According to Wikipedia, a non-profit is "a legally constituted organization whose objective is to support or engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit." But, the thing is non-profits need some profit in order to run. There are specific ways that NPO's go about getting money whether it's from private lenders or the government. And, there's only one way for us to prove that we are achieving what we want to achieve. Some of you out there may no what that is and some of you only think you know. But, I can say that I fully appreciate anyone who has to do quarterly reports and budgets and set up grant goals for their employees. This is a recent promotion in my job responsibilities. The last two weeks have been solidly devoted to tracking down our stats and client demographics so we can prove to our board and the community that we are doing something so important. And, that there is a need for our services. People can hear that, "1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime," yet it still is not resonating with the world at large that those statistic are on the rise. And, will continue to go up every day with more and more people reporting. Sexual assault is still one of the most under-reported crimes that a person can go through. But, as someone who has been doing nothing but staring at numbers I can tell you in our town of Fredericksburg the numbers have increases significantly just within the last 3 months. This isn't a plea for money only but it's a plea for people to start becoming more aware of what is going on in your own town. Get involved. Volunteer. Find out how to be safe in your town. And, for people who want to see our numbers I am hoping to help generate a percentage report for the year and show what we have been doing with our money and our time in providing this valuable service. I hope to one day not need something entirely devoted to Sexual Assault/Trauma but until that day my office will continue to come in and help provide prevention to the communities and help change the numbers.
Showing posts with label Fredericksburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fredericksburg. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Non-profit funding
According to Wikipedia, a non-profit is "a legally constituted organization whose objective is to support or engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit." But, the thing is non-profits need some profit in order to run. There are specific ways that NPO's go about getting money whether it's from private lenders or the government. And, there's only one way for us to prove that we are achieving what we want to achieve. Some of you out there may no what that is and some of you only think you know. But, I can say that I fully appreciate anyone who has to do quarterly reports and budgets and set up grant goals for their employees. This is a recent promotion in my job responsibilities. The last two weeks have been solidly devoted to tracking down our stats and client demographics so we can prove to our board and the community that we are doing something so important. And, that there is a need for our services. People can hear that, "1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime," yet it still is not resonating with the world at large that those statistic are on the rise. And, will continue to go up every day with more and more people reporting. Sexual assault is still one of the most under-reported crimes that a person can go through. But, as someone who has been doing nothing but staring at numbers I can tell you in our town of Fredericksburg the numbers have increases significantly just within the last 3 months. This isn't a plea for money only but it's a plea for people to start becoming more aware of what is going on in your own town. Get involved. Volunteer. Find out how to be safe in your town. And, for people who want to see our numbers I am hoping to help generate a percentage report for the year and show what we have been doing with our money and our time in providing this valuable service. I hope to one day not need something entirely devoted to Sexual Assault/Trauma but until that day my office will continue to come in and help provide prevention to the communities and help change the numbers.
Friday, October 10, 2008
What does RCASA do?
Since starting my job at RCASA, I must have been asked the question, "Taryn what exactly does your job entail? What does your organization provide to the community at large?" at least once a day. At first, this question was posed to me by my parents, grand-parents, and extended family. I had spent most of college confusing them with the statement, "I'm a Women's studies major" like it was something I made up. Now I explain to them that I am one of the Community Outreach Advocates, which is just a small part of what RCASA does.
RCASA is a non-profit organization based out of Fredericksburg, VA. However, we serve Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, Caroline County, King George County, and the City of Fredericksburg. Our jurisdiction that we cover is located in between Richmond, VA and Washington D.C.. We live in an area that is growing on a daily basis and becoming more culturally diverse in what feels like every minute. However, the idea of sexual assault or rape is something that is hard for this area to wrap it's head around. The reason for this is when you drive into the city of Fredericksburg it's quaint shops, picturesque houses, and neighbors that wave as they drive or walk down the street. It is a town where people want to pretend that horrific crimes do not take place. Well, I am here to say that they do. And, we hear about only a small portion of them. But, when something like rape or sexual assault takes place our office is there.
In terms of crisis situations, we provide 24 hour Crisis Hotline, Emergency medical & hospital accompaniment, crisis support counseling. We offer services to the communities, for example, Educational Presentations, Prevention programs, court and legal accompaniment, and allied professional training. Our counseling services has just started a brand new Trauma Therapy Program, Individual therapy, Family Education, and Survivor Support Groups.
All in all, it's pretty much the best place to work regardless of the horrible things we deal with on a day to day basis. Look for more blogs from my fellow co-workers soon.
RCASA is a non-profit organization based out of Fredericksburg, VA. However, we serve Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, Caroline County, King George County, and the City of Fredericksburg. Our jurisdiction that we cover is located in between Richmond, VA and Washington D.C.. We live in an area that is growing on a daily basis and becoming more culturally diverse in what feels like every minute. However, the idea of sexual assault or rape is something that is hard for this area to wrap it's head around. The reason for this is when you drive into the city of Fredericksburg it's quaint shops, picturesque houses, and neighbors that wave as they drive or walk down the street. It is a town where people want to pretend that horrific crimes do not take place. Well, I am here to say that they do. And, we hear about only a small portion of them. But, when something like rape or sexual assault takes place our office is there.
In terms of crisis situations, we provide 24 hour Crisis Hotline, Emergency medical & hospital accompaniment, crisis support counseling. We offer services to the communities, for example, Educational Presentations, Prevention programs, court and legal accompaniment, and allied professional training. Our counseling services has just started a brand new Trauma Therapy Program, Individual therapy, Family Education, and Survivor Support Groups.
All in all, it's pretty much the best place to work regardless of the horrible things we deal with on a day to day basis. Look for more blogs from my fellow co-workers soon.
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