What happens when a victim of abuse finally makes the call, gets accepted into a shelter, and then can't get there?
Sarah Nejdl asked herself that question in 2014. She was working a corporate job in technology and currency trading, scrolling social media one night, when she landed on a national survey showing that more than 14,000 victims were turned away from emergency shelters on a single day because the shelters were full. In Texas alone, that number was more than 1,000 unmet requests in one day.
Sarah is not a survivor herself. She's a Texan, a pilot, and, in her words, a Virgo who doesn't respond well to "you can't." So when an FAA examiner told her she couldn't fly victims to safety unless it was on behalf of a nonprofit, she walked outside, called a friend who is now her board chair, and started one. She took a layoff package, spent six months telling anyone who would listen about the gap she'd found, and opened services in October 2015, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, on purpose.
Families to Freedom does one specific thing that nobody else in Texas was doing: it gives victims of domestic abuse, family violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking a free, confidential ride to safety. Sometimes that's across town to a shelter. Sometimes it's a five-day drive to a sister's house on the other side of the country. About half of the adults they transport have children with them, and they transport pets too, because leaving a pet behind is a real barrier to leaving at all.
In this episode of Nonprofit Nook, Sarah and Eric join Wendy to share how the organization works, who it serves, and how a volunteer model built on "choose your own adventure" road trips keeps drivers coming back. Eric, known around North Texas as the Connector, found Families to Freedom through his own family's wake-up call and now spends his days building the partnerships and volunteer base the mission runs on.
The two of them are also clear about measurement. Families to Freedom publishes its metrics on its website in real time: how many people were transported, how many children, how many pets, and exactly what was spent on bus tickets, flights, fuel cards, and hotels. And Eric points to one number that matters most: the Texas Council on Family Violence publishes an annual report of Texans killed by intimate partners, and none of Families to Freedom's clients have ever been on that list.
Beyond the logistics, this is a conversation about paying attention to the problem in front of you instead of looking away, about founders who build with their eventual successor in mind, and about what it means to treat a scared kid in the back seat like this is just a normal ride.
If you lead, volunteer with, support, or dream of starting a nonprofit, this conversation is a reminder that the most valuable thing you can build is the one nobody else is building.
In This Episode
You'll hear Wendy, Sarah, and Eric talk about:
Resources + Links
Connect with Families to Freedom
Websitehttps://www.familiestofreedom.org
Hotline: 833-903-SAFE (7233)
Volunteerhttps://www.familiestofreedom.org/volunteer.php
Donatehttps://www.familiestofreedom.org/donate.php
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/FamiliestoFreedom
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/familiestofreedom/
LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/families-to-freedom
Sarah Nejdl on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnejdl/
Give on North Texas Giving Day, September 17https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/familiestofreedom
Register for Your Financials Tell a Story, September 24A Nonprofit Nook workshop on how reporting your financials tells your nonprofit's story.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-financials-tell-a-story-tickets-1998973064246?aff=oddtdtcreator
Connect with Wendy + Nonprofit Nook
Nonprofit Nookhttps://nonprofitnook.com
Upcoming Nonprofit Nook Eventshttps://www.nonprofitnook.com/events
Wendy Kidd on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykidd/
More from Boss Level Engaged
Boss Level Engagedhttps://www.bosslevelengaged.com/
Boss Tablehttps://www.bosslevelengaged.com/bosstable
Mentioned in this episode:
Enji
