The Issue: After the May 2022 leaked draft of the U.S Supreme Court opinion, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the subsequent influx of donations to abortion funds in the US, ARC-SE seized an opportunity to mobilize resources to Black women and people of color most affected by the abortion bans and to sustain new supporters in the form of a revitalized development strategy. ARC-SE hired the consultant team to analyze existing data and to implement new metrics of data collection to answer the following questions:

• 1. Given the 2022 sociopolitical context for abortion funds in the south and reproductive justice in general, how might ARC-SE re-evaluate and revitalize its development strategy to ensure long-term sustainability?

• 2. What are the demographics, motivations, and giving patterns of existing, new, and potential donors? 

• 3. How can this data be used to inform ARC-SE’s fundraising and organizational priorities now and in the future?

The Method: After a deep dive into the context of the issue, the consultants launched a mixed-method evaluation that included analysis of pre-existing donor data and organizational information, the facilitation of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with high-net wealth and grassroots donors, and the dissemination of Jot Form surveys that provided insight into the needs and priorities of the ARC-SE team. Data was analyzed to identify patterns and triangulated with relevant reproductive justice data. 

The Outcome: The evaluation resulted in an extensive report that offered a comprehensive donor analysis pre- and post- the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as well as recommendations for implementing an overarching fundraising approach and strategy. It included critical insights into potential threads of fundraising growth areas for the organization, including political education for donors, the mobilization of grassroots donors, and the sustaining of high net wealth donors. The consultants also launched a weekly coaching strategy to support the organization as it implemented and integrated these recommendations. The report ended with suggestions and contextual information for the incoming Director of Development who would later extrapolate upon these observations and analyses in the service of ARC-SE sustainability and growth. 

The Issue: In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) developed the he COVID-19 Domestic and Sexual Assault Survivors’ Safety Trust Fund (“Trust Fund”) to address the rise in reported incidents of sexual and domestic violence that erupted during the emergencies surrounding the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to meet the needs of its constituents, DPH convened a committee of Massachusetts-based SDV organizations through listening sessions, which would prove to be instrumental in the design of this legislation, as well as the implementation of the Trust Fund’s grant-making imperatives. Jane Doe, Inc. (JDI) and the Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN), were members of this committee and in 2021, retained the consultant team to evaluate the efficacy of the Trust  Fund's grant distribution through a racial equity lens. Guided by the team at JDI and MAWOCN, the consultant team launched an evaluation based on the following questions: 

• 1. What were the experiences of BIPOC leaders and leaders of culturally-specific programming who applied for the SDV Trust Fund?

• 2. To what extent was the Listening Session Feedback implemented in the SDV Trust Fund process?

• 3. To what extent was the SDV Trust Fund process effective for BIPOC leaders and leaders of culturally-specific programs?

The Method: After immersing ourselves in the context of the issue, we evaluated grant-making materials obtained through a Public Records Request. We also heard directly from representatives of BIPOC-led and/or culturally-specific organizations by way of focus groups, 1 on 1 interviews, and a 14-question JotForm survey of BIPOC and/or culturally-specific organizations who were not funded. Data was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes pertaining to our guiding research questions.

The Outcome: Guided by the experiences and priorities of the MAWOCN and Jane Doe, Inc., we wrote an extensive report discussing the discrepancies between the TrustFund’s stated racial equity goals and its actual outcomes. We presented recommendations to leadership in the Massachusetts Department of Health, which were implemented into the subsequent round of the Domestic and Sexual Assault Survivors’ Safety Trust Fund, including strategies to directly fund culturally specific SDV organizations, to ensure transparency and continuity across grant materials, to implement an advisory council of grassroots SDV organizers, and to structurally implement racial equity principles into grant-making rubrics. A training toolkit was also created and disseminated to members of the DPH grant-making team.

The Issue: SUSU commUNITY farm is an Afro-Indigenous stewarded farm in Vermont that is committed to centering food and land sovereignty through educational opportunities, land-based relationship, and ancestral healing. In the spring of 2022, the team at SUSU intended to launch its Youth2Liberation Pipeline program with the desire to create space for youth of color that centers their dreams, visions, and ideas for a possible future. The research team was called-in to facilitate an 18-month Participatory Action Research project alongside the SUSU team and an intergenerational group of community members. 

The Method: After identifying the most pressing research questions, the PAR team co-created a research strategy that involved arts-based metrics, listening sessions, community mapping, and interviews with leaders of local organizations. Youth and their caregivers were invited to the farm to create and share zines that spoke to their visions of a safe space for youth of color. Additionally, we facilitated multiple listening sessions on the farm, featuring a plant walk that invited participants to listen to the land before engaging in a community dialogue about safer spaces for people of color in Vermont. Middle school students from local schools participated in a mapping project, where they were able to identify physical locations, community organizations, and resources that already existed for youth of color, while dreaming into what else was needed in order for youth to truly thrive. Finally, members of the research team conducted semi-structured interviews with leaders and staff from local organizations to identify areas for collaboration and support. After each phase of research, the SUSU PAR team collectively analyzed the data, highlighting themes, patterns, contradictions, and other elements. 

The Outcome: Based on our shared experiences and the data we gathered, the PAR team created a framework to actualize and grow the Youth2Liberation Pipeline. The following actions were determined: 1) form a youth board to advise, guide, and shape the Youth2Liberation Pipeline; 2) co-create a slate of programming that connects youth of color to SUSU commUNITY farm, local resources, and afro-indigenous farming and healing practices; and 3) extend the PAR inquiry indefinitely so that the program could continually evolve based on the ever-changing needs of the community.

The Issue: UNCW facilitates a semi-annual campus climate survey to understand the experiences and needs of its faculty, student support staff, and students. The university had not, however, included custodial, facilities, and housekeeping staff in their assessment, despite how critical this population is to the campus community as a whole. Guided by conversations and relationships with custodial staff, the researcher sought to create a campus climate assessment to understand the professional experiences of this community based on the following topics and overarching questions:

• 1. Work Environment and Conditions: How do custodial, facilities, and housekeeping staff perceive their physical and emotional safety within the campus environment?

• 2. Respect and Recognition: To what extent do custodial and housekeeping staff feel respected and valued by other campus community members, including students, faculty, and administration?

• 3. Communication, Feedback, and Support: How effective do custodial and housekeeping staff perceive communication, feedback processes, and support structures that exist at the university? 

• 4. Equity and Inclusion: What self-reported feelings of equity and inclusion exist for UNCW custodial and housekeeping staff?

• 5. Decision-Making & University Impact: To what extent do staff feel they have a voice in campus decisions that impact them?

The Method: Using a concurrent mixed methodological approach, the researcher designed and simultaneously implemented a 25 question campus climate Qualtrics survey and 1:1 anonymized interviews with members of the custodial and housekeeping staff (n=32). Survey and interview data were imported using NVivo, where it was organized, thematically coded, analyzed for patterns and divergences, and visualized into various word clouds, maps, and charts.

The Outcome: Based on the empirical evidence that was gathered, the researcher offered recommendations to UNCW administration for improving the working conditions of UNCW’s custodial staff and for their inclusion in future climate assessments.