Support WASAVP by becoming a member
Please consider becoming a WASAVP member this month
The annual drive for renewal of existing memberships and recruitment of existing memberships for the Washington Association for Substance misuse And Violence Prevention (WASAVP) is underway and our goal is to attract 50 new members before the end of June 2025. We would like for you and/or your coalition or prevention organization to become members if you are not already, or to renew your membership if you are currently members.
To join WASAVP, go to https://www.wasavp.org/join.
What is the Association for Substance misuse And Violence Prevention (WASAVP)?
The Washington Association for Substance misuse And Violence Prevention (WASAVP) is a professional organization representing prevention providers and public health practitioners. WASAVP members include individuals, coalitions, professional organizations, and others interested in increasing the health and safety of communities we live in. In 2025, we are celebrating our 25th year of providing support for Washington's prevention and public health providers.
The mission of the Washington Association for Substance Misuse And Violence Prevention (WASAVP) is to unite prevention advocates in Washington State to create safe and healthy communities through prevention of substance misuse and violence.
Find out more at https://www.wasavp.org.
What comes with a WASAVP membership?
1) Representation of prevention and public health interests.
We are recognized as a leading "Voice for Prevention” in Olympia and in the state legislature. We provide education to policymakers and staff regarding prevention, substance misuse trends, effectiveness of prevention, and impacts on Washington communities from policy or funding changes. We develop partnerships that benefit prevention and public health.
2) Discounts for high quality, research-based training.
These include Art and Science of Community Organization Training (ASCOT), other coalition- and community-development support, and drug education training). We coordinate with the Prevention Specialist Certification Board of Washington for recognition of our trainings so they can be used to earn or maintain the Certified Prevention Professional (CPP) certification.
3) Education and awareness regarding policy developments.
During legislative sessions, weekly updates are provided to our members and allies regarding the legislature's activities, as well as guidance about how local communities can help develop support for prevention. We provide web-based tools to help promote the vital role prevention and public health efforts play in keeping our communities safe and healthy. Between legislative sessions, WASAVP also distributes updates that affect prevention such as Liquor and Cannabis Board rule-making efforts, federal law or policy changes, training and other workforce development opportunities, and identification of resources that can help build prevention and public health.
4) Support system for prevention and public health providers and systems.
WASAVP members provide dozens of no-cost trainings and consultations each year for communities and organizations interested in improving their prevention work, coalition function, community safety and health, and development of local policy-related initiatives like substance-free parks, community clean-up of blighted areas used for sale or use of drugs, and many more topic areas.
How much is a WASAVP membership?
In most cases, memberships are at the coalition or organization level of $250 per year. There also are individual memberships available for $100/year and student memberships available for $20/year.
Is membership to WASAVP allowed by my funding source?
WASAVP uses membership funds from publicly funded sources to support education efforts only. This should make WASAVP memberships an eligible expense. However, we encourage you to coordinate closely with your state or federal contract managers to make sure. Some funding agencies will require changes to your budget or spending plan. The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) has consistently authorized the use of Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI) funds to pay for WASAVP memberships.
A very small portion of WASAVP's work (less than 5%) goes beyond education efforts. We use volunteers, private grants, donations, and other non-membership funds to support this other work and we regularly report these efforts to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. This is a very important consideration as coalitions and community organizations are prohibited from using public funds for direct lobbying.
Can you designate how your membership funds are to be used?
Yes. Members can designate their membership for “education only” and WASAVP keeps records to demonstrate how it uses membership funds. More than 90 percent of WASVAP policy efforts focus on education about policy-making processes or about issues such as youth substance use, violence, or suicide prevention/mental health promotion. These education efforts are allowable expenses by all current Washington prevention funding sources.
WASAVP does use volunteers – or non-governmental funding sources - to promote specific policy positions. WASAVP is current with all required and optional lobbying reporting required by the Public Disclosure Commission.