Distributing press releases and informing the media about your events provide an excellent way to spread awareness about Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is recommended that you distribute press releases a month or two in advance if you want your event to be included in community calendars. It also gives editors a heads-up on what’s coming, so they can pencil your event into their schedule.  

You can find a sample press release, #1Thing Can Make All the Difference, by downloading Sample Press Release. You can also check out the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (APIGBV) press release titled Advocates Release Nationwide Survey On Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Reporting by Immigrants. 

The purpose of requesting a proclamation for DVAM is to increase public awareness about domestic violence. It’s also a great way to educate decision-makers about the importance for survivors to receive life-saving services and the support they need to live lives free from fear and violence. A proclamation also helps advocates develop relationships across movements, with local businesses, potential funders, culturally-specific organizations, and can shed light on the needs of marginalized groups in your community.  A proclamation is a way for local government leaders to make an official announcement; it helps increase public awareness about a specific cause or movement.  

1. Write: Outline what you would like the proclamation to say or adapt the #1Thing template. 
2. Contact: Contact your Mayor, Governor, or other local government official’s office to request the proclamation. 
3. Sign: Meet with the official for the signing of the proclamation and a photo. 
4. Promote: Post the photo on social media and send a press release to the local newspaper. 

Movement-building is a collective effort that lives at the heart of social change work. Our efforts to mobilize communities and create sustainable action during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and beyond gain strength and power when we work together with key partners across sectors and allied movements. These collaborations must be reciprocal and meaningful, engaging partners at every stage of the process to further your shared goals and vision for your community. Efforts to build authentic relationships with local government agencies, businesses, schools and universities, social service agencies, health care providers, community service groups, culturally-specific organizations, anti-poverty agencies, grassroots activist groups, community organizers, youth-serving organizations, faith communities, and others help to create the unified front that is critical to making real change. 
 
Five steps to build new collaborations across allied movements: 

1. Identify potential partners; make sure to include those that represent marginalized communities and reach out to them 
2. Invite your partners to your program and get to know each other 
3. Seek commonality and a shared vision 
4. Be clear about what your needs are and about how this collaboration can be beneficial for both 
5. Plan the event! 

For resources to help build and strengthen local partnerships, see: 

• PreventIPV Engagement: Making the Case and Building a Movement for Prevention
• Moving from the Mainstream to the Margins: Lessons in Culture and Power by Ruby White Starr for the Journal of Family Violence 

Here is just a sampling of helpful resources specific to building partnerships with: 

• Runaway & Homeless Youth Programs 
• Anti-Poverty Organizations 
•  Home Visiting Programs
• Housing Providers 
• Moving Companies 

Faith organizations such as churches, temples, mosques and synagogues are uniquely qualified to partner with victim advocates and community organizers to champion efforts to end domestic violence. Survivors and perpetrators alike may turn to religious leaders for spiritual guidance and support in addressing domestic violence. Often, faith organizations have strong relationships with traditionally marginalized groups that mainstream domestic violence organizations struggle to reach in their awareness efforts, including communities of color, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and immigrant communities. Because of the reach of these organizations within their communities, they are well-positioned to share information on resources available to survivors, as well as to spread the word about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and upcoming community events. 

For tools and resources to support ongoing collaboration, cross training and joint programming between faith organizations and victim advocates, see VAWnet’s special collection, Domestic Violence and Religion.

Resources for raising community awareness can also be accessed from FaithTrust Institute, a national, multi faith, multicultural training and education organization working to end sexual and domestic violence.  

Whether you need help promoting your organization’s DVAM event, you are looking for advice on how to coordinate an awareness campaign in your community, or you simply want to know what events are already being planned in your area, your state/territory domestic violence coalition should be your go-to resource. While planning your DVAM 2019 activities, consider connecting with your coalition to find out key information, such as: 

• What opportunities might be available to collaborate with other organizations in your area? 
• Will there be a state-specific theme for DVAM that your organization can take part in? 
• Are there any pending pieces of legislation or current events in your state/community that you should address as part of your DVAM activities? 

More by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence