Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc.

Vindya ReedyNovember 10, 2014

Atlanta Municipal Court150 Garnett StreetAtlanta 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 AnalysisFunds 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).

ReferencesGuo, C., & Saxton, G. D. (2014). Tweeting Social Change: How Social Media Are Changing Nonprofit Advocacy. Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(1), 57-79. doi:10.1177/0899764012471585

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.