For several years, RALIANCE has been a proud sponsor of the National Sexual Assault Conference® (NSAC). Each year, we’ve been so delighted to help make this conference possible, connect with the incredible advocates in the sexual violence prevention field, and solidify the ties between our corporate partners and our mission. This year was no different, and we’re taking the time now to recap everything RALIANCE at NSAC 2024!
This year, the RALIANCE track at NSAC was comprised of two presentations. The first was, “Building and sustaining lasting partnerships with businesses in your community”, a presentation geared to teach “participants…[to] learn how to connect with their local business community, how to pitch to businesses, and how to build lasting partnerships.” Facilitated by RALIANCE Project Coordinator Julia Mallory and RALIANCE Corporate Research Associate Megan Owens, this session had high audience participation and enthusiasm.
Julia Mallory (left) and Megan Owens (right) standing behind a podium during the NSAC presentation.
The second RALIANCE session was, “Driving Change: Partnering to End Sexual Violence and Advance Equity”, a presentation co-facilitated by RALIANCE Project Manager Tori VandeLinde and Uber about their partnership. Specifically, it addressed, “what this partnership for social change has looked like, what accountability means in these partnerships, and what we envision for the road ahead.” This session was successful, and attendees walked away with a better understanding of how these types of partnerships can create lasting company cultural change as well as policy change.
Tori VandeLinde (middle) with two Uber representatives posed in front of their PowerPoint presentation.
Below are some thoughts from the RALIANCE session facilitators:
“It was a joy and an honor to present on the RALIANCE track this year with our partners at Uber. It’s inspiring to witness how corporate partners are finding and sustaining their role in preventing sexual violence and supporting survivors, and how advocates in the anti-sexual violence field are envisioning ways to continue that momentum with other businesses in their communities. Each year at NSAC serves as a catalyst for change, and I can’t wait to see what lessons we learn after NSAC this year and share what ignites us next year! – Tori VandeLinde, RALIANCE Project Manager
“It was really great to be able to hear directly from people about where they are at, what they are struggling with, and what their ideas are for solving these issues. I think it helps inform our work and gives us a much clearer picture on how we can best support them. I really hope the session attendees saw RALIANCE as an example of what you can do with corporate partnerships, and that dreaming big in this field is incredibly important and can pay off! I also hope we can build on the momentum from our sessions this year, host sessions that showcase more of the work we’ve been doing, especially the last few years; and provide more ways for the movement to get connected to our work.”-Megan Owens, RALIANCE Corporate Research Associate
“It was encouraging and invigorating to connect with people working closely to prevent sexual violence and provide care to survivors. I was grateful to be able to provide tangible tips on how to increase collaboration and connection to aid in the sustainability of our work. It is my hope that the attendees view RALIANCE as a trusted, intentional, partner in this work. I look forward to attending next year and working with my colleagues to deliver more timely topics and action-oriented sessions.”-Julia Mallory, RALIANCE Project Coordinator
The fun didn’t stop there! RALIANCE proudly hosted a networking event at the District Winery in Washington, DC. After a full day of work, it was wonderful for us all to have the chance to connect some of our favorite advocates in the field with our corporate partners. We hope that in the future we can continue to provide these opportunities for advocates and corporate partners to introduce themselves, learn from one another, and create lasting relationships between organizations.
RALIANCE team posed on a deck with the DC river behind them.
Perhaps the greatest privilege during our time at the conference was when we got to help make a very special announcement. The Managing Partners of the RALIANCE team proudly walked the stage of the conference’s final plenary session to help announce the launch of the Survivors’ Agenda campaign! This campaign is focused on survivors as a powerful and important voting block that should be engaged during local, state, and presidential elections. We believe that survivors’ perspectives should be valued during all races and in all spaces, and that legislation that benefits survivors are a benefit to us all. While we helped announce the establishment of this campaign, we look forward to seeing how it takes shape in the months building up to the 2024 presidential election and beyond!
RALIANCE Managing Partners Monika Johnson-Hostler (left), Sandra Henriquez (middle), and Yolanda Edrington (right) speaking on the NSAC plenary session stage.
NSAC 2024 is over, and our work is never done. We’re already thinking of ways we can improve our offerings and presence at NSAC 2025, and we look forward to continuing these important conversations with you next year!
RALIANCE is a trusted adviser for organizations committed to building cultures that are safe, equitable, and respectful. RALIANCE offers unparalleled expertise in serving survivors of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse which drives our mission to help organizations across sectors create inclusive environments for all. For more information, please visit www.RALIANCE.org.