Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc. Vindya Reedy November 10, 2014 Atlanta Municipal Court 150 Garnett Street Atlanta Ga 30303

Organizational Analysis Mission and Purpose Atlanta Victim Assistance advocates for the fundamental rights of victims and witnesses of crime with compassion, dignity and respect. Atlanta Victim Assistance serve as a primary source of comfort, hope, and strength to the victims and witnesses of crime in the Atlanta Area by providing services to those who need it without cost. Objectives/Goals Atlanta Victim Assistance strives to develop and continue advocacy programs to touch a variety of recipients of a crime. Atlanta Victim Assistance provides comprehensive service which removes barriers, strengthens victims and their families and fosters a healthy transition from victim to survivor.

Organizational Analysis Social Media Outreach –Connecting with more external resources in the Atlanta area –Branding the agency –Connecting and communicating with potential victims through social media network –Finding potential sponsors and fundraisers Atlanta Victim Assistance offer support services to victims of the following crimes, along with general advocacy: –Domestic Violence –Child Abuse –Survivors of Homicide –Identity Theft –Aggravated Assault Process of Evaluating a client –Victims go through an intake assessment of questions –Through the questions, Georgia Victim Compensation Program application may e offered –Referral are resources in Atlanta are made based off client’s needs

Organizational Analysis Gaps: Although AVA calls victims as a response to a crime to provide them with resources they may need, sometimes the victim’s contact information is transient and advocates are unable to get in touch with them to provide resources they may need. –Example: A Victim Advocate calls a phone that may be disconnected, or possibly a prepaid phone that have yet to have minutes added to it. AVA also lacks in being personable with victims by following up in way that keeps tracks of a victim’s progress after they have received their resources –Example: Victim Advocates may send a victim to another agency for a needed resource, but won’t follow up to see if they have been treated appropriately or received the needed resources. Demographics: Atlanta Victim Assistance caters to all victims in the Atlanta area. This consists of children, adults, and elderly, plus a variety of populations like Asian, African American, Latin, Caucasian, etc.

Organizational Analysis Funds of the Agency Atlanta Victim Assistance is a 501(c)3 non- profit organization and cannot operate without federal grants and contributions Received grants from the Office for Victim of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, and U.S. Department of Justice Received sponsorships and donations from the Georgia Pacific Corporation, Bank of America, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, and many more Currently, participating in Georgia Gives Day on November 13 as another way to receive funding from those willing to give to a non- profit agency.

Community Analysis The agency describes its community as catering to victims of a variety of crimes, consisting of domestic violence, identity theft, child abuse, and survivors of homicide. Atlanta Victim Assistance Inc., have official partnerships with the Atlanta Municipal Court and the Atlanta Police Department, and the Office of Solicitor’s General. –They use a variety of external resources like Partnership Against Domestic Violance, Ahima’s House, Raksha Inc., and many more. Through the Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights, Atlanta Victim Assistance are able to reasonably and accurately assist and advocate for victims of certain crimes. The Victims Bill of Rights gives the victim the opportunity to express his or her opinion regarding the criminal case, information, possible compensation, notification prior to any hearing within the case, confidentiality, prompt telephone notifications, and immediate action on their behalf.

Community Analysis (Social Media Outreach) Strengths Non-Judgmental Advocates Bilingual advocates Empathetic Support Have started social media pages to gain more of a following Very knowledgeable of resources within the Atlanta area Weaknesses Need more funds Lack in appearance within the Atlanta community Social media pages are new, so following is low Lack in personable follow-ups

Societal Analysis – Social Media Outreach Emerging trend/issue –Atlanta Victim Assistance is now using social media in order to promote its mission to advocate for victims in the Atlanta area –This will enhance a community connection with all populations (AVA serves all populations) Research –Nonprofits have come to the conclusion that the use of social media is a necessity (Guo & Saxton, 2014). –Agencies utilize social media by reaching out to potential sponsors, reach supporters in the community, and bring awareness to the agency and its cause. (Guo & Saxton, 2014) –Nonprofits use social media as being an effective promoting tool for advocacy (Obar, Zube, & Lampe, 2012). –90% or more of all Nonprofits use social media to further promote their agency.. In addition to, at least one person within a nonprofit (volunteers, interns, staff), are solely in charge of the social media outreach of the agency (Obar, Zube, & Lampe, 2012).

References Guo, C., & Saxton, G. D. (2014). Tweeting Social Change: How Social Media Are Changing Nonprofit Advocacy. Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(1), doi: / Obar, J. A., Zube, P., & Lampe, C. (2012). Advocacy 2.0: An analysis of how advocacy groups in the United States perceive and use social media as tools for facilitating civic engagement and collective action. Journal of information policy, 2.