Who We Are
What is Stand Up For Ohio?
Formed in 2007, Stand Up for Ohio (SUFO) is a coalition of community, labor, civil rights, and environmental groups committed to building a coordinated movement for racial, social, and economic justice in Ohio. In 2011, Stand Up for Ohio directed the allied outreach work for We Are Ohio, the community-labor coalition that successfully repealed Ohio’s anti-collective bargaining legislation.
Since then, Stand Up for Ohio has run large-scale 501(c)4 electoral programs in cities across the state, knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors and engaging thousands of Ohioans in trainings, house meetings, and direct actions related to economic and racial justice. In 2016, Stand Up for Ohio ran GOTV programs in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Akron, Warren, Cleveland, and Youngstown, engaging voters through text, email, direct mail, by phone, and in person.
We believe that by mobilizing voters around issues that affect their families and their neighborhoods—issues like community/police relations, climate change, jobs, and early childhood education—we can fundamentally shift the balance of power in our cities and at the state level.
Our Vision for 2018-2019
Stand Up For Ohio envisions a more unified and aligned Ohio organizing together to win on racial and economic justice. In 2018, we will expand our base to develop new leaders in targeted counties and move a unique coalition of voters to take on the state’s criminal justice system in a way that promotes strong public investment in communities and families. Over the next 18 months, we will:
- Engage with at least 1 million Ohio voters: through canvasses, phone banks, outreach through partner organizations, social media marketing and outreach, and faith outreach, Stand Up for Ohio will have 1 million conversations with voters. Of these 1 million conversations, our goal is to retain 300,000 as activists that we can text, email, call, or mobilize into events and actions.
- Strengthen our current capacity: Stand Up for Ohio currently has organizing staff in 7 cities and communities. These city organizations need continual support and growth to develop leaders and set a bold vision for Ohio’s cities and elected leaders.
- Bridge the urban/rural divide - Over the next 3 years we will do 300 popular education trainings in rural communities around issues of economic disenfranchisement.
In 2019, Stand Up for Ohio will organize a statewide convention that gathers all the volunteers, staff, leaders, allies, and partners to join a conversation about race, class, and economic justice in order to set the agenda for holding newly elected officials accountable.