HELPING ADV

1. Volunteer your time at a domestic violence agency. Agencies have many needs and not enough money for staff members.

2. Give money to a domestic violence program. Battered women’s shelters and programs often don’t have enough money to provide additional needed services. Alternatives to Domestic Violence is a United Way member agency, so designate us when you make your United Way contribution or you can become a Care Ring Member.

3. Become knowledgeable about domestic violence. Learn the facts and educate others.

4. Don’t judge battered women’s or men’s experiences. For people who haven’t experienced domestic violence, stories of abuse can sound like fantasy. Battered women and men need to know that they can talk about their experiences without being judged or disbelieved.

5. Be supportive when a battered person tells her story. Let her know that you are there for her emotionally and will listen.

6. Participate in legislation that affects domestic violence victims and survivors. Write your legislators and ask for their support when laws that affect battered women are introduced. Encourage legislators to introduce legislation that will help battered women.

7. Ask a domestic violence agency to provide a presentation for your group. ADV has speakers who will discuss domestic violence issues and their services. We regularly make presentations to civic and service clubs, businesses, faith-based organizations and many others including the schools through our Teen Violence Prevention Project.

8. Organize your business or group to have a “new toy” or “new clothes” drive to benefit DV victims. Toys can be used throughout the year for birthday’s and especially during the holidays. New clothes can be used during the year for back to school, job search, on the job and the Holidays. Remember that children who go to shelters often leave all their possessions behind. A new toy or stuffed animal can help them feel secure in their new surroundings.

9. Volunteer to help perform various administrative tasks at an outreach office. ADV needs office help during from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Typing, filing, answering phones and copying are among the many needs at each office.

10. Organize your business or group to do a fund-raiser. Then donate the money to Casa de Paz, an outreach office or to the greatest need of the agency.

11. Donate your professional skills. Our programs is always in need of legal, medical and other professional services. Often battered women don’t have the money to pay for these services and need them desperately for themselves and/or their children.

12. Work to remove obstacles that battered women encounter. One reason battered women have to stay in abusive relationships is because they encounter obstacles in getting legal, financial and housing assistance. Ask an agency about some of the obstacles battered women in your area encounter and become a catalyst for change. You might help by securing transportation, helping to provide job listings and training or listings for local Section 8 housing, for instance.

13. Read books and other information on domestic violence. You can start with “The Battered Woman,” by Lenore Walker; “Battered Wives,” by Del Martin, and “Getting Free,” by Ginny NiCarthy. Encourage your library and local bookstores to carry books on domestic violence.

14. Refer battered women to Alternatives to Domestic Violence. Carry crisis-line cards or brochures with you. Place them in public places. You can call our office and have cards and brochures mailed to you.

15. Teach children the difference between healthy relationships and abuse. If we don’t educate children and teens about abuse, they may become victims or perpetrators.

16. Ask your local law enforcement agency about its policies on domestic violence. Ask about current arrest statistics. Go online. Be informed.

17. Ask your local medical clinic or hospital to post information on domestic violence. Suggest that they have brochures and crisis-line cards in examination rooms or anywhere battered women might see them.

18. Be aware of sexist jokes and remarks. Some reinforce the myth that it is OK to abuse your partner.

19. Boycott or demand a refund when movies display violence against women. Explain to the theater manager why you will not financially support such movies.

20. Learn how to be a GREAT parent. Here are 10 Ways to get started:

• Be a good role model. Your child learns from the example you set.
• Show respect for your child’s feelings, thoughts and suggestions.
• Make your child feel loved with your words of praise and your hugs and kisses.
• Keep your word. If you must break it, apologize and make it up to your child.
• Encourage your child’s creativity. Ask questions to stimulate curiosity and imagination.
• Build your child’s self-esteem by showing appreciation for all genuine efforts.
  Stay involved. Know what’s going on in your child’s life, both at school and with friends.
• Discipline your child fairly, firmly and with love. Focus on the behavior, not the child.
  Establish family traditions and make time to do fun things together.
• Think positively. By expecting the best, you empower yourself and your child to solve problems and achieve goals.

Although Alternatives to Domestic Violence receives some support from a number of governmental agencies and programs, it depends largely upon contributions from concerned individuals, businesses and organizations.

Private support is essential for many facets of our work that do not fit neatly into governmental funding niches. What’s more, government programs are subject to frequent budget threats. Private funding is essential to ensure our long-term viability and progress. In short: WE NEED YOUR HELP.

As you choose among the many charitable organizations seeking your support, we invite you to consider these facts:

• Alternatives to Domestic Violence has more than 34 years of experience helping families in the Inland Empire
• ADV’s Casa de Paz is the only shelter serving domestic violence victims and their children in western Riverside County
  ADV is among the most highly respected professional organizations of its kind in California
• ADV seeks to constantly improve and update its programs and services to meet the rapidly changing needs of our community and its citizens
• ADV is unsurpassed in the quality and professionalism of its staff — ADV staff routinely are called upon to teach judges, police, firefighters and attorneys about domestic violence
• ADV has received the support of every major social service agency in the region
• ADV has planned-giving programs to match every budget and situation.

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Lend a Hand, Leave a Legacy

There are many ways you can give to Alternatives to Domestic Violence:

• Make a single donation to ADV
• Sign up as a member of ADV’s Care Ring, our annual giving program
• Consider a corporate donation to ADV in the form of cash, goods or services
• Make a charitable bequest through a will or other estate planning device, such as a trust. This planning may provide significant estate and gift tax benefits and will guarantee your legacy of giving in the years ahead.

Care Ring

If you wish to help ADV in its ongoing efforts, we invite you to be a member of Alternatives to Domestic Violence’s Care Ring. Care Ring consists of proven leaders who want to contribute to us on a consistent basis. To join, all you need to do is pledge to make a monthly gift, for which we can either bill you or make an automatic charge against a credit card or other financial account.

Support Our Endowment Fund

To ensure ADV’s long-term health and financial stability, we are now working to build an endowment fund that will provide ongoing interest income to fund our programs and secure our future. While we will be developing this fund through a number of sources, one key component will be bequests and major gifts from people like you.

Bequests are gifts made through a will. Charitable bequests can take many different forms. Your bequest can be outright or deferred. It can be absolute or contingent upon certain events. It can be for the general support of our organization or restricted to a purpose you feel is especially important. And because a charitable bequest can be made through your will, or through a codicil to your will, it generally is easy and inexpensive to do.

When you make a charitable bequest, you can retain full use of your property during life, so there is no immediate out-of-pocket cost, reduction in net worth, or disruption of cash flow. What’s more, you can change any bequest provision, which means you remain in control of the process.

There also may be tax benefits in making a bequest. In certain cases, tax benefits can permit donors to give more to their charitable beneficiaries than they may have thought possible. Every dollar that is given to a qualified charitable organization through a bequest or other testamentary gift is fully deductible for federal estate tax purposes when certain legal requirements are met.

An estate tax deduction is allowed for a deferred bequest even though the bequest provides income benefits to individual beneficiaries. Of course, not every estate is subject to the federal estate tax. If your estate is potentially subject to the federal estate tax, you will want to take steps to minimize the impact this tax can have on your beneficiaries. Happily, there are many time-proven methods of minimizing estate taxes, including both outright and deferred charitable bequests.

A Deferred Charitable Bequest

A deferred charitable bequest can add a great deal of flexibility to your estate planning. With this special form of bequest you can benefit one or more family members or other individual beneficiaries and provide “deferred” benefits to ADV. Your deferred charitable bequest can take several different forms, but you can design it to provide an annual income to one or more individual beneficiaries for life (or for a period of years), with the property passing to us or other designated charitable beneficiaries upon the termination of the income benefits. The deferred bequest is an excellent tool to provide for dependent relatives and still fulfill your philanthropic desires.

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Corporate Giving

Successful businesses have learned that being a good corporate citizen involves not only operating in a conscientious and ethical manner. It also means reaching out to help make a difference within the community that is supporting your enterprise.

There are a number of very powerful reasons why you should consider lending your corporate support to Alternatives to Domestic Violence, either through in-kind and volunteer activities or through cash contributions:

• Tax benefits
• Public relations and marketing benefits generated through association with a leading, highly successful and widely respected non-profit organization
• Opportunity to build team spirit among your employees as they work on ADV projects together
• Opportunity to broaden professional experience and leadership skills of your employees as they work on ADV projects
• Networking opportunities through which you can build powerful business-to-business and one-on-one customer connections
• Improved internal awareness of issues related to violence in the workplace and dealing with the effects of domestic violence on employees

We invite you to ask other business leaders about their experiences partnering with ADV. We would be proud to assist you in developing a giving or support program that is appropriate for your organization.

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As you can see, our needs are many. We are requesting new and/or clean gently used clothing items. Our client’s children range in age from newborn through 17 years, boys and girls. In keeping with our philosophy, we like to provide non-violent toys that foster positive self-image for people of all cultures.

Donation Drop-off:
Monday through Thursday * 9am to 4pm

ADV’s Outreach sites are closed every Friday and generally closed in observance of most Federal holidays.

For specific arrangements please give us a call at
(951) 320-1370 or send us an e-mail at info@alternativestodv.org

Give to Yourself as You Give to Others

Volunteers provide a variety of services to ADV, including direct services, clerical support and assisting with ADV’s annual holiday and fund-raising events.

Before a volunteer can provide direct services to clients, he or she must successfully complete a state-mandated 40-hour Domestic Violence Course.

People are needed in the following areas:

• Crisis Line
• Clerical Volunteers
• Holiday Helpers
  (between Thanksgiving and mid-December)

For more information about how you can be a volunteer with ADV, contact us today.