The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Jane Doe Inc. 2004 Annual Report

Year In Review
January 1, 2004 - December 31, 2004

These past twelve months have been a whirlwind of activity for Jane Doe Inc. as we continued with our advocacy, training, and public awareness initiatives. Below, we’ve highlighted just a few of our recent accomplishments.

Government Affairs:

  • Jane Doe Inc. is the only statewide organization with a full time presence on Beacon Hill devoted exclusively to the full range of issues regarding sexual and domestic violence.
    • Budget Advocacy: Staving off the impact of severe budget cuts for direct services provided by our member organizations, JDI successfully advocated for reinstatement of funding that was eliminated in the prior year’s budget. Domestic violence services for immigrant and refugees - excluded entirely in the previous year - were partially restored, and funding for general domestic violence services and rape crisis centers remained largely protected.
    • Legislative Agenda: The Coalition promoted a robust agenda ranging from the extension of the assault weapons ban to the codification of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program. JDI was also instrumental in stopping a significant number of initiatives that would be harmful to victims of sexual and domestic violence. We’re already off to a roaring start for 2005’s legislative cycle, having secured sponsorship for 10 new bills.
  • Promoting public policy extends beyond legislation to working directly with those systems charged with enforcement and with other non-governmental agencies addressing related issues.
    • JDI provided leadership on the newly created Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence – by three representatives serving on the Steering Committee and co-chairing the Legislative, Prevention & Education, and Data, Research and Analysis Committees; and additional participation in all seven committees.
    • JDI staff members actively served on over two dozen committees, working groups, and boards – bringing the voices of survivors to the table in the arenas of housing, healthcare, community development, disability, sex offender management, and education.

Membership and Education:

  • As a membership driven coalition, our main objective is to help strengthen the capacity of nearly 60 member organizations to meet the needs of the survivors and communities they serve.
    • JDI’s Training Institute developed 10 capacity-filled workshops, providing in-depth learning for approximately 470 people on topics ranging from co-occurring issues such as substance abuse and mental illness and the nexus with sex work/prostitution to navigating the legal system.
    • Through the Men’s Initiative for Jane Doe Inc., we reached out to men and male youth aged 13 to 18 years old, sponsoring an advanced forum, “Engaging Young Men in the Prevention of Sexual Assault,” to educate, empower, and inspire young men to become allies in preventing violence against women.
  • JDI’s commitment to developing a shared understanding of the impact and inter-relatedness of multiple forms of oppression and the need for knowledge and skills to respond appropriately to cultural diversity has helped guide the training, education and leadership development efforts of the Coalition.
    • Project GAINS, launched in 2003 with funding from a competitively awarded federal grant, aimed to help the membership assess and address the accessibility of their services for people with disabilities. JDI conducted site visits at 80 outreach offices, shelters and transitional living programs operated by JDI member organizations and provided detailed evaluations and recommendations to help improve accessibility. Project GAINS also held the first ever cross-training between the disability and sexual assault and domestic violence communities.
    • This year’s annual conference, “Inclusion, Safety, and Respect: Exploring the Dynamics of Diversity in Working to End Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence,” provided training and networking opportunities for a sold out crowd of over 250 advocates, educators, and others.
    • JDI co-sponsored a forum with the Women of Color Caucus during Domestic Violence Awareness Month to explore ways to better serve women of color from various communities.
    • JDI began a collaboration with Llamanos, the Spanish sexual assault help line at the Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts, to provide the membership with additional technical assistance, support and resource development to build their capacity to serve Latina survivors of sexual assault.

Public Relations and Awareness:

  • Jane Doe Inc. is sought after for comment, analysis and expert opinion by all major print, television, radio and on-line media sources in Massachusetts.
  • The Coalition sponsored well attended press conferences, published letters to the editor and op-eds, and
  • In April, JDI kicked off Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a press conference with national speaker and survivor Debbie Smith, the MA Nurses Association, and Lt. Governor Kerry Healey. The month long campaign included a photo exhibit at the State House, “Dress Down Day” at corporations, and a newspaper ad campaign that ran in 20 local papers.
  • Collaborating with five other New England States, JDI launched a public awareness campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. Building on the previous year’s award winning campaign, JDI re-designed the materials to be printed in Chinese, Khmer, Portuguese, and Spanish, in addition to English.

Development, Finance and Operations:

  • The annual financial audits for Fiscal Year 2003 and Fiscal Year 2004 show increased net assets and sound financial indicators for the Coalition.
  • After the successful and fun-filled Spirit Awards Gala in March, the Development Team quickly turned its attention to the Red Sox Wives’ Picnic in the Park event on June 27, 2004. Guests mingled with Red Sox players and their wives, bid on fabulous auction items, and raised awareness and support for JDI and the Red Sox Foundation. Other special events included a Jimmy Buffet concert and a grand opening for the National Jean Company, with Lisa Kapler, wife of Red Sox player Gabe Kapler.
  • Jane Doe Inc. is happy to have moved into the 21st century, having installed our much needed new servers, back-up system, and Exchange/Outlook email systems.

With these recent victories, Jane Doe Inc. is confident that our voice for change will continue to promote awareness, action, and responsible policies in the coming year.