Sustaining Our Staff Sustains Our Movement: Intentional Retention for the Long-Haul

by Site Developer
on August 13, 2026

Presenters

Co-Presenters hide

Presenter(s): Ariel Reyes, Patima Komolamit, Leeann Luna

Organization(s): WRC, CPAF, Monarch Services

Objectives:

  • Describe the range of benefits that Women’s Resource Center, Monarch Services, and the Center for the Pacific Asian Family offer for staff sustainability

  • Identify opportunities and barriers to implementing various benefits in rape crisis centers

  • Discuss ways to assess and enhance benefits for staff for current retention and long-term succession planning

Description: The anti sexual violence movement exists, grows, and thrives because of the dedicated, passionate workforce and leadership. This isn’t easy work, so how can we sustain and retain our teams to sustain our movement, and how do we keep dedicated employees long-term for smooth leadership succession planning? One size and one benefit does not fit all. Rape crisis centers in California have found that increasing employee benefits in a variety of ways can help begin to solve the problem of burnout and high turnover. Join Women’s Resource Center, Monarch Services, and the Center for the Pacific Asian Family for this session to learn and discuss what benefits they’ve implemented to support staff and movement sustainability. From reduced work weeks to competitive pay to fostering supportive work environments, we can adopt innovative, multi‑dimensional strategies and methods to support our team in the present, while simultaneously building the foundation for future leaders.