Each year, the Students for Sensible Drug Policy board, staff, and select students and alumni come together for an in-person “Strategy Summit.” A couple of weeks ago, we gathered in Berkeley, CA to discuss the activities and direction of the organization and came to conclusions on our plan for the upcoming year. This plan is finalized as our 2016-2017 SSDP Organizational Objectives, which guide our work throughout the year and hold the staff and board accountable to SSDP’s 4,000+ student members. We’re proud to share this year’s objectives with you.
Strengthening the network.
We will expand our network with active presence on 400 campuses during the year — including 2/3 established chapters at any given time — with 3,500 active members.
We will continue to develop and grow the SSDP Alumni Association program, more strongly connecting students to Alumni members through the mentorship program, keeping Alumni engaged as advocates, and developing Alumni as philanthropists. Membership will grow to more than 230 members.
Our Campus Campaign program will strategically leverage drug policy initiatives between January and December 2016 in targeted states, leading to a 100% increase in the number of active campuses, 800% increase in the number of students we communicate with, and 300% increase in number of chapter members & Ambassadors.
We will provide meaningful resources and support to our international chapter network and seek out opportunities to empower international SSDP chapters within the SSDP network.
We — staff and members — will collaborate with allies from across the political spectrum and non-drug policy reform groups to spread our message of reform.
We will actively engage our stakeholders through regular, meaningful, and carefully curated contact.
We will seize compelling opportunities to address external audiences concerning drug policy reform and to engage in public debates.
Bringing people together.
Our staff will utilize professional best practices in event planning, execution, and evaluation.
We will work with local chapters and Alumni Association members to host regional conferences, attended by an average of 75 participants, in 6 locations during the Fall 2016 semester.
We will facilitate, in collaboration with allies, training opportunities to further legislative reform in at least six states.
We will successfully execute the SSDP2017 Conference in Spring 2017 with at least 400 attendees.
We will connect donors, alumni, and student members through networking receptions in major cities.
Creating safe spaces and fostering diversity.
We will provide a welcoming, open, and safe space for all stakeholders, but especially our members, including those who stand in conflict on other issues, and work to ensure that a wide range of perspectives are represented.
We will actively seek out opportunities for collaboration with other organizations including non-drug policy reform groups and those beyond our traditional allies.
The Diversity, Awareness, Reflection, and Education Committee will create and/or compile resources to assist chapters navigating diversity issues on their campuses, which staff will make accessible to chapters.
We will make every attempt to ensure that SSDP events, including conferences, provide a welcoming environment for current and potential members and strive to provide recognition of their lived experiences.
Movement Building
Education and Advocacy
Pushing the policy envelope & speaking truth to power. We will provide training, mentorship, and resources to change campus and local policies and empower our membership with timely opportunities to take action on state and federal legislation, including meeting with elected officials and decision makers. We will generate thousands of communications to government officials and decision makers. Our staff will publish and maintain data on campus drug policies and Call 911 Good Samaritan policies to serve as expert resources on these issues. Educating and empowering students. We will provide students with a rich menu of activities to undertake in three change-making pathways: 1) chapter building, including recruitment, leadership training, and community organizing; 2) training and education, including peer education and expanding their knowledge; and 3) advocacy, including changing policies from the campus to the UN. We will do this work through an intersectional lens that includes harm reduction and public health, international drug policy, human rights, racial justice, civil rights, and constitutional rights. We will provide students with training in the three pathways of chapter building, policy change, and training and education through:- Skills-building workshops with a total of 500 attendees,
- One-on-one support by outreach staff to 1000 students, and
- Keeping resources/educational materials up to date and making them more easily accessible and navigable including updating each campaign toolkit at least annually.
- Facebook presence will grow by 15% as measured by fans (to 60,000) and engagements (to 335),
- Our website will receive more than 190,000 unique visitors and 390,000 pageviews,
- Additionally, our total YouTube views will surpass 2.7 million, and
- Twitter followers will grow to over 30,000.
Organizational Development
Cultivating meaningful donor relationships. (January – December 2016) Evidence of nurtured relationships with our donor network will include:- individual and corporate gifts will be received in excess of $500,000;
- foundation grants will be received in excess of $275,000 and will include two foundation grantors who have never given to SSDP before or not given in the last 5 years;
- conference and event income will exceed $95,000;
- other income (including merchandise and fee-based activities) will exceed $25,000;
- other gifts and support will exceed $40,000 through strategic fundraising drives;
- in kind donations will exceed $20,000; and
- our monthly giving program will enroll 44 new donors at $25 per month or more, generating more than $100,000 in support.