EMPOWERING ACTION: A MEMBER-DRIVEN PLAN FOR POLICY ADVOCACY

As the federally-designated sexual violence coalition for the state of
Ohio, the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV) advocates
for comprehensive responses and rape crisis services for survivors
and empowers communities to prevent sexual violence. OAESV
engaged the Capstone team to develop an implementation plan
outlining how to strengthen and expand the client’s membership
program. The team interviewed essential volunteers to create
a direct network analysis and compiled a report outlining best
practices in the field. The team’s findings illuminated three main
opportunities, to: 1) promote membership growth in OAESV’s
policy programming division, 2) enhance member engagement and
mobilization, and 3) build coalitions to advocate for policy changes
at the local and state levels. The team designed a comprehensive
toolkit featuring a case study and recommendations, with specific
tactics and methods highlighted for key recommendations.