Thank you so much for your interest in the National Coalition for Sexual Health (NCSH)! Health care providers, consumer and advocacy groups, health organizations, businesses, media, educators, and individuals with expertise or interest in sexual health are invited to apply for membership with the NCSH.
We typically place priority on accepting national, state-level, and community organizations, and individuals with established expertise in sexual health. See our full list of members here.
If you are not accepted as a member, you are still welcome to use all of the NCSH resources available on our website, our quarterly social media campaigns, and sign up for Sexual Health in the News.
Interested in becoming a member?
To apply for membership, please fill out the form below. We will respond soon.
*Altarum reserves the right to approve or disapprove all applications for membership.
NCSH Charter
Our Purpose/Mission
The National Coalition for Sexual Health aims to make sexual health a common part of our national discourse and to promote high quality sexual health information and health services. We conduct national media outreach, develop practical products and tools, and encourage the public and health care providers to take action.
We embrace a positive, comprehensive approach that emphasizes wellness. We believe that “being sexually healthy means being able to enjoy a healthier body, a satisfying sexual life, positive relationships, and peace of mind.” The Coalition brings together organizations and individuals who are committed to advancing sexual health and well-being, including health care providers, consumer and advocacy groups, health organizations, businesses, public health community, the media, and others.
Our Goals
Members of the Coalition work together to:
- Promote awareness and acceptance of sexual health as a core element of overall health and well-being across the lifespan.
- Encourage and normalize open dialogue about sexual health between partners, parents and children, healthcare providers and patients, and within communities.
- Empower individuals to protect and enhance their own personal sexual health and well-being, while respecting the health and decisions of others.
- Encourage a wide variety of organizations to embrace positive approaches to sexual health and well-being, based on the best available science.
- Encourage and enable healthcare providers and patients to have conversations about sexual health and to utilize a comprehensive portfolio of evidence-based sexual health services.
Our Shared Values
The National Coalition for Sexual Health believes that:
- Sexual health is a core element of our overall health and well-being.
- Sexuality is a natural and positive part of our lives, and individuals’ decisions about how to express their sexuality should be respected.
- Americans should have access to accurate and complete information about sexual health that is based on the best available science.
- The needs of various populations—which may differ by age, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, education and income levels, personal values, and emotional and physical development—should be recognized and addressed in our work.
Benefits of Membership and Participation
- Gain access to Coalition activities and products
- Develop strong ties with new organizations and engage in joint action
- Learn more about sexual health
- Promote your own work and resources
- Amplify unified messages about sexual health
- Participate in an annual meeting, with expert panels, training, and small group sessions
- Receive a weekly digest of sexual health articles featured in the news as well as quarterly social media campaigns with sample tweets that you can promote around sexual health themes, observances, and holidays
- Participate in media interviews
Members and Governance
Members
The Coalition is a broad-based coalition of professional organizations and individuals who share a commitment to advancing sexual health and to our mission, goals, and values.
Lead Organizer
Altarum serves as the lead agency responsible for organizing, implementing, managing, and evaluating the Coalition’s activities.
Steering Committee
Steering Committee members provide overall guidance to and support for the Coalition. The Committee helps to set policy, cultivate membership and active participation, and lead the work of both the Coalition broadly and through its Action Groups. Altarum invites a broadly representative group of NCSH member to serve on the Steering Committee, which typically consists of five to seven members.
Action Groups
The work of the Coalition is primarily conducted through two Action Groups: the Communications Action Group and the Health Care Action Group. Over time, additional Action Groups may be established as dictated by the needs, opportunities, and priorities identified by Coalition members.
Serving as the Coalition’s foundation, these Action Groups develop programs, tools, materials and other resources that the Coalition, its members, and other target audiences can use to improve sexual health. The Action Groups also support efforts to broaden the membership, scope, reach, and impact of the Coalition.
Communications Action Group
This group is dedicated to improving sexual health communications for the public. It creates and promotes consumer-friendly sexual health language, messages and websites; conducts national media outreach to deliver sexual health content, prompt conversations, and promote NCSH resources; and produces tools to help organizations develop effective sexual health communications.
Health Care Action Group
This group is dedicated to improving sexual health care. It identifies and pursues projects focused on patient, provider and health care system level issues necessary to improve the delivery of quality sexual health care services. The group focuses on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and counseling services across the lifespan.
Support
Support for the Coalition is provided through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Time and Resource Commitments
New Coalition members are encouraged to participate in an Action Group, which usually meets quarterly by conference call. Action Group members serve as advisors and contributors to the work being conducted by the Coalition project team at Altarum.
Coalition members may be invited to participate in the Coalition’s annual meeting (e.g., serve as a speaker, panelist, or facilitator), to contribute to product development, to disseminate sexual health messages (e.g. participate in message training and use your own channels for message delivery), and to recommend new members for the Coalition.
Membership Policies
- Each organization must designate one person as the Coalition representative.
- Members may contribute as many names as they would like to the Coalition’s mailing list.
- Members may opt-out of the following: 1. Public identification on Coalition website and media releases 2. Endorsement of Coalition products, letters, or statements, on a case-by-case basis.
Operating Principles
To pursue its mission and goals and help avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest, the Coalition operates under the following organizing principles:
- Broadly representative: The Coalition’s membership and activities reflect the range of audiences, organizations and interests that together influence achievement of the Coalition’s mission and goals.
- Science-based: The Coalition centers its focus and considerations on the best available science and the tenets and requirements of public health inquiry and action.
- Apolitical: The Coalition focuses solely on its mission and goals and will operate in a manner that is strictly non-partisan and apolitical.
- Autonomous: While striving to define and support achievement of shared purposes among Coalition members, the Coalition recognizes and respects the autonomy and independence of its member organizations.
- Ruled by consensus: The Coalition operates on a consultative and consensus-building model, while recognizing that Altarum staff hold ultimate decision-making responsibility for the policies and activities of the Coalition.
- Message control: Only Altarum or its designees can formally commit or officially speak on behalf of the Coalition; any and all uses of the Coalition name, logo, materials, and activities are subject to the review and approval of the Steering Committee and Altarum. Members of the Coalition will not publicly criticize the work of the Coalition among media and non-coalition members.
- Transparent: The Coalition maintains public awareness of its formal membership, activities and funding, while providing members with the opportunity to opt-out of public identification.
- No commercial endorsement: The Coalition does not endorse commercial or branded products or private sector companies. Commercial participation or support for the Coalition cannot be attributed as a direct or indirect endorsement of any position, product or company.
Core Policies
- Altarum and the Steering Committee set Coalition policies and procedures with input from, and in consultation with, members.
- All Coalition work is conducted in a participatory, consultative fashion, involving Coalition members to the fullest extent possible.
- As a condition of participation, Coalition members will share and support the Coalition’s mission, goals and core values as stated in the Coalition Charter, and will sign the Membership Agreement.
- Coalition members volunteer their time and otherwise invest in supporting the work of the Coalition as appropriate (e.g., information-sharing).
- The Coalition maintains and publishes up-to-date rosters of all members. The Coalition publicly identifies the names of members on its website and in media materials. However, members have the opportunity to opt-out of public identification in the Membership Agreement. At any time, members can also change their opt-out or opt-in status by contacting Altarum. Member names will not be used on policy statements, sign-on letters, or Coalition products without your permission.
- The Coalition does not consider and advance legislative or regulatory recommendations, but may serve as a forum for discussion of issues related to such purposes.
- All fundraising in the name of the Coalition will be managed by or conducted in coordination with Altarum and the Steering Committee.
- The Coalition, its members, participating organizations and individuals must respect and maintain autonomy between the work of the Coalition and the respective work, policies, products, and services of member organizations.
- The Coalition does not share any personal information (such as phone, e-mail, or address) without a member’s permission.
Thanks for your application
Thank you for applying for membership with the National Coalition for Sexual Health. We will review your application and respond back soon.
