How to Support Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Month at Your Company

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAM) is your company’s opportunity to help raise awareness of sexual assault and its victims. And to support the groups that exist to make a positive difference in the lives of those who have been affected. 

How your company can celebrate Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Month

The following initiatives were curated by our team of social impact experts that execute thoughtful social impact efforts for our customers every day. Some of these initiatives are easy enough to accomplish internally, but for others, you will need to lean on a social impact program or team. 

Don’t have a social impact program or team? Learn more about Percent Pledge powered customized social impact programs, a single source for donations, volunteering, charity vetting, & impact reports.

[1] Donations

Our Social Impact Managers have vetted the nonprofits below to help take the guesswork out of choosing the right organization for your company and employees to donate to and partner with. 

It’s On Us

The mission of It’s On Us is to build a movement to combat sexual assault by changing campus culture. What began as a rallying cry has grown into a national organization, active on over 500 college campuses. It's On Us focuses on teaching bystander intervention and developing movement leaders through its campus organizing program.

Resilience

Resilience envisions a world free of sexual violence for everyone. For 45 years, they’ve been dedicated to the healing and empowerment of survivors of sexual violence through non-judgmental crisis intervention, individual and group trauma therapy, and medical and legal advocacy. Resilience strives to improve the treatment of survivors and to effect positive change in policies and public attitudes.

Take Back the Night

Take Back The Night's mission is to end all forms of sexual violence, including sexual assault, sexual abuse, trafficking, stalking, gender harassment, and relationship violence, and to support survivors in their healing journeys. Take Back the Night fosters safe communities through international events and initiatives. Their events unite people from every background, belief, and culture around the world to take a visible and vocal stand.

RAINN

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and the DoD Safe Helpline. They also carry out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.

[2] Volunteering

Time is the most valuable commodity, and volunteering your organization’s time while inspiring your employees to do the same, is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Volunteering is the perfect team-building event and can have a positive impact on your employees and your organization.

Find the right opportunity

Whether volunteering at your local rape crisis center to provide services to victims or helping implement prevention programs such as talking to students about sexual violence, there are all sorts of ways to empower your employees to find the volunteer opportunity that’s right for them. Start by visiting NSVRC to find the crisis center nearest you.

Help across the country

The YWCA is the largest network of domestic and sexual violence service providers nationwide. Every year, in communities big and small, YWCAs provide safe and secure housing, crisis hotlines, counseling, court assistance, and other programs to more than half a million women, children and families. There are more than 150 YWCAs in 44 states. Encourage your employees to get involved at their local YWCA.

Make a difference in the lives of many

Whether they have five minutes, five days, or five months, there's a path for your employees to make a difference in the lives of survivors of sexual violence. Encourage employees to support survivors by volunteering for the National Sexual Assault Hotline. RAINN will train them to provide live, anonymous crisis support to survivors across the country. Become a Rape Crisis Hotline Volunteer.

A single volunteer event takes 20-30 hours to plan and execute. Learn how Percent Pledge saves your company that time by organizing customized volunteer events.

[3] Other ways to support

Inspire your employees to get involved to spread support. No gesture is too small.

Be the one they can turn to

If you do nothing more than believe survivors, listen, be there, and communicate without judgment, you’ve already done more than you can imagine.

Encourage support

Motivate survivors to get support. Share resources like the National Sexual Assault Hotline and the online hotline at Rainn.org, where victims can chat online with crisis support staff.

Learn the importance of crisis intervention

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health, and addiction professionals who work to develop the most compassionate and effective crisis response system that is the least intrusive in a person's life. They help people with mental disorders and/or addictions access the treatment they need. Learn more about and get involved at CIT International.

Find a breakdown of each of these efforts and more for your company to make a positive impact this April by downloading our Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Kit. Again, if you need help pursuing these initiatives, learn more about Percent Pledge’s proven social impact program and team of experts by requesting a demo.