FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Our Growing Community of Hope
Ronnie Susan Walker MS, LCPC
Founder & Executive Director
Dear Friends and Supporters,
As we take a moment to reflect on the past year at the Alliance of Hope, I am filled with deep gratitude for the incredible community we have built together. Your unwavering support fuels our mission of providing solace and strength to those affected by the tragedy of suicide loss. Over the past year, our online forum community, support groups, and other services have provided the opportunity for thousands of individuals to find connection and understanding in shared stories of grief.
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"Alliance of Hope was the most important and helpful component of my recovery from the most crushing grief imaginable. They saved my life. Really."
PATRICK'S DAD
How We Are Helping
24/7 Online Resource
In 2024, 455,000 people accessed Alliance of Hope through our online presence to understand and cope with the complex emotional aftermath of suicide. Since 2008, we’ve hosted over 12 million visits, with visitors from 178 countries.
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Survivor Community Forum
Our online forum hosts over 26,000 survivors from around the world. It is a vital resource and lifeline for thousands of people. ​It is tended by a licensed mental health counselor and a trained team of 70 moderators and stewards.
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Specialized Support Groups
In 2024, we expanded opportunities for survivors to connect, heal, and find community. We offered:
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720 hours of healing in 8-session groups for fathers, mothers, and widows
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550 hours of connection in Community Sunday Zoom gatherings
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226 hours dedicated to our Healing Dads Community
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3 New Yoga for Hope & Healing groups served 41 participants
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11 trained facilitators guided every session with compassion and care​
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Healing Emails
In 2024, we expanded our free email series—sent every three days over three months—to offer guidance, connection, and hope to those grieving a suicide loss. We reached:
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250 grieving fathers with over 6,500 emails
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2,800 grieving mothers with over 79,000 emails
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310 survivors shared heartfelt feedback, describing the series as a vital source of comfort and connection
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Consultations
The Alliance of Hope staff provided 189 hours of low-cost consultations for new survivors. We brought on 2 new team members to meet increasing demand. Many survivors express how important the sessions are in establishing a foundation for healing.​
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Helping First Responders
The Alliance of Hope provides crucial support for first responders who encounter suicide loss. These dedicated professionals can access trauma-informed resources specifically addressing the complex intersection of response and suicide loss.
Who We Are Helping
According to our 2024 study of community members:
Survivor Group Breakdown
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1,152 people responded
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49% found the Alliance of Hope within a few months of their loss — 30% within just 2–3 weeks
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In the early months: 45% visited our forum weekly or more during their time of greatest need
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45% are 3+ years from their loss — reflecting the long journey of grief and the enduring support we offer
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17% live outside the U.S., representing survivors from 32 countries
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90% would highly recommend the Alliance of Hope to other loss survivors
Special thank you: We’re deeply grateful to IQS Research for donating their time and expertise in 2024 to conduct an in-depth study of our community and its needs—offering valuable insights to guide services, support, and strategic planning.
Adult loss survivors are nearly 10 times more likely to consider suicide themselves in the initial months following loss.​
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It doesn't have to be this way.
POSTVENTION IS PREVENTION
Survivor Stories
Loss survivors frequently say that the Alliance of Hope community makes a significant difference in their healing journey. Here is one mother's story:
"I found the Alliance of Hope seven months after my son passed. My psychologist, friends, and some family were ‘quite done' with my grief. I was not. I couldn’t think of anything but that my son had just passed.
I could not pretend that all was well with my soul; it wasn't. I tried so hard not to burden people with a situation for which they had no cure.
I knew I was fighting for my life. I knew that if I did not find a way to express my pain, if my voice was stifled, I might just self-destruct. I knew I was in serious trouble, and the dark abyss was waiting.
I stumbled across the Alliance of Hope Forum as I was searching for help, any help, to plug the holes in my sinking ship. As I read posts on the blog, I sobbed and sobbed—it was as if my pressure valve was released. I knew I had found a place where others would listen to me with understanding and compassion, people who would not tire of my tears.
Finding the Alliance of Hope, reading the responses from others reaching out to me, was no less than if I had been drowning. To all the moderators and community members who were there during those early days and still are … I am forever grateful. Thank you for pulling my head up out of the water so that I could catch my breath.” - TURTLE​
CAUSE LEADERSHIP
Increasing Awareness & Decreasing Stigma
We believe education and outreach are powerful tools to combat the isolation and stigma survivors of suicide loss often face. Through our awareness initiatives, we foster understanding, offer vital resources, and help create a more supportive environment for those navigating the aftermath of suicide.
Printed Resources
We distributed 7,000 Hope After Suicide Brochures to suicide loss survivors, first responders, crisis centers, funeral homes, support group leaders, and faith-based organizations—helping connect the newly bereaved to vital resources during their most vulnerable moments.
Donna Soule, Alliance of Hope Board Member
Blog & Monthly Newsletter
Our digital communications play a vital role in connecting survivors to support, education, and community. In 2024, we broadened our reach and deepened our impact:​​
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45 original articles published featuring survivor stories, coping strategies, and expert insights
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233,632 e-newsletters delivered
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19,469 readers, receiving consistent resources and reminders that they are not alone on this journey​
Social Media Impact
In 2024, our strategic use of social media provided meaningful connection, support, and education for suicide loss survivors. Our thoughtful content reached over 500,000 individuals, with engagement rates well above nonprofit industry averages. We met survivors where they are -- sharing messages of hope, expert insights, and personal stories that validate the complex grief journey.​
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Our Suicide Is Complicated public awareness campaign continues to elevate the voices of suicide loss survivors and deepen public understanding of the complexities surrounding suicide prevention.
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Steve Shannon, Alliance of Hope Board Member, and Denise Meine-Graham at 2024 LOSS Team Conference
Strategic Collaborations
Alliance of Hope leadership attended the LOSS Team Conference for the third time, strengthening ties with those providing immediate, in-person support after a suicide. We continue to equip LOSS Teams with vital resources for the newly bereaved. We also maintain an ongoing collaborative relationship with Friends for Survival to enhance support for suicide loss survivors nationwide.
NEW Support: Healing Emails for Parents
In 2024, we launched two specialized email series for parents grieving the loss of a child to suicide — one designed for fathers and father figures, and another for mothers and mother figures. Each carefully crafted series delivers 30 messages, delivered twice weekly over three months, offering comforting words, heartfelt stories from fellow survivors, practical strategies for navigating grief, and links to additional support.
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These free healing emails serve as a steady companion through grief, offering wisdom from those who truly understand the complex journey of parental loss to suicide. ​
​​In 2024, we sent more than 85,000 emails to 3,050 parents, with an extraordinarily high open rate of nearly 80%. One mother shared: “These emails are a gift… a message of hope that someone cares.” Many survivors tell us they save and reread each email — and wish the series would never end.
"AOH has without doubt been my lifeline. It is my fervent hope that other people can get the help I have received here. That this community can make a difference in their grief journey."
MARY SHIVER
Financial Snapshot
At the Alliance of Hope, every dollar you give is used with care to support those who are grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide. In 2024, our expense allocation reflected our unwavering commitment to direct services and our investment in building a stronger, more sustainable organization.
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58% of expenses went directly to program services to ensure survivors can access online communities, support groups, trained moderators, and healing resources 24/7.
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25% was invested in administration, including essential infrastructure, systems, and leadership that allow us to scale, ensure quality, and maintain the integrity of our programs.
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17% supported fundraising, helping us grow our donor base and secure the resources needed to reach even more survivors.
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FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR
A Letter of Gratitude
John McIntosh, Ph.D, Chairperson
Board of Directors, Alliance of Hope
Suicide loss and postvention have been at the heart of my work for more than 35 years. Since becoming Chair of the Alliance of Hope’s Board in 2022, I’ve seen how deeply this organization touches lives. AOH is a lifeline for thousands of survivors -- offering a 24/7 survivors forum, healing emails, consultations, support groups, and educational content. While it is heartbreaking that so many must seek our help, it is profoundly meaningful to be part of a community that offers hope, healing, and connection in the aftermath of unimaginable loss.
Read John's Letter >
"A community of people from all over the world that are coming together to help heal themselves and others along the way. Thank you, Alliance of Hope, for being the support we need in this world."
BRIANNA GRAHAM
We Are Grateful to All
Who Make Our Work Possible
DONORS
Pillars of Hope
Herbert Adelman Foundation
Andra Press, Director
Caroline Alabach
Circle of Hope Foundation
Renee Johannenssen
Al Fudge & Sara Kimmitt
Berryessa - Castro - Lordge Family Fund​
IQS Research
Virginia Sory Brown​​​
Windy City Cannabis
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The Auslander Family Foundation
Gabriel’s Light
Suzanne & Ty Giesemann
The Templeton Family
Touchpoint Foundation
Iris Witkowsky​
STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
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The People Who Put the "Hope" in the Alliance of Hope
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Behind every message of support, every resource shared, and every moment of connection at the Alliance of Hope stands an extraordinary team of individuals united by compassion and lived experience.
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From our dedicated staff and Board of Directors to our vigilant forum moderators, group leaders, and stewards, we are a network of hands and hearts working together to serve thousands of suicide loss survivors each year—remarkably most serve as volunteers, giving freely of their time, expertise, and heart.​​​​​​​​​​​
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