
knowledge of sexual
violence workshops and
resources.

Individuals seek
knowledge about
sexual violence on
their own, but not as a
team supported by the
program.

Supervisors and
managers provide time,
resources, and venues
for staff to reflect and
improve on sexual
violence work.

Leadership believes that
sexual violence is not
much of a concern for
the program.

Leadership believes
that learning about
sexual violence may
be beneficial to the
organization. They
show no immediate
motivation to act.

Leadership is actively
supportive of improving
current efforts or in
developing new efforts
on sexual violence and
has engaged funders on
the topic.

Learning on anti-racism and anti-oppression:
The program has no
knowledge of antiracism
workshops and
resources.

Individuals seek
knowledge about antiracism
on their own, but
not as a team supported
by the program.

Supervisors and
managers provide time,
resources, and venues
for staff to reflect and
improve on anti-racism
work.

Leadership believes that
dismantling racism is not
much of a concern.

Leadership believe
that dismantling
racism workshops may
be beneficial to the
organization. They show
no immediate motivation
to act.

Leadership is actively
supportive of improving
current efforts or in
developing new efforts
to dismantle racism and
has engaged funders on
the topic.

3. Which of these statements best reflect the program’s investment in material
learning resources? Check all that apply and write any notes you wish below.

There are no
resources
available for
staff, board,
and volunteers
to learn about
dismantling
racism.

Leaders do
not support
using available
resources to
support staff,
board, and
volunteers to
learn about
dismantling
racism.

The organization
provides limited
resources (such
as one library
resource) to
support staff
participating
in dismantling
racism education.

The budget
reflects the
commitment to
combating racism
by showing
money devoted
to staff attending
workshops, the
purchase of
books, rental of
films, etc.

There are no
resources
available for
sexual assault
specific services
or training.

Leaders do
not support
using available
resources to
support staff,
board and
volunteers in
participating in
training on sexual
violence.

The organization
provides limited
resources (such
as training for
one staff to
specialize in
sexual violence)
to support
enhancing sexual
assault services.

The organization’s
budget reflects
the commitment
to enhancing
sexual assault
services by
having money
devoted to staff
attending training,
and accessing
resources specific
to sexual assault.

4. Learning comes from paying attention to trends and issues in the community.
How does your program learn from the community? Consider:

• Which community members are engaged and given opportunities for feedback,
and with which systems professionals the program is in regular communication?
• What topics or issues come up in regular conversation with these community
members and partners? How much are you talking about domestic violence as
opposed to sexual violence? Do you discuss issues related to the full spectrum
of sexual violence? Are you talking about how to collaborate on anti-racism?

REFLECTIONS ON READINESS FOR CHANGE
Does anything surprise you about the report? What was confirmed that you already
knew? What was missing that you thought you would see?

Did people have different perspectives or experiences of the program?
Why might that be?

What did you learn about your program overall?

What did you learn about your program’s:
Anti-racism/anti-oppression commitment
Stable and empowering leadership
Openness to learning
Openness to change
Support for staff

All programs have room to grow, based on their unique strengths and characteristics.
What topics or tools do you want to explore further before you can make changes
to your practice?


REFERENCES
Dismantling Racism Works. (2018). Dismantling Racism Works web workbook. http://
www.dismantlingracism.org

Franz, Nancy. 2013. “The Data Party: Involving Stakeholders in Meaningful Data
Analysis”. Journal of Extension Volume 51:1

Garvin, D., Edmondson, A. and Gino, F. ”Is Yours a Learning Organization?”
(Harvard Business Review, March 2008). https://hbr.org/2008/03/is-yours-alearning-
organization

RSP/NSVRC, 2010. Organizational Assessment for Agencies Serving Victims of Sexual
Violence. https://www.nsvrc.org/publications/assessment-tools

Stanley, L. 2014. “Community Readiness for Community Change.” Tri-Ethnic Center
Community Readiness Handbook, 2nd edition. Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention
Research Sage Hall, Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO http://triethniccenter.
colostate.edu/docs/CR_Handbook_8-3-15.pdf

Townsend, S. M., National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project, &
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2017). Sexual Assault Demonstration
Initiative: Final Report. Des Moines, IA & Enola, PA: National Sexual Assault Coalition
Resource Sharing Project & National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

PICTURING YOUR PROGRAM: MAKING SURVIVORS’ PATHWAYS VISIBLE
There will never be one path for survivors. Survivors of sexual violence seek out
support in a multitude of ways. Analyzing our structures and approaches offers a lens
to increase program accessibility and options for healing. A trauma-informed and
survivor-centered approach to enhancing sexual assault services seeks to identify and
improve entry points for accessing care. This section will help you map the diverse
pathways through which survivors of sexual violence access and use your program.

This activity will assist you in developing a full picture of how people who have
experienced sexual violence and their significant others connect with your
organization. This activity is the most productive with participation from all of the
direct service staff and program leadership. Having all direct service staff present will
help to illuminate entry points and areas of success as well as gaps or barriers that
may exist for survivors of sexual violence. This type of mapping can demonstrate how
everyone has a role in supporting survivors of sexual violence. At some point, it will
be important to engage all internal stakeholders in conversation about the results
of this activity.

This activity is meant to be visual in nature. Brainstorm how you can capture your
Pathway Map to be able to assess growth at a later time. Consider taking pictures or
converting in to document form for keeping.

Your program might find it helpful to conduct these activities in conjunction
with information gathered from a community assessment (see Listening to Our
Communities Toolkit-https://www.nsvrc.org/publications/nsvrc-publications-toolkits/listening-our-communities-assessment-toolkit) and specific feedback from survivors about their experiences.

“There is no one way to recover and heal from any trauma.
Each survivor chooses their own path or stumbles across it.”
—Laurie Matthew, Behind Enemy Lines

CREATING A PATHWAY MAP
Participants: direct service staff, program leadership. Depending on your program,
you may choose to include more internal stakeholders.

Format: facilitated activity
Resources needed:
• Facilitator — External or Internal
• Note taker — a person or group that will be responsible for capturing the
information from the discussion for later use.
• Space — large room with space to have information visible to all participants
• Large flip chart paper and tape, a chalk board, or a dry erase board
• Different colored markers
• Sticky-backed notes

FACILITATION
When introducing the activity, tell staff that this discussion will not focus on specific
stories of sexual violence, but instead will help your program visualize all of the ways
you can engage survivors of sexual violence. Remind participants throughout the
activity that this is focused on survivors of sexual violence, not domestic violence. It
can be easy for the focus to drift, but this will skew the results. It is recommended that
all of these parts of the activity be completed, but they do not have to be completed
during one meeting.

DEFINE ACCESS POINTS
• Use the following discussion prompts to identify program entry points
for survivors of sexual violence. Ask participants to consider the last 6–8
months when answering the questions so that you can create a current map
of access points.
• If space and time allow you can distribute markers and/or sticky notes for staff
to post answers to questions or you can designate a note taker who will capture
the discussion on wall/board. Depending on the size of your group, you can
have people do this in small groups and then report to the full group, or do it as
one large group.
• Consider using different colored markers or sticky notes to represent different
populations. Examples include:
• children, teens, and adults
• men, women, transgender, and genderqueer or non-binary
community members
• immigrant community members
• survivors’ significant others (e.g. friends, family, romantic partners)
• different counties or geographic segments of your service area
• Ask staff to name all the access points that survivors of sexual violence
use to enter your services. Write each unique access point on a sticky
note and set aside. It is likely that staff will mention crisis lines, walk-ins,
support groups, therapy referrals, educational programs, and community
events. If relevant, prompt the group to describe online access points such
as your website, social media, and text chat services.
• Explore how your program engages with survivors from a variety of
populations. Using the following questions, generate additional access points
to write on sticky notes. In a separate color, make notes of obstacles or barriers
to your program.
• Ask the participants: Who are we serving? Adults? Children? Men?
Women? Straight and LGBTQ community members? Specific racial and
ethnic communities?
• Where do survivors of sexual violence access our services? A lot of advocacy
and services for survivors of sexual violence happens out in the community;
don’t forget to include all of the places where we engage survivors. For
satellite locations, make sure that specific characteristics of each location
are discussed. What are the hours? How are safety and privacy addresses in
community settings?
• How does the program do outreach to survivors who do not seek shelter?
• How does the program do outreach to teens and young adults?
• How do survivors of sexual violence find your program? This will elicit
information about your outreach programs, and common referrals and partners.
• Which community partners provide referrals?

START YOUR MAP
Create a visual map using your sticky notes and all your artistic skills! You may wish to
draw a picture of your community, or create a more abstract representation of access.
Think about drawing roadways or arrows, maybe connecting different areas with
string, or using mind maps to guide you.

ANALYZE YOUR ACCESS POINTS
Ask staff to take a few minutes to review the map and then facilitate a discussion
about the pathways, using the following questions.

• After looking at the map, does anything seem to be
missing or inaccurate?
• Do access points look different across the lifespan?
Across genders? For people of color? For people with
disabilities or Deaf survivors? For survivors that
experience sexual violence outside the context of
intimate partner violence? Does it look different for
adult survivors of child sexual abuse?
• What does access look like for significant others
(partners, family, and friends) of survivors?
• What languages do the staff of your program
speak? How would someone who primarily
speaks another language access your services?
• What community partners or community
agencies are you not getting referrals from?
• Do you see any doors to service that could
be opened more widely for survivors of
sexual violence?
• What was it like to think about the full spectrum of
survivors of sexual violence? Was it difficult to not talk
about domestic violence services and survivors?
(See especially pp. 48–63 of Townsend, S. M., National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing
Project, & National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2017). Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative:
Final Report. Des Moines, IA & Enola, PA: National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project
& National Sexual Violence Resource Center.)

CONTINUE YOUR MAP WITHIN THE PROGRAM
This step explores pathways within your services by looking at how survivors move
through your program, what their experiences are, and how they exit your program.
Now you will extend your map to include the offices and people within your program.
Select one entry point and imagine a person accessing your program through
that entry point. 

Draw the path through the program and services on the map
as you discuss:
• To whom do they get referred? Do they go to different staff people for
different services?
• Who follows up with them?
• To whom do they turn in a crisis?
• Are there points at which this person could be inadvertently dropped from
services or neglected? Is there a point at which services are terminated?
• What happens if they disclose that another type of violence also
happened to them?
You can complete this step in small groups and report back, or as one large group
discussion. Repeat with as many different survivors’ access points as you wish.

TOUR THE PROGRAM
The next step is to look at your physical space with a fresh perspective and consider
what survivors experience when they enter your program. This involves walking
through your office(s) and simulating the beginning of a phone call. If there are
locations in the community where you regularly meet survivors, such as places of
worship, libraries, etc., you may wish to conduct this tour there as well.

Depending on your program size, you may wish to do this step in small groups or all
together, with ongoing discussion through the tour, or as individuals, taking notes and
sharing in a group discussion afterwards. If your program has multiple sites, complete
this step for each site.

Print out the Program Tour Worksheet for use during the tour. Identify a note
taker if you choose to complete this step in small groups or one large group with
simultaneous discussion. Provide notepads if you choose to complete this step in
individual reflection with follow-up discussion later.

PROGRAM TOUR WORKSHEET
Gather in the parking lot, if applicable, or on the street outside. Discuss:
• What do you see, hear, and smell?
• What does the neighborhood and location tell a newcomer about the program?
• What does the appearance of the building, signage, etc. tell a newcomer
about the program?
• If applicable, is the parking lot accessible and easy to maneuver?
• If applicable, what is the distance to the nearest public transportation?

Approach the front door and discuss:
• What do you see, hear, and smell?
• Is the entry accessible?
• If the door must be unlocked for each visitor, is this clearly
explained on the entry?
• What is the signage like on the entry?

Enter the office and look at the waiting area, whether it’s a formally identified space or
informal area, such as part of a hallway. Discuss:
• What do you see, hear, and smell?
• What does the waiting area tell a newcomer about the program?
• Look at the pictures and decorations. What story do they tell?
• Think about all the types of sexual violence, and the survivors you considered
in mapping the access points of your program. How might survivors of different
types of sexual violence feel as they look at the pictures and décor of your
office? What will they learn about how your program can support them in their
specific journey?
• In accordance with the communities served, are signs around the office, the
organization’s newsletter, and publications in two (or more) languages?
• How is the space accessible or not to people with a variety of abilities
and body shapes?
• How are survivors and other visitors greeted and welcomed into the program
when they enter? Get specific; for example:
	• If there is a receptionist, what do they say?
	• If advocates come out to meet survivors and other visitors, what do they
say? How long do survivors or other visitors wait?
• Is the space welcoming to and safe for children as well as adults?
• Is the space welcoming to people across ethnicities, religious
backgrounds, and genders?
• What are the bathrooms like? Are they accessible to people with all abilities and
body types? Is there a gender-neutral bathroom? Are they easy to find?

Visit the offices in which survivors will receive services from advocates and other staff.
For each one, discuss:
• When you enter the individual office, what do you see, hear, and smell?
• Look at the pictures and decorations. What story do they tell?
• Think about all the types of sexual violence, and the survivors you considered
in mapping the access points of your program. How might survivors of different
types of sexual violence feel as they look at the pictures, books, and décor
of your office? What will they learn about how you can support them in their
specific journey?
• How is the space accessible or not to people with a variety of abilities
and body shapes?
• Is the space welcoming to and safe for children?
• Are there choices in privacy and seating?

Consider the route to and from each office. Discuss:
• Is it clear and easy to follow?
• What do you see, hear, and smell?
• Do survivors go to and from offices alone, or do advocates/other staff members
accompany them to the front door?

Simulate the beginning of a phone call to the helpline and, if applicable, the business
line. Break into pairs or small groups and have each person take a turn demonstrating
how they answer the phone and begin a conversation. Return to the large
group and discuss:
• Do people use the program name and their own name when they answer the
phone? If not, why not?
• How might the way people answer the phone affect survivors’ comfort and
willingness to continue with the conversation?
• Is there any information survivors are asked to provide? How do you think that
might feel for them?
• Are the helpline and business line answered differently?
• How much variation is there among different staff members’ and volunteers’
call beginnings? How do you feel about this?
• When are the phones answered and by whom? Are there times the phones
are not answered?

DEBRIEFING
Make sure to allow time to debrief this activity. After the activity is complete, ask
participants to share any reflections on the process or issues it highlighted about
strengths and gaps in accessibility for survivors of sexual violence. Use the Reflections
on Pathways for Survivors worksheet to guide your discussion, but feel free to add
your own questions to meet your needs. This discussion can provide information
on what to prioritize in your community assessment work to see if staff perceptions
match community needs and experiences, as well as providing direction for your
organizational change efforts.

“Traumatic events destroy the sustaining bonds between individual and community.
Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends
upon a feeling of connection with others.” (Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery:
The Aftermath of Violence — From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror)

REFERENCES
Gray, D., Brown, S. & Macanufo, J. 2010. Gamestorming — A playbook for innovators,
rulebreakers and changemakers. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc.

REFLECTIONS ON PATHWAYS FOR SURVIVORS
What did you learn about how accessible your program is to survivors of
sexual violence?

What did you learn about how your program is organized to provide sexual
assault services?

What questions would be helpful to ask your community (perhaps in your community
assessment) to confirm if you are correct?

Did this activity give you any ideas about possible changes or enhancements to
services? What are they? How would you like to begin?

PICTURING YOUR PROGRAM: PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
People propel organizational growth and development. The way that people
collaborate, share knowledge, provide access to information, and support each other
impacts organizational success. For dual/multi-service programs, these human
connections and interactions are essential for problem-solving and meeting the
diverse needs of survivors of sexual violence.

A social network is a group of individuals (such as co-workers) connected by
interpersonal relationships. Social networks can identify who is seen as a leader on
sexual violence, even if they do not hold formal responsibility, and links between
groups of staff. These networks are the mechanism for sharing learning throughout
the program, strengthening each individual’s knowledge. In this way, connectedness
and community within organizations can promote “shared responsibility for and
program-wide engagement with sexual assault services” (Townsend, 2017, p. 29).

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a tool for identifying and analyzing the networks
of relationships that exist within an organization. This activity provides an “X-ray of
the organization’s informal communication patterns, illuminating the way in which
organizational members actually work and interact with one another” (Garcia and
Shin, 2008 p.17). SNA can be very illuminating. The goal of doing an SNA is to see how
the program can increase social networks to support all staff through both formal
and informal connections. Think through the possible implications of this activity for
your program. It is important to put time into setting up safe conversations and help
the team understand that this not about judging individual staff, but is focused on the
system as a whole and working to improve as a team.

This SNA focuses specifically on the networks within your organization related to
sexual violence. Two options are presented here — one is more low-tech, one more
high-tech — to fit your needs and program personality.

You will need to decide which internal stakeholders should participate. For many
programs, we recommend doing one round of SNA with only direct service staff and
program leadership, and a second round with all or most of your internal stakeholders.
This will help you analyze how knowledge moves across your entire team and across
those most involved with the anti-violence work.


SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS: OPTION 1
Participants: all direct service staff, program leadership, and other internal
stakeholders as determined by your needs

Format: facilitated activity
Resources Needed:
• 8.5 x 11 piece of paper printed with each staff member’s name, title, and
picture, if available.
• Large wall or board for taping cards/pages
• Tape
• Sticky notes
• A facilitator

1. Stick the pieces of paper with staff names and information on the wall with plenty
of space in between. Have participants write their own names on sticky notes; they
may want to prepare a few.
2. Ask participants to consider the question: Which person would you go to for
assistance if you needed help serving a survivor of sexual violence?
3. Ask participants to go to the wall of names, and affix their sticky notes to the name
of that person. They can identify more than one person.
4. Analyze how many people were identified and the number of times a staff person
was identified. You may have the facilitator do this while participants take a break,
or complete it as a group.
5. Continue on to the SNA Discussion.

Use the Reflections on People to People Worksheet to debrief this activity and
think about next steps. You may complete the debrief in individual reflection or a
group discussion.

SOCIAL NETWORKING ANALYSIS: OPTION 2
Participants: all direct service staff, program leadership, and other internal
stakeholders as determined by your needs

Format: survey and discussion
Resources Needed: survey tools and computer modeling software (see p.62),
completed by your staff or a consultant.

1. Create a survey that lists all staff and asks them to indicate which staff they would
go to for assistance if they needed help serving a survivor of sexual violence.
2. Use computer modeling tools to illustrate and analyze the network. (See section on
Computer Modeling Tools.)
3. Continue on to the SNA Discussion.
4. Use the Reflections on People to People Worksheet to debrief this activity and
think about next steps. You may complete the debrief in individual reflection or a
group discussion.
Picturing Your Program: Planning for Organizational Growth 61

SNA DISCUSSION
Use the following discussion questions to identify possible challenges or improvement
opportunities within your social networks for enhancing sexual assault services.

1. What surprises you about these results?
2. How do these results relate to staff job functions?
3. What do you observe about your SNA and the demographics of your internal
stakeholders? Are there any findings related to oppression and privilege?
4. How do these results relate to how the organization is structured?
5. If you notice that there are only one or two staff routinely listed, how might this
make it challenging to enhance sexual assault services?
6. If participants feel comfortable discussing, ask how they feel about the network
and their position in it.
7. If workloads increased, how would these networks need to expand?

COMPUTER MODELING TOOLS AND RESOURCES
Provided below is a list of tools available to assist with social networking analysis
and visualization. Since this is just a brief overview and tools change regularly, use
this only as a starting place for your work and contact experts in social networking
analysis for organizations to discuss options that might work best for your needs.

Free Tools
R is a popular statistical software use for social network analysis for programs that
have collected data.
• Open Source
• Requires some coding experience
• Windows-based
https://www.r-project.org

Gephi is online visualization tool that allows you to upload your data and use its
tools for analysis.
• Requires previous experience working with data
• Runs on a wide variety of UNIX platforms, Windows and MacOS
https://gephi.org/

NodeXL is similar to Gephi in that it does mostly visualization.
• A”Pro” version is available for an annual license for non-profits and offers more
analysis tools.
• Requires previous experience working with data.
• Windows-based
https://www.smrfoundation.org/license/academic-non-profit-user/

Low Cost Tools
UCINET is a powerful tool that is commonly used in academic settings.
• This software is downloadable for free for 90 days. After that, there is a tiered
pricing schedule depending on your organization type.
• Some support available through user groups.
• Windows-based
http://www.analytictech.com/

Polinode is a pay-based online service with survey, analytics, and visualization tools.
• Similar to Survey Monkey in structure and pricing.
• You can upload your data or use their survey tools.
https://www.polinode.com/

Partner Tool is the most comprehensive and user-friendly/canned version of social
networking analysis available.
• Best if you are looking to do an expanded scope social networking analysis that
includes partner organizations and agencies.
• Non-profits can use the tool for as little as $125 and can commission a report of
the findings written by Partner’s staff for and additional fee.
• Questions can be customized to some degree, and additional questions can be
added to the survey for specific needs.
http://partnertool.net/

REFLECTIONS ON PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
What did you learn about the informal networks within your program that support the
development of sexual assault services?

List two strategies that your program can use to increase the number of staff
members who are seen as resources or leaders on sexual violence?

What would your ideal SNA look like? What is the first step in getting there?

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Cross, R. & Parker, A. 2004. The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How
Work Really Gets Done in Organizations. Harvard Business School Press.

REFERENCES
Garcia, S. & Shin, E. 2008. Incorporating Social Network Analysis into Traditional OD
Interventions: A Case Study. OD PRACTITIONER Vol. 40 No. 1

Townsend, S. M., National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project, &
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2017). Sexual Assault Demonstration
Initiative: Final Report. Des Moines, IA & Enola, PA: National Sexual Assault Coalition
Resource Sharing Project & National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

PICTURING YOUR PROGRAM: FROM PAGES TO PRACTICE
Just as every survivor of sexual violence is unique, so are the programs that serve
them. Agencies grow with and for the communities they serve. The historical
development and living culture of an organization is coded into the DNA of the
materials and policies they create. This guide will assist programs in examining
your organizational identity, organizational structure, and organizational policies
and procedures.

As you begin this section, there are some special considerations depending on what
type of program you have. If you are in a free-standing community-based advocacy
program, all the materials, policies, and paperwork are relevant for this review. For
programs that are housed in tribal governments or larger multi-service organizations,
you will want to think about what materials you have control over and what materials
are in the purview of another office in the government or organization.

We recommend that you start with the things that are within your purview. If
you do not have all the materials listed in this review, don’t worry! Look
at the documents you do have, because those are the documents
that make up your organization. In addition, take a little time to
look at the questions for the documents that you do not have,
because they can help you think about how you’d like to
create these documents.

This review is meant to be completed by a team of
diverse stakeholders. The size of your team will depend
on the size of your organization and the number of
materials you plan to review. It is ideal if at least two
staff review each document or resource. The time
commitment will vary, but expect to complete this review
over several weeks.

This review includes five easy steps. You will first need to
create a review team from among your internal stake-holders.
Next, the team will thoroughly review this guide and identify
the priority materials to include in the review. Once materials are
identified, they must be located and assigned reviewers. Then the
team will complete the review with the checklist that is provided. Lastly, the
review team will work as a group to create a summary of their review findings to
share with all internal stakeholders. In your summary, think about what you learned
from examining your program materials, and where you want to go with this new
knowledge. What three policies would be the most important to update to grow your
sexual assault services?

1. Create a review team
2. Review guide and prioritize materials
3. Locate materials; assign reviewers
4. Complete review using checklist
5. Create summary of findings

Each focus area is described and includes recommended types of material to review.
To complete the review, examine the materials using the strategic questions in the
checklist. Answer the strategic questions to explore the content. In the last column,
note what follow-up is needed.

FOCUS AREA 1: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY
This section will review how the program’s name, mission, strategic plan, outreach
materials, and online presence defines the organizational identity

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY
AGENCY NAME, TAGLINE, & LOGO
Strategic Questions
• Does the agency’s name and tagline make it clear that sexual violence
services are an integral part of the agency?
• What is the history of the name?
• Has the name ever changed?
• What values does the name express?
• For which groups of survivors is the name and logo most welcoming?
Least?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY
MISSION STATEMENT
Strategic Questions
• Does it explicitly name sexual violence as an issue the agency addresses?
• What values does the mission express?
• Does it show a commitment to addressing racism and other forms of
oppression as a means to end violence?
• Does the mission statement acknowledge the social aspect of violence
and/or the need for social change?
• Does the mission statement guide the daily work?
• Do staff and board understand the mission?
• Has the mission changed over time?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY.
STRATEGIC PLAN
Strategic Questions
• What explicit goals about sexual assault services does it address?
• What explicit goals related to diversity, inclusion and anti-racism work
does it address?
• What values does the plan express?
• Does it address accessible and competent services for survivors
of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, abilities, races, religions,
and nationalities?
• Are sexual assault-related goals realistic in scope and timeframe?
• Do the sexual assault-related goals address the full spectrum of
sexual violence?
• Are anti-racism goals concrete and relevant to community stakeholders?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY.
ANNUAL REPORT
Strategic Questions
• How is sexual assault programming included and described?
• What percentage of content relates to sexual violence?
• If client stories are included, is sexual assault healing and
empowerment highlighted?
• Do stories come from a diverse group of survivors?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY.
WEBSITE
Strategic Questions
• Is information on sexual violence included on the homepage?
• How are sexual assault services described? Specifically, does it explain
what they are, how they are accessed, and what to expect?
• Is information provided about both short-term and long-term impacts of
sexual assault and healing?
• What percentage of content relates to sexual violence?
• Does the content emphasis survivor/client choice?
• If client stories are included, is sexual assault healing and
empowerment highlighted?
• Do stories come from a diverse group of survivors?
• Is information provided about the impact of sexual violence on, and
support for family/friends of survivors?
What comes up if you search ‘sexual violence’ and your town/city’s name?
• What story do the pictures and graphics tell about your program and
sexual violence?
• Can the website be accessed by folks who read the two or three most
common languages in your community?
• Are the content and graphics accessible for folks of all abilities?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY.
ORGANIZATIONAL BROCHURE
Strategic Questions
• What percentage of content relates to sexual violence?
• Does the content emphasis survivor/client choice?
• How are sexual assault services described? Specifically, does it explain
what they are, how they are accessed, and what to expect?
• Are brochures available in the most common written languages in
your community?
• Are the content and graphics accessible for folks of all abilities?
• Does the content discuss sexual violence across the lifespan and if
graphics are included do they represent survivors of diverse backgrounds?
• Does the content discuss healing as a journey and offer information and
resources throughout that healing journey?
• What information is provided about impact on and support for family/
friends of survivors?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS (FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM)
Strategic Questions
• What percentage of content relates to sexual violence?
• Are healing and empowerment highlighted?
• Does the agency have outreach and awareness campaigns that are
specific to sexual violence that are promoted on social media?
• Does the content address needs for survivors of diverse backgrounds?
• Are the content and graphics accessible for folks of all abilities?
• Does the content help survivors of sexual violence easily understand that
the organization is there for them?
• Does the agency use visuals and language that relates to diverse members
of their community in social media posts?
• Does the agency connect with and promote materials from allied
organizations working to support youth, people with disabilities, people of
color and LGBTQ communities?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY.
BUDGET AND FUNDRAISING
Strategic Questions
• What specific line items for sexual violence services are in the budget?
• What percentage of your total funding supports services to survivors of
sexual violence?
• When looking at your current budget, what does it tell you about the
priorities of your organization?
• What is the disparity (if any) between funds for DV and SV services? What
are the reasons for this?
• Is sexual violence explicitly included in fundraising efforts?
• How do sexual violence services benefit from unrestricted funding, cash,
and in-kind donations?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

FOCUS AREA 2: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
This review focuses on documents that outline the flow of information, staffing
priorities, staff and volunteer training, and the overall services provided
by the program.

REVIEW CHECKLIST: STRUCTURE.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Strategic Questions
• How are positions structured?
• Is supervision of staff equitably and reasonably distributed?
• What does it express about the equity (or not) of sexual violence and
domestic violence services?
• Is it clear from chart how many staff do the sexual assault work in the
organization? Are there divisions between sexual assault staff and
domestic violence staff?
• Are there equal tiers of management for SV and DV services?
• If the program has volunteers, are they trained for and assigned to both the
SV and DV services?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: STRUCTURE.
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Strategic Questions
• Which staff have responsibilities related to sexual violence written in their
descriptions? Does this accurately reflect daily practice? Do all positions
that provide direct service have sexual violence response as a part of the
job description and expectation?
• How are diversity, inclusion, and anti-oppression work included in
job descriptions?
• Are responsibilities reasonably allotted and shared across positions?
Pay particular attention to staff members assigned to culturally specific
services and sexual violence services.
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: STRUCTURE.
WRITTEN DESCRIPTIONS OF SERVICES AND PROCEDURES
Strategic Questions
• What information is provided about both short-term and long-term impacts
of sexual assault and healing?
• What healing modalities are offered (support group, yoga, art, etc.)?
• What 24-hour services are provided (helpline, medical and legal
accompaniment and information/referral, etc.)?
• Do written documents show that survivors of sexual violence are actively
engaged in creating their own service goals?
• Are services appropriate and relevant to survivors who seek support
months or years after the sexual violence?
• What support is provided to survivors who do not wish to report to law
enforcement or seek medical attention?
• Do documents discuss specific procedures that support the delivery of
accessible services?
• Are there specific procedures for interpretation, TTY, video relay, and other
language options?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

REVIEW CHECKLIST: STRUCTURE.
TRAINING CURRICULA, AGENDAS, STANDARDS, ETC.
Strategic Questions
• What training is provided on sexual violence? Consider topics such as
how racism and other forms of oppression intersect with sexual violence
in the lives of survivors, socio-cultural understanding of sexual violence,
resilience and healing after sexual assault, active listening, ethics in
advocacy, trauma-informed care, and vicarious trauma.
• How many hours of initial training specifically on sexual violence is given to:
• New employees who will provide direct SV services
• Other new employees
• Board members
• Volunteers
• Other internal stakeholders
• How many hours of ongoing training specifically on sexual
violence is given to:
• New employees who will provide direct SV services
• Other new employees
• Board members
• Volunteers
• Other internal stakeholders
• What training is provided on:
• Healthcare advocacy for long-term needs (e.g. support
during dental care)?
• Housing and economic justice advocacy specific to sexual violence?
• Safety planning for survivors who were assaulted by classmates,
coworkers, or others outside of intimate partnerships?
• Healthy sexuality?
• Skills for delivering culturally competent services, including for serving
people of diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds, languages, physical and
mental abilities, ages, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and
socioeconomic backgrounds?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

FOCUS AREA 3:
ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
This review will scan both personnel and service delivery policies and procedures.
Note any differences between the intent of written policies and how they are
interpreted and used.

REVIEW CHECKLIST: POLICY AND PROCEDURE
SERVICE DELIVERY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Strategic Questions
• How do the service delivery policies support survivor healing
and empowerment?
• Are service delivery policies reviewed on a regular basis with input from
both frontline staff and clients? Are emerging healing strategies discussed
during this review?
• How do the client confidentiality policies give survivors control over the
release of their information? Consider, for example: policies to respond
to subpoenas, procedures for record keeping, and policies that require
mandatory reporting information is given to survivors. Are staff equipped
to explain these policies in an easily understood way to all survivors?
• Do you have a directory of referrals that are updated on a regular
basis? Do agencies in the directory provide culturally competent and
accessible services?
• Are data on services maintained in a systematic way that can be used to
evaluate and improve services?
• How do intake procedures address the full continuum of sexual
violence experiences?
• Do grievance policies include a clear, streamlined process that maintains
confidentiality and ensures adequate review by a party not involved in
the grievance? Is this policy easily available to survivors who wish to
access it discreetly?
• Do written documents show that survivors of sexual violence are actively
engaged in creating their own service goals?
• Do documents for clients (e.g., confidentiality statements, release of
information, client rights) convey respect for clients and their rights, include
visual cues and language written below 6th-grade level, and have versions
in multiple languages?
• For programs with shelters: Are all sexual assault services provided at the
shelter, or do policies and procedures support staff in going out into the
community to serve survivors?
• How do shelter policies and procedures explicitly welcome and support
survivors of sexual violence?
• Are shelter services fully available to male, transgender, genderqueer, and
non-binary survivors?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Strategic Questions
• How do the personnel policies support staff? Do they address:
• Annual cost of living increases?
• Monitoring hours worked and overtime, to minimize overtime, and to
provide compensation for overtime (e.g., overtime pay, flex time, etc.)?
• Mileage reimbursement and reimbursement for other out of pocket
expenses incurred when fulfilling job responsibilities?
• Health insurance?
• Retirement benefits?
• Adequate vacation, sick and personal leave?
• Routine supervision?
• Vicarious trauma?
• Performance reviews, including meaningful self‐assessment and
professional goal setting?
• Professional development?
Do staff grievance policies include a clear, streamlined process that
maintains confidentiality and ensures adequate review by a party not
involved in the grievance
• How do the policies address staff/volunteers who are survivors (both those
who experienced violence previously and those who experience trauma
while employed)? Are the policies supportive and trauma-informed?
-Notes on Follow up Needs

National Sexual Violence Resource Center • (877) 739-3895 • resources@nsvrc.org • www.nsvrc.org/projects/sadi
National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project • (515) 244-7424 • rsp@iowacasa.org • www.resourcesharingproject.org