American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
106
9
"Up" is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the
field. "Down" is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in field.
Headquarters Location: New York, NY
Founded: 1920
Mission: The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; prisoners; and people with disabilities. If the rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, everybody's rights are imperiled.
Tags:
national, women's reproductive health, policy, advocacy, reproductive justice, abortion, contraception, pregnancy, sex education, reproductive rights, transgender support
Summary
Stories
Expert Reviews
Leadership
From the Nonprofit
Leadership
Susan Herman.
Susan N. Herman was elected President of the American Civil Liberties Union in October 2008, after having served on the ACLU National Board of Directors for twenty years, as a member of the Executive Committee for sixteen years, and as General Counsel for ten years. Herman holds a chair as Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, where she…
See full bio.
Financial Data
Overhead Ratio:
19.79%
Total Revenue:
$96,049,110
From the Nonprofit
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Contact Info
Address:
125 Broad St
New York, NY 10004, USA
Twitter:
Story:
In the years following World War I, America was gripped by the fear that the Communist Revolution that had taken place in Russia would spread to the United States. As is often the case when fear outweighs rational debate, civil liberties paid the price. In November 1919 and January 1920, in what notoriously became known as the “Palmer Raids,” Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure. Those arrested were brutally treated and held in horrible conditions.
In the face of these egregious civil liberties abuses, a small group of people decided to take a stand, and thus was born the American Civil Liberties Union. (Source: http://www.aclu.org/aclu-history)
Expert Reviews of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Evidence of Impact Summary:
Experts can't seem to say enough to express their support of the ACLU's history of supporting reproductive rights on state and national levels. Aside from noting major policy victories, experts praise the affiliate model as a key driver of the organization's sustained influence in this space.See expert comments.
Organization Strengths Summary:
Respondents consistently note the ACLUs reputation as a formidable asset in all advocacy efforts. Similarly, the programs top leaders receive marked praise from experts.See expert comments.
Areas for Improvement Summary:
Areas for improvement were scattered. Multiple experts noted the economy's impact on the ACLU's resources. Others cited a need for more staff diversity and stronger collaboration.See expert comments.
Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact
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Impact |
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This organization has a successful track record in litigating - often creatively - anti-abortion restrictions. | ||
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Without the ACLU's state affiliates, much of the policy work that happens within the states would be lost. It works closely with other legal institutions and state-level advocacy groups on a range of issues and uses a range of strategies. As reproductive health and rights gets challenged state-by-state, this organization is more needed. State level advocacy groups depend on such programs to help them understand some of the proposed or current policies and how to develop effective strategies to protect or change them. | ||
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They have successfully argued court cases, using a variety of legal arguments, to protect reproductive rights of women. | ||
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The ACLU has been involved in many of the legal cases around abortion and contraception rights throughout the years. Without their strong leadership in this regard, I think we'd have many more restrictions on abortion care. Their impact is also very clearly large scale, on a state or national level, and effects millions of women. | ||
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They are protecting the reproductive rights of women. | ||
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They have done similar work as the Center for Reproductive Rights. They have had a major impact on policy, legislation, and judicial decisions with respect to reproductive rights. They are particularly familiar with state based issues. | ||
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They helped to decrease the number of abortion restrictions through litigation. Its affiliate structure, which ensures the organization's presence in every state, helps to fight restrictions in the legislatures, while its Washington DC, legislative office gives the organization a strong voice in Congress. | ||
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This group has played a key role in challenging restrictive legislation on abortion and other reproductive health issues in the US in recent years. They also serve as an important source of information on legal issues for reproductive health providers and are frequently asked to present at on relevant policy issues at conferences such as the National Abortion Federation Meeting. | ||
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They have had a huge impact maintaining access to reproductive health care through judicial and legislative approaches. | ||
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They have done brilliant litigation. | ||
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They have performed abstinence-only litigation. | ||
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They have led state-wide campaigns to prevent anti-choice legislation; they provided legal action when anti-choice laws were passed and education campaigns on abortion rights, sex education, family planning, and related topics. | ||
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The parental notification bill suit that went to the Supreme Court was important. | ||
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The outcome of litigation and their analysis that helps other advocates attest to their impact. | ||
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Their legal expertise and capacity enables them to have a tremendous impact. They have set important precedent in the courts that has ramifications for hundreds of thousands of women around the country. For example, the ruling they procured striking down Missouri's ban on prisoners' access to abortion is binding in courts throughout Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. They also employ litigation to immediately halt bad laws before they can do harm for example, Reproductive Freedom Project's (RFP)--part of the ACLU-- litigation and advocacy kept New Hampshire' parental involvement law from ever being enforced. RFP's lawsuits have also restored Medicaid coverage for abortion in several states, bringing critical relief every year to the women in need. RFP also makes an enormous impact through its ACLU affiliates and members on the ground. For example, RFP conducted a grassroots advocacy effort that helped to defeat Measure 11 - the South Dakota ballot initiative to ban virtually all abortions. RFP staffers organized and funded a volunteer weekend, during which 60 ACLU members, staff, and friends spent the weekend canvassing and phone banking ultimately, ACLU volunteers knocked on 4,326 doors and made 5,891 calls, identifying nearly 700 new supporters. These ACLU activists and members are a powerful base that adds significantly to RFP's impact. Through technical and grant assistance, RFP also ensures the strength of ACLU affiliates on the issues every day, not just in the extraordinary times as with South Dakota. RFP's grant to Illinois, for example, ensured that lawyers were trained to assist teens going through judicial bypasses as soon as that state's law took effect; their grants supported advocacy that resulted in change in sex ed policies in several localities and rejection of title v dollars at the state level in some states. | ||
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They have been critical in litigating federal and state restrictions on abortion, often resulting in injunctions, and having the restrictions struck down as unconstitutional. | ||
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They have worked consistently and effectively since its founding to fight anti-choice legislation at both the state and federal levels. As a result of their efforts, many burdensome restrictions on women's access to abortion care have been defeated or overturned. | ||
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The ACLU provides essential monitoring of legal issues around access to reproductive health services. | ||
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The ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project continues to watch for new restrictions at the state level (where most are generated). They identify trends and prepare state-level advocates (including those in its 53 state affiliates) to respond. They fend off these restrictions in the legislative process and challenge those restrictions in court. Because the politics of reproductive rights is still characterized by unrelenting attacks from the right, this kind of defensive work remains critical. | ||
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In addition to defending attacks on abortion at state and national level in the courts, their work to expand rights of women in prison, to protect women self-inducing abortion, and above all, their unending efforts to educate our movement about the reproductive justice framework and the impact of restrictions on all women are examples of the ACLU's impact. | ||
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On the state level, they have affiliates in every state, so they often are only non-reproductive rights group that join in to help on reproductive justice issues. On a national level, they provide research on long-term thinking about how we change dynamics of reproductive issues. | ||
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ACLU has been at the leadership of constitutional protection of a woman's right to choose both nationally as well as on the state level. They do not get lost in the quagmire of the women's movement and approach the issue from a constitutional perspective. For example, Roe v Wade is no codified in the California state Constitution in the event that it was to be repealed from the US Constitution. The ACLU also takes a leadership role in combating the onslaught of anti-choice initiatives showing up on state ballots. | ||
Expert Comments: Organization Strengths
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Staff |
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They have exceptional attorneys and a national focus. | ||
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They exhibit expertise and professionalism. | ||
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They have outstanding legal staff. | ||
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It does excellent legal work using its great lawyers. | ||
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Their staff and historic, ongoing knowledge of the field are meaningful. | ||
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Reproductive Freedom Project, part of the ACLU, brings many other strengths to the table. The RFP staff is known for their high-level legal expertise. When outside groups or lawyers need expert advice on complicated legal questions, or when the media needs background on a legal issue, they call the RFP staff. And, as RFP is part of the ACLU, they bring a multi-issue perspective to reproductive rights “ increasing their scope and effectiveness by drawing upon the ACLU's expertise in religious freedom, prison policies, women's rights, and LGBT issues. RFP, as part of the ACLU, also benefits from the ACLU's affiliate structure. They bring to issues the insights of the federal and state expertise, a critical mix in the world of reproductive rights. Finally, they work hard to be collaborative. | ||
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Their staff is terrific and very generous with their legal advice on a wide range of issues. They also provide excellent strategic advice and are important partners in advocacy work. | ||
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The team of attorneys who work at the RFP is extremely bright, talented, and dedicated. The Director is an excellent steward of the organization's resources. | ||
Leadership |
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They have very strong staff attorneys and leadership. | ||
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They have strong leadership and a connection to a larger set of civil liberties concerns. | ||
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They have strong, experienced leaders and have fostered a culture of both hard work and collegiality. They maintain close ties to their clients. They can draw on the strengths of affiliate staff in every state to confront state-level restrictions. | ||
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They have talented leadership and "deep bench." They are very knowledgeable and experienced at every level. They also have a strong network between state and national staff. | ||
Name Recognition |
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One strength is that the ACLU is very well known. This helps them get the very best legal minds to work with them on important reproductive health issues. Another strength is that they work with local providers to help them assess and navigate the laws in a particular region or state. | ||
Collaboration |
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Their networking with others in the field and strong personal relationships with other advocates are assets. | ||
Operations |
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A newly organized structure at the ACLU will allow the RFP to capitalize even more on the synergies with other programmatic areas at the ACLU, including religion, LGBT rights, and women's rights. The ACLU's commitment to the full array of civil rights issues has given it great credibility in helping to draft and advocate for measures such as clinic protection legislation (which can implicate the right to free speech) and narrow religious refusal clauses (which can implicate the right to freedom of religion). | ||
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They have an excellent staff, good communications, and a high profile. | ||
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They have consistently supported a woman's right to choose. They have tackled many cases that have had huge impact. The staff is well organized, hardworking and focused. | ||
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Nationally, the ACLU is a resource for community, legal, and advocacy groups. | ||
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They have terrific name recognition, wonderful staff, and a great PR department. | ||
Program Design |
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They have a national reputation, name recognition, history (tried more civil liberties/civil rights cases before the supreme court than any other organization, and staff (the National Reproductive Rights Project is committed, well informed and uses best practices to get the job done). | ||
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They are committed to reproductive justice and are committed to coalition work; they "play well with others." | ||
Expert Comments: Areas for Improvement
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Foundation Professionals (F)
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Researchers and Faculty (R)
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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
More Diverse Staff |
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They need more staff, more diverse staff on the ground, and greater ability to develop leadership within this field: legal and reproductive health. | ||
Resources |
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They could use more resources for individual case work. | ||
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They have inadequate resources; no state staff in some of the most vulnerable "red" states. | ||
Organization |
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The new organizational structure will bring challenges in addition to opportunities, including ensuring that adequate resources are committed to the Project's work. One ongoing challenge for this organization is that the Project Director operates several levels below the Executive Director of the ACLU (and is even further removed now). The Project has a new director (albeit a veteran of the Project) who will need to establish credibility and trust among the organization's donors and coalition partners. | ||
Expand Programming |
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They are not well-positioned to move beyond litigation strategies. | ||
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They could increase public education through their work. | ||
Program Design |
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They could exhibit more creativity in finding non-legal solutions. | ||
Funding |
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The obvious needs for any non-profit: more resources. | ||
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Like many non-profit organizations, their parent organization, the ACLU, has lost funding in the past year. | ||
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I know that the recession is having an impact on the reproductive health project of the ACLU but we need them! | ||
More Advocacy |
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Their Washington DC operations could be stronger. | ||
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The Reproductive Freedom Project could be more active at the local level in terms of proactive legislation and community outreach. | ||
Diversity |
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The staff could be more diverse. Clear lines of responsibility sometimes seem to be lacking between the national office and ACLU affiliates when it comes to litigating reproductive rights cases. | ||
Program Design & Collaboration |
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They have a long history of advocating for reproductive rights. However, the inherent tension within its mission makes it less effective within the wider community. For example, the potential (even actual) conflict between religious freedom and reproductive autonomy that arises in the context of health care refusals can dilute the strength of the pro-reproductive rights movement. The reality of a separate Reproductive Freedom Project and Women's Rights project illustrate this problem; moreover, it sometimes appears that the national organization alters the course of the smaller sub-projects. Also, sad to say, it does not always play well with others. | ||
More Collaboration |
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Like all other nonprofits in this area, the ACLU is subject to the larger political, social, and cultural context of this issue, including a weak women's movement and eroding public support for abortion rights. As a whole, the reproductive rights community has not successfully confronted the challenge of how to shift this context. In fairness, it is not clear that even concerted, collective action by this community would be sufficient on this score. It may be that we are suffering the consequences of our successes in the last generation -- leading to complacency and disengagement in this generation. Still, there may be ways to re-energize the movement, including by more explicitly tying the call for reproductive rights to the effort to achieve equality for women worldwide, drawing on research that shows that control over reproduction, combined with education and employment opportunities for women, are the engines of success in the developing world. | ||
Diversity & Collaboration |
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In the past, and in some ways through the present, ACLU is an important presence in many less populated, resourced, and political areas of the country (not NY, DC or CA) because of its visibility and legacy of success in protecting civil liberties. But its budget is bloated and it tries to do too many things, as opposed to sticking to what it does best. And, much of the leadership positions are occupied by people who are not radical, cutting-edge or even liberal in some cases. One high-level reproductive rights manager is known to be anti-home birth, for example. We need leadership with a broad range and deep knowledge of reproductive health, rights, and justice frameworks who actively strives to achieve goals in all of these areas based on a greater good. They also make collaborative work rather difficult at the national level due to a record of being rather "turfy". | ||
Leadership
Susan Herman
President
President
From the Nonprofit
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