Speaking Up For Us

What Speaking Up For Us does

Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) is a private nonprofit organization founded in September 1993 and incorporated in February 1996 as Speaking Up For Us of Maine, headquartered at PO Box 4139, Presque Isle, Maine. It is operated by and for adults with developmental disabilities, with the stated mission of empowering self-advocates to gain more control over their lives and to speak up on disability-related policy and community issues. The organization is led by Executive Director Monique Stairs with three staff advisors (Laurie Coldwell, Stacy, and Cherie Cormier) and is governed by a 15-member board composed entirely of self-advocates.

SUFU delivers programming through a decentralized chapter-based model: 15+ active chapters meeting regularly across Maine counties (including York County, Western Foothills, Northern/Southern/Central Aroostook, Northern Penobscot, Androscoggin County, and Greater Portland), supported by an annual statewide conference that rotates among venues such as Sugarloaf, Bangor Grande, and the Wells Conference Center at UMaine Orono. Programmatic offerings include self-advocacy and leadership training, HCBS (Home and Community Based Services) training for service recipients and direct-care staff, training videos hosted on YouTube, and a monthly newsletter ("The Connector") published continuously since 2017. The technology footprint is modest: a WordPress website with standard accessibility tools (text-to-speech, font resizing), Zoom for virtual meetings, DonorSnap for registration, and YouTube for video hosting — there is no proprietary software product or platform.

The revenue model is a typical small nonprofit mix: individual donations, a 10 USD annual membership fee (granting voting rights and discounts), conference registration fees (30 USD for self-advocates, 100 USD for general attendees), vendor table fees, and federal grant funding including Grant #90DN0300-01-00 from the Administration of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Conference attendance ranges from 100 to 350+ attendees. The organization is structurally embedded in Maine's disability policy infrastructure through long-standing partnerships with the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, Disability Rights Maine, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Alpha One. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Speaking Up For Us

Legal name

Speaking Up For Us

Website

https://sufumaine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) is a Maine nonprofit founded in 1993, run by and for adults with developmental disabilities. It delivers self-advocacy programming through 15+ local chapters, annual conferences, and leadership training, funded by donations, memberships, conference fees, and federal grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transition-to-College/Independence Skills Tutoring for Learning Differences (EDANAFAJ)

Keywords

• Disability self-advocacy
• Leadership training programs
• Community chapter meetings
• HCBS training services
• Statewide disability conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Presque Isle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Relies on donations from supporters to accomplish mission of empowering self-advocates with developmental disabilities
2. Membership Dues: $10 annual membership fee providing voting rights, discounted leadership training, and annual SUFU t-shirt
3. Conference Fees: Registration fees for annual conference: $30 for self-advocates, $100 for general attendees, with vendor tables available for purchase
4. Government Grants: Funding from The Administration of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Grant #90DN0300-01-00) and potentially other government sources supporting HCBS training and self-advocacy programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) is a Maine nonprofit self-advocacy organization run by and for adults with developmental disabilities. Its core offerings include statewide and regional conferences, recurring local chapter meetings across 15+ Maine counties, leadership training programs, HCBS (Home and Community Based Services) training for service recipients and direct care staff, training videos, and a monthly newsletter. Services are delivered primarily through community gatherings (in-person and Zoom) with no charge for most programs and modest fees for membership and conference attendance.

Product overview

Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) is a non-profit self-advocacy organization run by and for adults with developmental disabilities in Maine. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform. Its services consist of in-person and virtual programming including statewide and regional conferences, local chapter meetings, leadership training programs, HCBS (Home and Community Based Services) training, and educational content through training videos and newsletters. The organization operates primarily through WordPress-based web content and third-party platforms including Zoom for virtual meetings, DonorSnap for registration forms, and YouTube for training videos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Statewide Conference
• Regional Chapter Meetings

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ years of continuous operation empowering self-advocates in Maine
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maine Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 1993MDDC has been a key partner since SUFU's founding in 1993. SUFU self-advocates serve on the MDDC council as voting members, with several holding leadership positions including Chair, Co-Chair, and Treasurer. The partnership enables self-advocates to influence developmental disabilities policy at the state level.
• Disability Rights MainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRM collaborated with SUFU to work on issues of employment and guardianship. Together they formed the DDAC (Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee) and have co-hosted Disability Pride Day events. DRM also facilitated training on exploitation prevention.
• Project for Supported LivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided fiscal and administrative support to help rebuild SUFU after a difficult period in 1997. Worked with DD Council and Disability Rights Center to create a plan to rebuild the organization.
• Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHHS partnered with SUFU to train self-advocates in prevention of exploitation and preparing for natural disasters. The relationship was reinforced when Laurie Kimball, former SUFU Project Director, was hired as DHHS training coordinator.
• The Star Raft ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSarah from The Star Raft Project spoke at a SUFU statewide meeting about her experience. The Star Raft Project works to create community connections for people with disabilities.
• Alpha OneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUFU partnered with Alpha One to work on a grant teaching people about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• The Iris NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUFU member Marco Orlando volunteered reading news articles for Maine's blind and visually impaired population through The Iris Network's Maine Audio Information and Reading Service.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• TASH: National disability advocacy organization advancing equity, inclusion, and human rights for people with disabilities. Operates in adjacent disability advocacy space but focuses on broader systemic reform rather than peer self-advocacy organizing.
• Disability Rights Maine: Maine's Protection & Advocacy organization providing legal rights protection. SUFU is an active partner with DRM on DDAC, Disability Pride Day, and exploitation prevention training—making this an allied rather than competing organization.
• National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities: National association of state Developmental Disabilities Councils. SUFU self-advocates serve on the Maine DD Council in leadership roles, making NACDD a partner/funder relationship rather than a competitor.

Direct peers

• Speaking for Ourselves: Pennsylvania-based state self-advocacy organization for people with developmental disabilities sharing the 'Speaking for Ourselves' naming convention and peer-led advocacy mission directly comparable to SUFU.
• Green Mountain Self-Advocates: Vermont-based state-level self-advocacy organization serving adults with developmental disabilities. Operates on a nearly identical chapter-based, peer-led model to SUFU and serves the same constituency in a neighboring New England state.
• People First of Washington: Washington state-level self-advocacy organization led by and for people with developmental disabilities. Directly comparable to SUFU in mission, peer-led governance, and chapter-based organizing model.

Broad incumbents

• National Disability Rights Network: National network of Protection & Advocacy organizations providing legal advocacy and rights protection for people with disabilities. Operates in the broader disability rights space but uses a legal-advocacy model rather than SUFU's peer self-advocacy model.
• Autism Society of America: National disability advocacy organization focused specifically on autism with chapters nationwide. Operates in an adjacent but condition-specific segment of the disability advocacy space and serves a broader portfolio than SUFU's peer self-advocacy model.
• The Arc of the United States: Major national disability advocacy organization with a much broader portfolio including family advocacy, direct services, and policy work. Serves an overlapping population but does not specialize in the peer self-advocacy niche that defines SUFU.
• Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE): National umbrella organization for state-level self-advocacy groups serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Operates in the same space as SUFU but at the national level, offering overlapping capabilities across a wider portfolio rather than specializing in a single state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sufumaine.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/speakingupforus.maine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/speaking-up-for-us

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Speaking Up For Us