Archives for June 2014

Archive for June, 2014

Call for Nominations to the Nellie’s Fund Development Committee

Posted on: June 19th, 2014 by Nellie's No Comments

Nellie’s operates a 36 bed emergency shelter for women and children who are seeking shelter and /or leaving violence. Nellie’s also operates a community support and outreach program for low income and socially isolated women and children in the community.

Nellie’s is seeking members to join our Fund Development Committee whose experiences align with Nellie’s Mission:

Our Mission is to operate programs and services for women and children who have and are experiencing oppressions such as violence, poverty and homelessness. Nellie’s is a community based feminist organization which operates within an anti-racist, anti-oppression framework. We are committed to social change through education and advocacy, to achieve social justice for all women and children.

About the Fund Development Committee

Nellie’s Fund Development Committee is a Board Committee, whose purpose is to provide support to the agency’s fund Development Program.

We are currently seeking three (3) self-identified women to fill vacancies on the Fund Development Committee.

Currently Nellie’s is looking for women with experience in the following areas:

– Finance

– Marketing and Communications

– Social Media

– Fundraising

Responsibilities:

Raise awareness of the Fund Development Program through development and training of the Board in the areas of fundraising, stewardship and communications
Make recommendations to the Board on policies and budgets relating to the Fund Development Program
Review the organization’s marketing and communications materials to ensure the organization’s mission, vision and values are reflected without compromise
Participate in the Annual United Way Campaign to ensure that the Board canvas is completed
Participate in the agency’s Every Member Campaign to ensure the Board canvas is completed
Represent the agency at Fund Development events and supporting activities that involve the cultivation and stewardship of donors at the Leadership Giving level
To oversee fund development needs for special projects and initiatives

Successful applicants to the Nellie’s Fund Development Committee will be making a commitment to a two-year term, with possibility of extension to 4 years.

TO APPLY:
Please submit a cover letter which includes 1-2 paragraphs outlining your interest to serve on the Board along with a resume (if applicable) to:

Julia Robinson

julia@nellies.org

Fax: 416-461-0970

All interested persons are invited to an Open House on Tuesday July 8^th, 2014 at 6:30pm at Nellie’s Admin Office, 754 Queen Street East (Broadview & Queen). This will be an informal opportunity for you to meet with current Board members and talk with them about their experience on Nellie’s Board.

Deadline for applications: July 4^th, 2014.

Fundraising Administration Volunteer

Posted on: June 19th, 2014 by Nellie's No Comments

Nellie’s mission is to operate programs and services for women and children who have and are experiencing oppressions such as violence, poverty and homelessness. Nellie’s is a community based feminist organization which operates within an anti-racism anti-oppression framework. We are committed to social change through education and advocacy, to achieve social justice for all women and children.

Nellie’s operates a 36 bed shelter and independent Community Support and Outreach Programs for women and children who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.

This volunteer position works closely with a team of committed professional administrative staff in the office. Main work revolves around administrative support for the successful delivery of resource development activities to raise funds to support Nellie’s programs and services for marginalized women and children.

Responsibilities:

Help with mail outs and telephone calls
Online research for new contacts
Set up and participate at community events and activities

Maintain proper documentation and records of work undertaken.
Assists with other duties as required, from time to time, aiding in the efficient operation of the organization

Required Skills:

Commitment to the mission of Nellie’s
Basic understanding of the issues impacting women and children
Able to work with other volunteers, staff and the public
Comfortable speaking on the phone with supporters
Able to use a computer, Microsoft Office including Word, basic spreadsheets, and knowledge of the Internet
Organizational skills an asset
Commitment of a minimum of 8 hours a week during the workday

Deadline:

July 25^th, 2014, submit your resume to Julia Robinson at julia@nellies.org

WEAV: I am Resisting

Posted on: June 1st, 2014 by Nellie's No Comments

We are just over halfway through the 12 weeks of the Women Experiencing Abuse and Violence Group. Each week we have participants meet to raise awareness about violence against women and build a network of support. Over the last five weeks, we have covered the following topics: cycle of violence, methods of power and control, safety planning, and setting boundaries.

The cycle of abuse looked at the pattern of abuse that is common among most women who have experienced abuse. The stages include the following: the honeymoon phase, the tension phase and the explosion phase. The cycle of abuse repeats itself, often with the Honeymoon phase becoming shorter and the explosion phase happening more frequently the longer the abuse happens.

The group created their own power and control wheel to explore the methods of power and control. The methods of power and control included: using emotional abuse, using social isolation, using male privilege, using intimidation, using coercion and threats, minimizing, denying and blaming, physical abuse and using economic abuse. Women spoke about how the methods of power and control differed based on their social location. For example, one participant who was sponsored by her abuser spoke about how he threatened her immigration status. Each women spoke about how male privilege impacted their lives across diverse backgrounds, especially in the different court systems and how it acted as a barrier in creating safety and was often re-traumatizing.

During safety planning, participants created an emergency escape plan, created a safety plan for living in a new neighborhood and an emotional safety plan. Some participants spoke about the difficulty in safety planning when facing many barriers and extreme isolation. The participants in the group are from diverse cultural backgrounds and diverse parts of the world. One participant stated she learned “how to protect my safety and remove myself from an emergency situation.”

Last week, we discussed setting boundaries. Women drew what their boundaries looked like and most participants spoke about their challenges setting boundaries. Most participants reported that they had trouble or felt bad about saying no, stayed is situations that made themselves feel uncomfortable and constantly felt the need to please people. Women linked this difficulty of saying no to societal pressures placed on them as women. The participants in the group stated the following positive affirmations:

1. I have the right to be who I am and stand up for myself.
2. I deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
3. I have the right to take care of myself and to put myself first.
4. I accept my right to be imperfect and to do so without feeling guilty.
5. No one has the authority to tell me what to feel, what to think or what to do.

During the group, one participant stated “All my life I have been kept in darkness, nor knowledge or discussion related to my well-being. I have learned so much. I learned about my rights. I deserve a life without abuse.”