GIVING TUESDAY 💜

Behind every life-saving response to domestic violence is a trained advocate — someone who knows how to listen, support, and help survivors navigate crisis safely.

Donate today: mnadv.networkforgood.com/projects/172...

#GivingTuesday #EndDV #SupportAdvocates #MarylandStrong

Slide 1: We Deserve Better Project 2023 Assessment; Key Finding #3: Advocates deserve better pay and benefits, and many are struggling to survive. Learn more at wedeservebetter.work/key-findings

Slide 2: Insufficient Pay Identified as Top Challenge or Reason to Leave; 7 out of 10 advocates identified insufficient pay as a challenge or reason they left their job (Respondents could select more than one answer); “The pay is too low. The primary cause of stress that results from low pay is the inability to retain a large workforce for long enough time to build trust and understanding between coworkers." - Advocate from Ohio; “Better pay is the bottom line. Advocates carry a large burden of responsibility & care on their shoulders... with very little financial gain." - Advocate from West Virginia

Slide 3: Top 3 Resources & Support Needed to Keep Working in Field: 80% Better Pay; 61% Consistent Raises; 55% Debt Relief (Respondents could select more than one answer). “I enjoy my job and I hope to stay in it for a long time. But, truthfully, at this wage, I recognize that is likely to become impossible at some point.” - Advocate from Indiana; "This field will continue to see attrition of SOLID workers until the pay disparities are corrected and we are treated with the dignity, care, and respect we deserve." - Advocate from Pennsylvania

Slide 4: Living Wage? Not for Most Advocates. Average salary of a domestic violence advocate: $32,717; Wage needed to afford modest 1-bedroom rental: $44,200; Wage needed to afford modest 2-bedroom rental: $53,705. Source: NNEDV's April 2023 Economic Justice and Domestic Violence Advisory Council Recommendations: Advocate Compensation. "Multiple of my coworkers have second jobs to pay the bills." - Advocate from Indiana; "Salary is low and due to the erratic hours (24-hour on-call shifts, for example), we are not permitted to have a second job. We've been told that a second job then takes away our availability from on-call and that it wouldn't be fair to ask other advocates to work around our schedule." - Advocate from West Virginia

Advocates are doing life-saving work—and struggling to survive. Most don’t even make enough for a 1-bedroom rental. 7 in 10 say low pay is pushing them out. We need real change. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #WeDeserveBetter #SupportAdvocates #LivingWageNow

Slide 1: We Deserve Better Project 2023 Assessment; Key Finding #2: Advocates are doing everything they can to keep working in the anti-violence movement, but it’s hard. Learn more at wedeservebetter.work/key-findings

Slide 2: Top 3 Strategies Used to Keep Working in Anti-Violence Field: Respondents could select more than one answer: 51% I pursue programs that align with my core values; 36% I changed departments or roles within my agency; 34% I’ve worked at multiple local anti-violence agencies. “I seek out creative opportunities as well as cutting-edge programs and ideas for me and the staff. Working at a learning & training organization has helped me stay with the same agency for almost 40 years.” - Advocate from California

Slide 3: Most Advocates Do Not Stay at One Agency Their Entire Careers: Nearly a third (32%) of advocates reported working in advocacy for 10 or more years, but only 6% of those same advocates had been working at their most recent job for all or most of that same time period. While there might be longevity for some advocates, most do not stay at the same agency the entire time and instead work at multiple agencies.

Slide 4: Top Challenges & Reasons Advocates Left Their Jobs; Insufficient pay 69%; Burnout 65%; Lack of Resources 52%; Lack of survivor alternatives 52%; Resistance to Addressing Conflict 49%; Ineffective management 48%. “I left a state anti-SA coalition after realizing that I was experiencing moral injury, not just burnout... I was the fourth person to voluntarily leave this year.” - Advocate from New York; “I tried a number of strategies but had to leave the field due to burnout and organizational trauma.” - Advocate from Pennsylvania

Advocates are doing everything they can to stay in the anti-violence movement—but with burnout, low pay, and organizational trauma, it’s not easy. Learn more about our assessment at the link in our bio. #WeDeserveBetter #AntiViolence #SupportAdvocates #BurnoutIsReal