FALL 2008 / Volume 8 - Issue 1
 |  | Emens assists nonprofit with strategic planning process
BY RACHEL WENGER-PELOSI, '00
n average of 56 women are victimized by an intimate partner every hour, and one in four women experience domestic violence during their lifetime, according to 2006 National Center for Victim’s of Crime U.S. statistics.
Someplace Safe, the only domestic violence agency in Trumbull County, is all too familiar with the faces and stories behind the numbers.
The agency provides victims of domestic violence, mostly women and children, with a place to stay, a legal advocate who helps victims fill out judicial orders, and support for clients during difficult times.
Similar to many social service agencies, the organization deals with the sometimes “ugly side” of society, says Susan Emens, assistant professor in the business management related technology program at Kent State’s Trumbull Campus. “Typically, the agency doesn’t gain attention because its services fly under the radar.”
Emens, who is in her eighth year of teaching, spent the last year lending her business expertise to the efforts of Someplace Safe’s board of directors. The board requested her assistance with developing a strategic plan, including evaluation of goals, review of how the agency educates and serves the community, and creation of new fundraising strategies.
“Fundraising can be a challenge because there is a stigma associated with domestic violence,” says Patricia Porter, director of Someplace Safe. “People like to donate money to ‘touchy, feely’ nonprofits. Domestic violence is an issue that most of us would prefer not to discuss.”
he Kent State Trumbull and Someplace Safe partnership began when one of the organization’s board members, Harry Hoskins, requested help from Marie DaBelko, coordinator of Continuing Studies at the campus. DaBelko connected the agency with Emens, who conducts most of her research and study with nonprofit organizations, looking at business models in nontraditional and nonprofit settings, including the education and health care sectors.
Emens met with the organization’s executive planning committee, a subset of its board of directors, including eight to 10 volunteers, and led the group through multiple sessions and the planning process.
Group discussion identified existing gaps of social service in Trumbull County and helped the agency evaluate the kinds of support it could provide to fill these holes. Additionally, the group analyzed agency strengths and weaknesses. Emens says that members weren’t surprised when fundraising surfaced as an area in need of improvement.
“Someplace Safe provides a great service, and it does take funding to make it happen. The problem is, most people don’t notice the agency unless they are involved with the organization or find themselves in a domestic violence situation,” Emens says. “Awareness is a key theme. We need to make the community aware of what Someplace Safe does — what it is and what services it offers.”
Emens’ work with the organization has resulted in further partnerships between the Trumbull Campus and Someplace Safe. In October 2007, the Kent State Trumbull’s Amnesty International student group sponsored Focus on Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Porter led several educational presentations on campus for students, addressing relationship-related topics. During the holidays, the campus organized a drive to provide personal necessities for Someplace Safe clients.
Emens says that she continues work with Someplace Safe as it moves forward with implementation of the plan.
“This project allowed us to become a part of — rather than apart from — the community, which is critical for a Regional Campus to be demonstrating. We need to serve as a significant resource for the community,” Emens says.
For more information, visit www.kent.edu/magazine.
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