Support Causes That You Share Values With

Why do you support who you support?

This is not a political statement. I am talking about people, brands, and organizations as a whole. Anytime I’m faced with a question like this, I ask myself, “what does this organization stand for?" What is their mission? What are their values? What do they do? Who are they led by?

The Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC) is a nonprofit organization that I’ve personally supported for the past 8 years. Over that time, I’ve attended their annual fundraising events and provided various resources. Let me tell you a little more about what this wonderful organization does as well as how and why they do it. Since founding in 2012, their mission has been to:

Empower victims of all crimes to achieve survivor-defined justice through a collaborative continuum of advocacy, case management and legal services.

NVRDC provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management and legal services to victims of all types of crime regardless of income. They believe that all victims deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of a crime. NVRDC is there to make sure that victims have a voice and aren’t lost in the legal systems. Throughout this pandemic they have continued their advocacy efforts, here is a snapshot of their impact in just the 3 months between April and June of this year.

Social justice is a critical issue in our current times, and NVRDC has been fighting for justice long before it was making headlines. A major part of their work has been supporting the survivors of sexual assault. NVRDC runs the advocacy portion of DC’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, supporting a coordinated community response for survivors, including: hotline services, free transportation to and from the hospital, hospital advocacy, entry into therapeutic services, and referrals to legal services.

Why does MindTeam Solutions (MTS) support NVRDC?

As organizations, we have overlapping and aligned core values. NVRDC identifies 3 core values, “Innovation”, “Equity and Allyship”, and “Sustainable Passion”.

Innovation

NVRDC values input from the community. They support their staff in ventures to think “outside of the box” in order to better serve their clients and community members. They recognize that staff, clients, and communities are pools of resources and catalysts for change. At MTS we believe that when innovative ideas are implemented they make a positive impact on individuals, the organization, and society.

Equity and Allyship

NVRDC values diversity in its many forms, and is committed to reflecting the community. They do this by tailoring services to meet the unique needs of all crime victims, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, income status, race and ethnicity, religion immigrant status, countries of origin, or ability. At MTS we respect every individual and value diversity of thought, status, culture, demographics, and strengths.

Sustainable Passion

NVRDC runs on the energy of their mission-driven services and passion. They actively promote self-care among clients and with clients. They are dedicated to operating sustainable and efficient programs by collaborating with partner organizations, being fiscally sound, and building and maintaining community support. AT MTS, we emphasize self-care in balance to professional demands and prioritize living a fulfilled life where every individual experiences what matters most to her/himself.

Here’s the thing though, NVRDC doesn’t just say these things, they do them day in and day out. They even provide training and education on many of these topics. It’s clear that NVRDC has been doing amazing and important things to really make a difference in peoples’ lives. They are also doing them the right way and for the right reasons.

This brings up another reason why we support NVRDC, in a word, “leadership”. The organization is run by great people. As alluded to above, their entire staff is mission-driven, engaged, and determined to make a difference. Additionally, I have 2 personal connections with a couple of my oldest and closest friends. One who is in a director level role, and another whose wife is on the board.

Lastly, and certainly not least, NVRDC has an amazing Executive Director, Bridgette Stumpf, Esq. Since co-founding the organization in May 2012, part of her role has been developing the legal services and pro bono programs. She has been recognized for her work in non-profit service in 2014 by the Women’s Information Network (WIN) Young Women Achievement Award (YWA) for her efforts in non-profit advocacy. In 2019, Bridgette received the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Excellence in Chief Executive Leadership (EXCEL) Award, which recognizes and spotlights outstanding nonprofit chief executives; focusing specifically on achievement in the areas of innovation, motivation, community building, ethical integrity and strategic leadership.

Also in 2019, under Bridgette’s direction, NVRDC’s legal team was honored with the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Frank Carrington Crime Victim Attorney Award for NVRDC's "leadership in the advancement of the rights of crime victims." NVRDC also received the Outstanding Advocacy Award from the Crime Victims' Rights Congressional Caucus in 2017, the National Crime Victims' Advocacy Award from NCVLI in 2015, the Department of the Navy Award of Merit for Group Achievement in 2014, and was selected as one of the best nonprofits by the Catalogue for Philanthropy Greater Washington, DC.

NVRDC assists in rebuilding families, communities, and the nation’s capital. This is a huge lift, and NVRDC couldn’t do it all alone. This is only possible through collaboration and working together. They rely on community-based organizations, faith-based communities, law firms, businesses, and government agencies to get assistance.

With that said, I wanted to invite you to a special Sneak Peek Event next week that we are co-hosting with NVRDC. This short 30-minute event will be on 10/29 at 12:15 pm and you can register here. This event is an exclusive invite to those connected to MindTeam’s network to learn more about NVRDC and why we support their work.

I will be co-hosting a discussion with NVRDC’s Executive Director, Bridgette Stumpf. Together we will share insights on why social justice oriented leaders should consider community volunteer opportunities like board engagement to grow their leadership skills while enhancing the causes they care about. I hope you can join us and learn more about how NVRDC is impacting our community and opportunities to support this type of impact.

Let me know if you have questions and I hope to see you there, register now to reserve your space.