The Dove Project

“The organization did not have any committees that can act on behalf of the governing board.”

“The president of the board of directors will review and sign the 990. This filing will also be reviewed by our treasurer.”

“The executive director will provide an annual questionnaire to board members and senior staff in order to identify areas that could give rise to conflicts of interest. Board members and senior staff will promptly update any disclosures previously made. Board members, volunteers, and employees are urged to disclose conflicts - either fiduciary or relational - as they arise, as well as to disclose those situations that are evolving that may result in a conflict of interest. As soon as an individual knows of a conflict, potential conflict or appearance of a conflict, it should be brought to the immediate attention of the director. The director will monitor proposed or ongoing transactions of the organization (e.g., contracts with vendors and collaborations with third parties) for conflicts of interest and disclose them to the board whether discovered before or after the transaction has occurred. For each interest disclosed, either the director and/or the board member may decide to bring the discussion and decision to the full board. In most cases the broadest disclosure possible is advisable so that decisions can be made as to what course of action the organizations or individuals should take so that the best interests of the dove project are not compromised by the personal interests of the individual. When the conflict involves a decision-maker, the person with the conflict may not be involved in the decision of what action to take but may serve as a resource to provide other decision-makers with needed information. In some cases the person with the conflict may be asked to recuse her/himself from sensitive discussions so as not to unduly influence the discussion of the conflict. In all cases, decisions involving a conflict will be made only by disinterested persons the decision around any conflict of interest brought to the board will be documented in the minutes of board meetings. The decision around any conflict of interest related to an employee member shall, at minimum, be reported to the board.”

“The dove project is a nonprofit organization that uses the internal revenue services' three-step safe-harbor procedure for establishing a rebuttable presumption that our executives' compensation is reasonable.”

“UPON REQUEST.”

“Governing documents are available upon request.”

“Dove stands for dignity opportunity voice and empowerment. The dove advocates are trained and practice trauma informed care with each individual who comes to speak with us. The dove project cares about survivors' immediate and long-term safety, and also realizes that physical safety is not sufficient to ensure long-term health and well-being. Dove's program model is based on "empowerment or helping survivors achieve personal, interpersonal, and social power. Our advocates work with survivors to facilitate access to knowledge, skill, support, and resources. Our advocacy services are individually tailored to survivors' needs, and span the range from crisis intervention to intensive advocacy. In addition, dove offers a calendar of holistic wellness offerings such as trauma-informed yoga, and hosts community training to educate first responders, mental health practitioners, and community social service agencies that help survivors and their families find the resources they need to take steps towards healing and safety. Dove is vashon's only domestic violence agency. There are many barriers living on an island that is accessible only by ferry. The biggest one being the ferry itself. If a victim needed support and dove did not exist, it would cost them $25 to take the ferry and at least 4-hours roundtrip to the closest domestic violence agency in tacoma. Vashon has geographic barriers that impact survivors of abuse, including heightened risk factors. According to a journal of family violence's 2003 article, violent offenses against family members are 4x higher in rural areas and 2x as many rural abusers threaten to kill their victims. Likewise, social engagement for those experiencing domestic/sexual violence on vashon can be tricky, if not outright dangerous due to family connections with people in authority, lack of transportation, isolation from neighbors and a lack of shelters as well as affordable housing. Therefore, it is essential that survivors receive support from a local provider with sensitivities to these challenges.”

“Primary prevention program: the goal of primary prevention is to stop violence before the first victimization. Research shows that the only successful way to stop first victimization is education. The dove project uses the social emotional framework to inform our evidence-based programs in the community. The goal is to reduce risk factors and build up protective factors in the community. We work in the elementary, middle school and high school as well as offer community trainings. Topics of these education programs include but are not limited to: peer-led sexual education (teen council), healthy relationships, cyberbullying, equity, community advocacy, elder abuse and self-defense trainings.we believe that those that only through relationship we can foster culture shifts. Our prevention programs and community engagement focus on the community's expressed needs and finding relevant resources and support to meet that need. By meeting this need, we can alleviate stressors both in the individual and in the household that can lead to an exasperation of dysfunction. We can create safe communities for everyone.”