Project Description
Our team organized a one-day fundraising and awareness event at DePaul University’s Loop Campus on June 2nd to support Connections for Abused Women and Their Children (CAWC), a Chicago-based nonprofit aiding survivors of domestic violence. The event centered around a donation booth where participants could contribute for a chance to win a raffle prize. To further engage attendees, we designed an interactive trivia game with questions about domestic violence. Participants who answered 4 out of 5 correctly earned a bonus entry into the raffle.
We also distributed informational pamphlets and displayed QR codes linking directly to CAWC’s donation portal and resource pages, including their 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter details, and counseling services. Promotional efforts included flyers across campus, social media posts, and personal outreach to maximize participation. The event was structured to educate the DePaul community while raising funds for CAWC’s critical programs.
Charity Description
Connections for Abused Women and Their Children (CAWC) is a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of domestic violence find safety, healing, and independence. At the core of their services is Greenhouse Shelter, Chicago’s first domestic violence shelter, which provides 24/7 refuge for women and children. When the shelter reaches capacity, its Emergency Hotel Shelter Program ensures no one is turned away, offering temporary housing with full access to support services. Immediate help is always available through their 24-hour hotline (773-278-4566), where trained advocates provide crisis intervention and safety planning.
Beyond emergency shelter, CAWC offers a full spectrum of support to help survivors rebuild their lives. This includes individual and group counseling for adults and children, specialized life skills training, and comprehensive legal advocacy, from help with protection orders to immigration support for undocumented survivors. Their innovative programs extend into hospitals through the Hospital Crisis Intervention Project, bringing crisis services directly to patients, while their Humboldt Park Outreach Program ensures culturally responsive care for Latino communities. With plans for a new Transitional Housing Initiative, CAWC continues to expand its commitment to providing not just immediate safety, but long-term stability for survivors and their families.
Factual Analysis of Success
The project successfully met its core objectives of raising awareness about domestic violence and supporting Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC). We distributed all of our 300 informational pamphlets halfway through the event, which helped educate attendees about the signs of abuse, available resources, and ways to support survivors. We collected over $200 in donations, which met our expectations given the scale and timeframe of the event. The overall turnout and engagement of around 100 students showed that our messaging resonated with the community. Participants asked thoughtful questions, took materials home, and expressed support for the cause.
Pamphlets:
Best Case: 300 informational pamphlets
Most Likely: 200 informational pamphlets
Worst Case: Less than 100 informational pamphlets
Donations:
Best Case: $ 400
Most Likely: $ 200
Worst Case: $ 100 or less
Engagement:
Best Case: 100 or more visit the table
Most Likely: 60 students visit the table
Worst Case: 40 or fewer students visit the table
Lessons Learned
This project taught us that communication can make or break a team’s effectiveness. We learned the hard way that vague roles and sporadic updates create chaos, like when we wasted time duplicating work or missed key details with a DePaul admin. But when we started assigning clear responsibilities, setting hard deadlines, and checking in daily, everything clicked. The biggest lesson? Proactive communication isn’t optional. Whether it was dividing tasks for event prep or troubleshooting last-minute issues, we saw how staying in sync transformed stress into teamwork.
While fundraising was our initial goal, we quickly realized that awareness-building had its own profound impact. Early on, attracting student engagement was difficult until we revamped our approach, like offering free informational materials with small incentives, which sparked conversations. We saw firsthand that educating peers about domestic violence resources (like CAWC’s hotline) often led to deeper engagement than donations alone. The #EndDomesticViolence hashtag and QR codes helped amplify this. By pivoting to prioritize education, we learned that awareness doesn’t just support immediate needs; it fosters long-term community involvement and advocacy, which is equally critical to the cause.
Advice for Future Teams
If you’re embarking on a project like this, one of the most important things to prioritize is communication. Make it a habit to communicate frequently and respectfully. Keep each other updated, not just on progress, but also on challenges or ideas. Transparent communication builds trust and prevents misunderstandings before they become problems.
Time management is equally crucial. Start early. Don’t wait until the deadline is looming to begin significant portions of your work. Instead, plan and break the project down into manageable tasks. Assign realistic deadlines to each one, and aim to complete them a little earlier than needed. This buffer will give you space to refine your work or handle any surprises that come up.
Structure your workflow. Having a periodic and organized timeline, such as using a weekly or bi-weekly task schedule, will help keep the project on track. When each person knows what’s expected and by when, the entire team functions more efficiently.
Support your teammates. If someone is struggling, step in and offer help. Projects like this are team efforts, and your collective success depends on how well you collaborate and support each other.
Hold regular check-ins. Weekly meetings, whether in-person or virtual, help you track progress, resolve issues, and make decisions collaboratively. It also gives everyone a consistent space to be heard and feel involved.
Lastly, and just as importantly, enjoy the process. This project is not just about the final result, but about everything you learn and experience along the way. When you approach it with curiosity, enthusiasm, and mutual respect, your work and your time together will be not only productive but genuinely rewarding.
