GREATER WASHINGTON JEWISH COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE
Ending Intimate Partner Violence, Empowering Victims, Ensuring Safe Communities
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is more than what most people assume: more common, more subtle, more impactful, more traumatic. It can pervade every aspect of a victims life and stifles their ability to access supportive services. When someone has been emotionally and physically degraded, manipulated, and isolated by a once-trusted partner, their reserves of resilience and mental clarity run dangerously low. Navigating the maze of financial, legal, health, housing, and safety concerns can seem insurmountable. Trauma does not heal in a linear fashion, and support cannot be carried out through a linear, short-term plan. That is where JCADA sets itself apart: its whole-client, person-centered approach that walks the journey of healing side-by-side with survivors, free of charge, along timelines that make sense for each client.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
JCADA's Support Services and Educational Programs
Our support services include clinical, legal, and victim advocacy programs. All of our support services are free and not-time limited. Our clinical services include: confidential and free support; safety planning; crisis counseling; education and therapeutic support groups; individual counseling and therapy; and alternative therapy programs. JCADA's legal services include: direct representation for clients in protective orders, and crime victims' rights representations. JCADA's victim advocacy services include: assistance applying for public benefits that address housing, medical, or transportation concerns; court accompaniment; assistance preparing victim impact statements; and financial planning.
JCADA also has a robust education program that includes professional trainings about intimate partner violence to community members, as well as JCADA's teen dating violence prevention initiative.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Catalogue for Philanthropy "One of the Best" 2021
Catalogue for Philanthropy "One of the Best 2022
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of clients who report that services/supports are available when needed, even in a crisis
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
JCADA's Support Services and Educational Programs
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
With fewer direct service staff, we saw a steady number of clients. Nearly all clients felt supported and more aware of their options for resources.
Number of direct care staff who received training in trauma informed care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
JCADA's entire staff is trained in trauma care for our clients, and secondary trauma care for our staff.
Number of clients participating in educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
JCADA's Support Services and Educational Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Education includes teen, adult & clergy programs & trainings, Friends of JCADA, Awareness Shabbat programs, and speaking engagements.
Number of clients reporting increased knowledge after educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
JCADA's Support Services and Educational Programs
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
89% confident they can identify signs of teen dating violence, 99% confident that they can identify at least two types of abuse and 92% confident they could identify a trusted adult for help.
Number of clients assisted with legal needs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
JCADA's Support Services and Educational Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
For over 23 years, JCADA has been a trusted, respected, community presence, evolving to provide a full range of legal, clinical, social services and referrals to anyone in the Greater Washington area, regardless of gender, religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, or any other identifying factor. Unlike other IPV-focused organizations in the region, all JCADAs services are free of charge, and never arbitrarily time-limited. One of the most difficult things for survivors to recover is trust; JCADAs long-term support builds real, lasting trust.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
JCADA utilizes a holistic, survivor centric empowerment model, grounded in trauma informed mental health care, that prioritizes cultural humility as a core value to achieve mission success. JCADAs team uses evidence based, cutting edge trauma informed practices is fully to meet survivors of IPV where they are, whether in crisis or on the journey to recognizing and acknowledging their traumatic experiences and provide the continuum of services and care they need to be empowered and safe, free of charge.
JCADA meets survivors where they are on their journey to safe and empowered lives, by supporting the development of positive behaviors and healthy relationships that are free from abuse, neglect, and trauma and promotes physical, emotional, mental, and social wellbeing. JCADA achieves this through a holistic approach of providing long-term, trauma informed mental health services, legal representation in protective order cases, advice and legal information in other legal cases related to the abuse, and victim advocacy services for survivors to meet their basic needs (e.g. housing, food, clothing, court accompaniment) for anyone, regardless of faith, relationship status, gender, or other identities. Our clinicians work collaboratively with clients to determine when therapeutic goals are reached, and it is time to transition out of services.
JCADA's educational services educate the diverse Jewish community in the Greater Washington, DC area about the dynamics of both healthy and abusive relationships, to prevent future generations within the local Jewish community from experiencing teen dating violence and intimate partner violence, to reduce the tolerance of abuse within Jewish spaces, and to increase the collective support for survivors of IPV within the Jewish community and Jewish survivors in victim services.
1. Available in Jewish day schools, religious schools, camps, and youth programs across the D.C. metro area, JCADA's teen programs provide an interactive and open environment for teens to safely learn, explore, and discuss dating violence, healthy relationships and more.
2. JCADA strives to help adults in our community understand the dynamics of IPV, the warning signs of abuse, and how to help youth navigate relationships. We also support IPV service providers in their understanding of the unique needs of Jewish survivors.
3. JCADA supports clergy members through our Ambassador Program and invites the general community to learn more about IPV, its impact on the Jewish community, and the Jewish community's role in identifying warning signs and creating safe, supportive spaces for IPV victims.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
JCADA is proud to be part of the continuum of care for victims/survivors of intimate partner violence in the Greater Washington DC area. To avoid the duplication of services and ensure smooth referrals to other victim service providers, JCADA cultivates partnerships with a wide range of local organizations in the Greater Washington, DC area. Therefore, JCADA can accelerate the referral process and advocate for each clients cultural needs, which in turn alleviates the stress and complications that can arise during these transitions. JCADA is also a member of the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, the District of Columbia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Virginia Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, the Domestic Violence Coordinating Counsels Victims Services Committee (of Montgomery County, MD) and the Council to End Domestic Violence (of Fairfax County, VA). ). In addition, JCADA is proud to be a partner agency of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and Jewish Women Internationals National Alliance to End Domestic Violence.
JCADAs annual cohort-based education and outreach initiatives attract a diverse, self-selected group of individuals who actively engage with the mission throughout the year. JCADA also hosts the Ambassador program, a two-year initiative that engages clergy and community leaders in the sacred work of creating safe spaces for survivors of IPV and their families that includes an introduction to IPV, trauma safety planning, and related topics.
JCADAs board is made up of a personally, professionally, and geographically diverse group of individuals, some of whom are survivors who hold a wealth of knowledge that helps direct the organization from a place of deep empathy and understanding. Over the years many survivors have become staff members of the organization, which further enriches the care and support offered to clients. Finally, some former staff members have transitioned from the clinical and education departments to join the board because they believe deeply in the organizations trauma-informed, person-centered model.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
JCADA has always held a special place in both the Jewish community and in the IPV community. We are the only agency that is designed to help Jewish survivors of IPV in the Greater Washington, DC area. We hear continually from colleagues that we are the vanguards in our field. Our staff members are invited to present at local and national conferences. Staff from other agencies admire and learn from both JCADAs policies, procedures, and evaluation methods and our trauma-informed and client-centered approach.
With strong unwavering values, we weathered the storms of the pandemic and continue to face ongoing challenges to reproductive rights, gun safety, racial justice, economic security, the horrific events of the October 7 massacre, the rise in antisemitism and the uncertainty of an election year. These societal and safety issues affect us all personally and layer trauma and stress on our clients and staff.
The next five years are essential to achieving our JCADA 2030 Vision. This is a very exciting and pivotal moment in the lifespan of this agency. We have spent the last two years realigning JCADA from a victim service agency with Jewish roots to a Jewish victim service agency that serves everyone. This nuanced, yet important, distinction allows us to focus our resources primarily on the needs of the Jewish survivors we were founded to serve, while providing services to everyone who needs our help regardless of faith or identity.
To ensure that local Jewish survivors who contact JCADA continue to receive the most appropriate, most relevant, and most culturally sound services available, our next step is to engage in a needs assessment for Jewish IPV survivors in the Greater Washington, DC area.
The population we were founded to serve deserves to have equal access to JCADA, regardless of where they live within the region. Ultimately, JCADA must have as robust a presence in DC and Virginia as it does in Maryland. We have already started to build the foundation of this work by recruiting board members who live and work in DC and Virginia, and are enriching our legislative and communal contacts, such as synagogues and other Jewish nonprofits local to DC and Virginia. With ongoing communication and dedication to our field, we have grown our network of IPV agencies.
We have government grants solidly funding our work. Throughout the next five years we will continue building support from foundations and individual donors so that we can launch sustainable service and education teams in each jurisdiction that are physically, emotionally, legislatively, and communally entrenched.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GREATER WASHINGTON JEWISH COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE
Board of directorsas of 02/27/2024
Amy Lancellotta
No Affiliation
Term: 2021 - 2024
Selma Kunitz
Amy Lancellotta
David Gamse
Bobbe Mintz
John Drolinger
Ebony Grey
Amanda Moskowitz
Linda Lipson
Virginia Kling
Vicki Fishman
Neil Tow
Lilly Twibell
Jennifer Vandroff
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/02/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.