Create unity and support for and among Women of Color;

Address the issue of institutional racism and its impact on Women of Color;

Gain validation for the work that is being done by Women of Color;

Receive mentoring and network with other Women of Color;

Gain new ideas and materials that are relevant to Women of Color and Communities of Color in general;

Develop strategies on leadership that are relevant for Women of Color;

Discuss problems and concerns and strategize about possible solutions;

Get support for individual issues or concerns as a Woman of Color doing this work personally and professionally;

Become change agents and learn strategies for self-advocacy and ways to challenge the system;

Be in a room with Women of Color since for many this may not happen on a daily basis;

Discuss and share information about the coalition that Women of Color at local centers may not have;

Challenge coalitions to look at decision making processes;

Advocate for the inclusion of voices of Women of Color/Communities of Color;

Create a unified element of power that recognizes that you are not alone doing the work; an opportunity for Women of Color to come together and address shared issues.

Strategies to challenge local rape crisis centers and coalitions to provide services to Communities of Color;

Strategies to help direct and impact how programs and services are provided to Communities of Color;

Opportunities to be actively involved in the development of outreach and materials;

Opportunities to help define how sexual assault is addressed in Communities of Color and provide information about incidence and prevalence;

Opportunities to inform public policy decisions so that they are responsive and relevant for Communities of Color;

Training and skills building for Women of Color to move into leadership positions;

Safe space for Communities of Color to have a voice;

Opportunities to connect and recognize the work being done by Women of Color across the state;

Networking and sharing referrals for clients with Women of Color at other service agencies;

A support mechanism for staff retention at the coalition.

What is the intent of forming the group? Is it to be focused on supporting and empowering Women of Color or assisting the coalition in providing outreach to Communities of Color?

Has there been previous attempts to create a similar group or did a similar group previously exist?

Have you spoken to other Women of Color about starting a caucus to ensure that there is sufficient interest?

What kind of autonomy will you want the caucus to have? Do you want the caucus to be part of the statewide coalition structure or a freestanding entity that collaborates with the coalition when appropriate? Consider what both options may mean for your caucus based on the structure and dynamics in your state.

If you decide that the caucus will be made up of coalition staff and/or member programs, can you should get a letter of support signed by the Executive Director of the coalition and each of its member programs? The letter of support should clearly state caucus is part of the organization's commitment to supporting Women of Color. It should also state that attendance at caucus meetings is a part of the workday and staff need not take personal time to attend. Further, consider mailing out the letter of support on a bi-annual basis to ensure consistent support regardless of staff changes.

How will you create and maintain a safe space for caucus members?

What is the mission of the caucus? Again, you will need to define whether the role of the caucus is to support and empower Women of Color or to assist the coalition in providing services to Communities of Color. Clarify whether the coalition expects the caucus to be responsible for its (the coalition's) anti-oppression work.

What are the goals and objectives of the caucus? The caucus should have goals, objectives and a clear plan and purpose that is revisited regularly to stay focused on the intent of the caucus.

Decide on the membership structure of the caucus. How will membership be defined? For instance, is membership open to all Women of Color that work at member programs? What about coalition staff, will they be allowed to be members? Who determines the membership procedure/how does one become a member? There are some caucuses whose membership is made up of Women of Color in the community that are committed to ending violence against women. These Women of Color may or may not work at a local program or the coalition. Do you invite other Women of Color who may work on other issues that are related to sexual assault (for example, reproductive health, chemical dependency, etc.)? Are you open to Women of Color who may not work in the sexual assault or related "fields" but are community activists and/or concerned community members?

What process will the caucus use to recruit members? How will you introduce the caucus and share information to other Women of Color? Some caucuses had individuals visit the staff meetings of member programs or agencies within their region to talk about the mission of the caucus. Some caucuses have created a membership committee.

If the caucus is open to all Women of Color across the state, how will you ensure representation from all regions of the state? Some caucuses have used regional representatives. Also, the number of meetings could be structured to allow for one or two meetings a year of the entire caucus and regional meetings that are more frequent. It will also be critical to have a meeting place that is centrally located.

Is there an alternative way for the caucus to communicate without having regular meetings? How often can caucus meetings be held before or after other coalition-wide events or trainings? Some caucuses have discussed using a newsletter to foster communication among caucus members. If it is appropriate, email groups could also be created.

An orientation process is often times a great way to welcome new members to the caucus. During this process, you can discuss issues such as their level of commitment, boundaries, the confidentiality policy, and all other policies or procedures of the caucus.

The caucus should have written policies and procedures that address among other things, confidentiality, conflict resolution, record keeping and sharing of information.

Some caucuses have suggested that there should be a code of ethics that would primarily outline the ground rules and agreements shared by all caucus members. Each caucus member would sign the code of ethics as a commitment to uphold the integrity of the caucus.

What is the relationship between the caucus and the coalition? What is the role of the coalition staff that are part of the caucus? How does the coalition view its role with the caucus? What information is shared? What is the decision-making role of the caucus? What kind of support can you count on from the Executive Director of the coalition? Is the caucus interested in having a seat on the Board of Directors of the coalition?

Based on the goals and objectives of the caucus, what kind of funding needs are there to conduct projects or activities? Consider asking the coalition to provide funding or perhaps look to community-based grants.

Training has to always be a component---particularly leadership development and mentoring. Some caucuses hold a leadership training institute or Women of Color conference. Others invite people from the community into caucus meetings to train on various topics.

The caucus should have a discussion and set policies that address information that is shared and the appropriate use of information that is gained during caucus meetings when there are power differences such as supervisors and those they supervise.

In choosing a meeting time, you will have to consider your audience. If there are members who are not part of the coalition and its member programs, you may have to meet after work, during the breakfast hour, or during the lunch hour.

You should consider sending out the agenda ahead of time or putting updates in writing so that there is more time for discussion and dialogue.

Explore the legal relationship that can exist between the coalition and the caucus to ensure there is an understanding of the obligations and liabilities of both the caucus and the coalition.

Be sure that you share information about your caucus to relevant individuals. This will help to prevent misinformation about the purpose of the caucus that can be shared by people who may not be supportive.

If the coalition provides funding to the caucus,make sure that a representative of the caucus meets with the coalition to discuss the funding source. Also, the caucus should be actively involved in any grants that are written on behalf of the caucus.

Activities and/or projects are a great way to keep members motivated and involved. Here are some activities caucuses have done: produce a newsletter, coordinate leadership training or Women of Color conference, create a resource directory and, work with teens around sexual assault.

Information that is shared with the coalition representative, Executive Director, or member programs regarding the caucus should respect and be in accordance with the confidential policy of the caucus. Is it appropriate to share the minutes of the caucus with those who are not members? When sending minutes to other members of the caucus is someone else opening the minutes before it goes to the member? Consider what information is appropriate to be recorded in meeting minutes or whether you need to have meeting minutes.

It is important to document the history of the caucus.