Frequently Asked Questions
Does STAND focus on multiple conflicts, or just on Darfur?
What does a typical STAND chapter do?
How do I start a STAND chapter at my school?
What happened to S.T.A.N.D. (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur)?
What is STAND’s relationship with the Genocide Intervention Network?
Where should I donate the money I raised?
Where do donations to STAND go?
Can I open a bank account for my chapter using STAND's 501c3 nonprofit status?
STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-NET). STAND envisions a world in which the international community protects civilians from genocidal violence and elected officials are held accountable for their action, or inaction, in the face of genocide. At its core, our mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. To do so, STAND’s Leadership Team recruits, trains, organizes and mobilizes students around the world by providing materials, educational information, online resources, policy expertise, and a network of concerned and active peers. We seek to unite students around the world in a permanent anti-genocide constituency. Back to top.
Does STAND focus on multiple conflicts, or just on Darfur?
For over four years, STAND has led the student movement to end the genocide in Darfur, building a constituency of students who are organized and effective advocates. While our primary focus is currently on Darfur, Sudan, other conflicts, like the violence in Burma and Congo, speak to the heart of our mission. We cannot ignore any potential genocide, and are working hard to raise awareness of the atrocities in other places while continuing to fight for an end to the genocide in Darfur. STAND believes that the headway we are making in the fight to end genocide in Darfur is laying the groundwork for a faster response time to future genocides.
If you'd like to learn more about other areas of concern STAND has on the radar, more about Darfur, or about STAND's greater anti-genocide mission, please CLICK HERE. Back to top.
What does a typical STAND chapter do?
Click here to find out more about what it means to be an official STAND chapter. Back to top.
How do I start a STAND chapter at my school?
Starting a STAND chapter is one of the most powerful things you can do to fight genocide. Organizing your campus is the first step in building political will to end genocide in your community. Click here to sign up to be an official STAND chapter. One of STAND's Regional Organizers will walk you through the process of starting a chapter, give you advice on events and actions, and also connect you to other students near you who are part of the STAND network. E-mail STAND's Grassroots Outreach Coordinator at grassroots@standnow.org for more information. Back to top.
What happened to S.T.A.N.D. (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur)?
STAND was formerly known as STAND: Students Taking Action Now: Darfur. While our current focus is on ending the ongoing genocide in Darfur, the students of STAND’s second Managing Committee recognized a need to establish a movement-building anti-genocide organization for students that will be around for years to come. Because we hope to not only end genocide in Darfur, but also prevent future genocides elsewhere, and to reflect our relationship with the Genocide Intervention Network, the name was changed from Students Taking Action Now: Darfur to STAND, the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network. Back to top.
What is STAND’s relationship with the Genocide Intervention Network?
STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network. The two organizations were formed separately by students at Georgetown University and Swarthmore College, respectively, but merged in 2006 under the shared mission of empowering people with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. Back to top.
Where should I donate the money I raised?
Many organizations are doing worthy work in Darfur. Unfortunately, security concerns and active obstruction by the government of Sudan has forced many humanitarian agencies to drastically scale back operations and avoid doing significant work in the area of "protection," which the government does not allow. Several have been forced to pull out all together, and whole departments of these organizations have had their travel documents revoked or have been disallowed to work in Darfur.
When you donate to STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network, your dollars empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. We envision a world in which the international community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities. STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network are mobilizing a permanent anti-genocide constituency that lobbies our leaders for substantial action, and creates political cost for those officials who failt to take these necessary actions.
In the past, the United States and the international community have failed to prevent and stop genocide because of a lack of political will in our elected officials and among our citizens. There has been no political consequence for our leaders when they did not take action.
Our programs provide citizens with the resources to educate, organize, and advocate in their communities. STAND and GI-NET provide hands-on opportunities for citizens of the world to make genocide prevention a domestic political issue. We believe that if given the tools, all citizens of the global community can become daily active upstanders against genocide.
Please join GI-NET and STAND in bringing protection to the people of Darfur and making genocide prevention a priority for the United States and the international community. Donations to STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network can be made online at the our donation page or by check. All donations are tax deductible. If you prefer to make a donation by check, it should be made payable to Genocide Intervention Network with "STAND" noted in the memo line and mailed to the following address:
STAND c/o Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition
1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 310
Washington, D.C. 20036
Where do donations to STAND go?
When you donate to STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network, your dollars empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. We envision a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities. STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network are mobilizing a permanent anti-genocide constituency that lobbies our leaders for substantial action, and creates a political cost for those officials who fail to take these necessary actions.
In the past, the United States and the international community have failed to prevent and stop genocide because of a lack of political will in our elected officials and among our citizens. There has been no political consequence for our leaders when they did not take action.
Our programs provide citizens with the resources to educate, organize, and advocate in their communities. STAND and GI-NET provide hands-on opportunities for citizens of the world to make genocide prevention a domestic political issue. We believe that if given the tools, all citizens of the global community can become daily active upstanders against genocide.
CURRENT PROJECTS
The Conflict Risk Network (CRN)
CRN is a network of institutional investors, financial service providers and related stakeholders whose combined efforts to mitigate conflict risk and increase responsible foreign investment aim to protect civilians as well as investment returns. CRN is a critical part of GI-NET’s work to mobilize a permanent anti-genocide constituency. Just as other GI-NET programs are a force in lobbying leaders for action on genocide, CRN is leveraging the power of institutional investors to address the integral role played by corporate actors. With institutions uniting under CRN as members, CRN is coordinating and harnessing the collective weight of billions in assets to push for responsible action by companies materially involved in GI-NET Areas of Concern
In 2007, Genocide Intervention Network launched 1-800-GENOCIDE. Since then, the hotline has directly enabled nearly 30,000 callers to lobby their elected officials on important Darfur and Sudan-related initiatives. The hotline has been a critical tool in the fight to end the genocide in Darfur and bring peace to Sudan. Notable accomplishments attributable to the hotline include the successful passage of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, adequate funding for the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, and the appointment and accountability of a Special Envoy for Sudan.
STAND National Conferences bring together dedicated activists from all over the world to facilitate networking, successful Congressional lobbying, advocacy training, education, and empowerment.
Please join GI-NET and STAND in bringing protection to the people of Darfur and making genocide prevention a priority for the United States and the international community. Donations to STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network can be made online at our donation page or by check. All donations are tax deductible. If you prefer to make a donation by check, it should be made payable to Genocide Intervention Network with "STAND" noted in the memo line and mailed to the following address:
STAND c/o Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition
1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 310
Washington, D.C. 20036
Can I open a bank account for my chapter using STAND's 501c3 nonprofit status?
STAND chapters often assume that STAND and Genocide Intervention Network’s nonprofit designation (commonly referred to as “501 (c) (3)” status) extends to all chapters or affiliate groups, or that a National organization’s nonprofit status automatically extends to local chapters or affiliates. In fact, the overwhelming majority of STAND chapters are not recognized by the Internal Revenue Services as nonprofit agencies. This distinction becomes very important when soliciting funds from businesses or donors who expect to report their charitable contributions as a deduction when filing income tax forms. Incorporation requires the filing of forms as well as a disclosure of financial documents with the Internal Revenue Service and the Secretary of State. The application process for requesting 501 (c) (3) status can be expensive for groups with modest means and lengthy for groups with little patience or who expect immediate recognition from the IRS. Donations made to STAND groups are not necessarily tax deductible unless those donations are in turn collected and given to Genocide Intervention Network, which files proof of these contributions with the IRS. If you have questions regarding STAND's non-profit status, setting up a bank account, or soliciting donations, please contact Genocide Intervention Network's office at 202-556-2100.
If you need to set up a bank account, we suggest going through your university or school -- many universities and high schools provide accounts to student groups. If you have further questions about how to approach your school about accounts available to student groups, contact your Outreach Coordinator. Back to top.
STAND is a student-led organization. Two full-time employees in GI-NET's office in Washington, D.C., provide logistical support to the STAND Leadership Team (SLT) headed by the Managing Committee (MC). The MC is made up of 12 dedicated college and high school students. The Managing Committee is charged with resourcing, uniting and empowering over 100 Core Chapters, whose leaders make up the rest of the STAND Leadership Team, and thousands more STAND members across the country. These students from all over the country create all of STAND’s campaigns and materials and provide support and strategic guidance to their peers organizing at schools around the country. Any student can apply to be a part of the STAND Leadership Team. To learn more about STAND’s Leadership Team, click here. Back to top.
