Big Goal Accelerator Project Ideas: Partnering with a Local Domestic Violence Shelter
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, raising awareness and uniting advocates in their efforts to end domestic violence. Are you interested in starting a new project or refocusing club efforts to support survivors of domestic violence and intimate partner violence? We have some suggestions for you!
Keep the Focus on Formal Education and Economic Empowerment
Survivors of domestic violence rebuilding their lives need a lot of things, but Big Goal Accelerator Projects must stay focused on formal education and economic empowerment. Survival and hygiene items are important, but on their own, they don't move the needle on long-term economic independence, which is why they don't qualify on their own as Big Goal Accelerator Projects.
First, we recommend partnering with your local domestic violence agency or shelter. What better way to understand the needs of women recovering from domestic violence than the organizations working hard to combat domestic violence and support survivors?
General donations to a shelter are not eligible. Donations to other organizations don't qualify as Big Goal Accelerator Projects. Confidentiality is very important, so it may be challenging to gain access to clients of these organizations, but don’t get stuck there. To make your project more than just a general donation, we recommend working directly with your local shelter and asking staff to identify the women who could use your club's support.
Confidentiality matters, and we want to protect the privacy of the women being served. Your project is still eligible if your club delivers support through the shelter rather than directly to participants. However, make sure your support is specific.
Two key eligibility requirements to keep in mind:
Projects must provide direct access to formal education with the ultimate goal of economic empowerment and be Soroptimist-led.
Consider some of these ideas!
Host a "shopping" event where women at a local shelter can select professional clothing for their next interview.
Provide transportation gift cards to help a woman get to interviews, work, or school.
Provide a laptop to a woman returning to school.
Offer a scholarship or award to help fund a survivor's return to school or a certificate program that supports her path back into the workforce.
Run a skills workshop teaching women at a shelter how to make something they can sell — candles, aprons, and similar goods — building both a marketable skill and a small source of income.
Share a professional skill. Can a club member teach project management, graphic design, or Microsoft Office basics? Manicure or pedicure skills?
Host a job search training focusing on resume writing and interview basics. Mentoring?
Bring the Dream It, Be It® curriculum to a shelter through hands-on workshops with survivors to provide career support.
Provide period products to a shelter so women don't miss school or work due to lack of access.
Support the children of women in shelters by providing school supplies.
Offer GED tutoring to help women complete their education and move toward better job opportunities.
Provide mentoring to support a survivor’s journey back into the workforce or to pursue her dream studies.
Still not sure where to start? Reach out to your local domestic violence shelter and ask. There's likely a woman there with a specific need, whether it's returning to work or finishing school. Perhaps she needs funds to get her car fixed, so she can get to work or school. Or maybe she needs help paying a licensing fee or college application fee.
Example Projects from Soroptimist Clubs
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SI/Oak Harbor, WA (Northwestern Region) partnered with a local domestic violence (DV) agency and a local consignment store to provide the opportunity for 10 women, clients of the DV agency, to shop for professional clothing for interviews and work. The consignment store closed its doors for the day so the women could shop in private.
Each woman received $130 to spend — $100 from the club and $30 from the store plus the chance to pick out a gently used designer purse donated by club members.
The store set up a play area for children, the agency provided required day care, and the club supplied snacks for everyone. Shoppers came through in small groups of three so each woman could have her own fitting room, with club members on hand to help build outfits and cheer on the "reveal" as women modeled their new looks.
“The response was phenomenal as we could visibly see the change in confidence and demeanor of the women. It was so inspiring.”
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SI/Poway, CA and SI/North San Diego, CA (Desert Coast Region) teamed up to make sure six families in a joint transitional housing program had one less thing standing between them and a job or a diploma.
Partnering to support women and children at the program, which serves survivors of domestic violence, the two clubs provided six women and their families with a laptop computer and printer each. The clubs received a grant from the Poway Community Foundation to purchase the computers and printers.
One laptop can open a lot of doors: a polished resume ready to send, a job application submitted on time, a school assignment turned in, and easier access to resources that fuel the job search or educational goal.
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SI/Phoenix, AZ (Golden West Region) mobilized its members to support women rebuilding their lives after intimate partner violence — starting with something practical: a wardrobe.
Club members organized a clothing drive that collected 44 bags of used clothing, resulting in 88 hangers of professional attire that help give women a place to start when it comes to job interviews and returning to work. The effort benefited women at Dignity House, an 18-bed shelter for survivors of intimate partner violence, as well as Chrysalis shelter — supporting 68 women in total and numerous other through donations to Dress for Success.
Additionally, club member and Board Member of SI/Phoenix, Diane Yamashita, provided coaching to women of Dignity House. A group of 12 women received interview tips, hot sheets for preparing for an interview, and resume formatting for electronic submission. Individual feedback was provided for each woman (7) who submitted a resume to strengthen language and formats to increase chances of getting called for an interview.
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SI/Rancho Cordova & Gold River, CA (Sierra Nevada Region) took the Dream It, Be It® curriculum, originally designed for girls, and adapted it for a different audience: adult survivors of domestic violence.
Partnering with the Sacramento Family Justice Center, the club has completed three workshops for 16 women survivors. Sessions built confidence through identifying long-term goals by creating Dream Collages, then setting short-term goals using the SMARTER goal-setting method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluate, Revise), before moving into a dedicated career development session. Participants learned to define the next steps toward a job or a better job through exploring their own strengths and learning to recognize how life skills can translate into skills that employers are looking for.
To measure the impact, the club had participants complete a pre- and post-workshop survey. The result spoke for themselves: overall 23% confidence increase that they’ll achieve their life and career goals. Nearly every participant rated the workshops as “Exceeding Expectations,” citing the worksheets and interactive group discussions as key to helping them work through their goals.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MEE-DrtvgoI
Soroptimists Help Move Domestic Violence Survivors Forward | Gold River Messenger
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SI/Funabashi ふなばし (Japan Higashi Region)
Women fleeing domestic violence frequently arrive at shelters with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing. While shelters provide housing, meals, and basic clothing, there is often a lack of funds for school supplies, children’s commuting costs, job or educational training expenses, or move-in costs of renting an apartment after leaving the shelter.
To fill that gap, SI/Funabashi established the La Mer Fund in 2001 – the same year Japan’s Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims took effect. Through the fund, the club offers loans up to 60,000 JPY or 363 USD to women in domestic violence shelters. Although the financial assistance is structured as a loan, repayment is waived for those unable to pay due to their circumstances.
Over 25 years, SI/Funabashi has supported 177 women and over 200 children through two partner facilities – a result of having built a strong bond of trust and collaboration with the local shelters.
When a woman needs assistance, she requests it through the shelter director, who contacts the club member overseeing the fund. From there, the club coordinates with shelter staff to get funds to her, either directly or through the shelter.
During the 2025-2026 club year alone, SI/Funabashi supported 13 women and 9 girls with cash assistance loans for books and other school materials.
Reporting Your Project
Ready to report your Big Goal Accelerator Project? Get started, learn more about reporting, and access resources.
Don’t forget to share your projects on social media and use the hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER!
Contact program@soroptimist.org with any questions.
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