We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jojo Dries. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with JoJo below.

JoJo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the early days of establishing your own firm. What can you share?

I am a Warrior Survivor of domestic violence; I finally escaped my childhood abusers (my dad and brother) at age 29. For several years, I did whatever I could to help other survivors. A couple of years ago, I was advised by a mentor, and encouraged by my husband, to start a non-profit to get the community together to serve survivors.

At the time, I thought, “Oh, I’ve successfully started businesses before, this will be smooth!” Haha. Little did I know how widely different it was to start a nonprofit than a for profit business. There are some aspects that are the same; yet, Nonprofit is a wildly different beast.

The main step I had to take was the first one – believe that I had something to offer in the space that no one else was providing. There are several established nonprofits providing great things in our community – why and how was ours going to be different? I fleshed out the things we wanted to provide that were going to be unique to us. For us, it was that we were going to be a “no-red-tape nonprofit”. Meaning, if you are escaping your abuser(s), we would work with you, figure out your immediate needs list, and prioritize them, then tackle them to the best of our ability, one by one. Without having you jump through a bunch of hoops to get your needs met.

Of course, the other steps were technical – we needed a robust site, where we could have survivors safely fill in their needs/survey; a donor survey to address what mattered most to our donors in what they were able to give. We also had to establish ourselves properly with the IRS. Create a foundational set of Bylaws, and Operational clarity. Mission statements and guidelines were so important to us, so that the community was clear on why we were launching.

Navigating the tax rules, and financials were very important. Having a trustworthy team and Advisory Board in place was a lot to navigate, and yet so important. We set up an Advisory Board, instead of official titles, in the beginning, so we would give everyone time to flesh out the value they believed they could best provide the nonprofit, before we solidified board positions and obligations.

The one thing I would have done differently is have even more advice about running a nonprofit, from experts that are in the space already.

My biggest advice for a young professional considering starting their own firm, is to very clearly define your expertise, passion and reason why. There will always be people who want to discourage your journey, and that’s okay – it’s not their dream, it’s yours. They can’t understand because it’s not their path. There’s nothing wrong with that. Smile and move on; they are not haters, they just don’t belong on your path. Remember to surround yourself with folks that believe in you and will also challenge you. It’s important that you have different perspectives on your team, not just yes people. Invest in yourself and your idea. It’s scary to pour so much of yourself and your resources into your company; it’s also so worth it on every level!

JoJo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused by my dad and brother from childhood to age 29. I finally escaped. All throughout the years I was being abused, I promised myself that, one day, I would get out – and, then help other Abuse Survivors get out. To the outside world, my family growing up looked like the ideal and perfect family. We were part of a religious organization. We grew from penniless to wealthy and people loved our (fake) rags to riches story. We were multi-lingual. We traveled a lot at the end of my time with them. We looked to be living a glamorous life.

Behind closed doors, things were VERY ugly. I am one of 6 siblings. My mom is a textbook Domestic Violence Victim. She didn’t protect us.

I was also in love with my childhood sweetheart and, in my mid-20s, my dad made me stop talking to my sweetheart. My dad was so controlling, that he made me say goodbye to the love of my life.

When I finally escaped, match.com reconnected me with the love of my life, my childhood sweetheart, and we ended up eloping on Valentine’s Day, 2012. We are now married for 12 years, and have two beautiful children, and the most precious dog.

I tell you this, because it lays the foundation of why I founded our Nonprofit, On The Wings of Angels, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit. When I was growing up being abused, I promised myself that I would one day escape, and then I would help other Abuse Survivors escape. We founded the nonprofit, on the wings of those who have died due to domestic violence.

We provide immediate and tangible community, resources and support for survivors who are removing themselves from abusive situations. We are also a conduit to others who serve survivors.

I am most proud that we are a no-red-tape nonprofit, providing immediate help for survivors, without a whole bunch of paperwork or hoops for them to jump through.

We recently had a car donated to us from a donor, and we immediately donated that to our very first survivor we ever helped!

We also bring awareness to this conversation about domestic violence in our communities. Meaning, we don’t shy away from bringing this topic up consistently in conversations, in community business, and other, groups. We are talking about it in the media, and asking others to continue bringing awareness that so many of us have experienced domestic violence, and what we can all do to stop the silence and end the stigma around this conversation.

It’s important to know that domestic violence effects us all – no matter our socioeconomic status. 1 in every 4 women and 1 in every 7 men have reported to have experienced some type of domestic violence in their lifetime. Sadly, 44% of all domestic violence goes unreported. We need to be the generation to shift the paradigm on this conversation!

We hope others find ways to support survivors in their own communities!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a nonprofit, you think that everyone wants to give to the community, and that, in fact, they all should.

In a big lesson in humility, I had to fundamentally shift my thinking when it came to this line of thinking.

I read a book that changed the way I look at fundraising, and, honestly, money in general. It’s called: The Soul of Money. It was written by Lynn Twist. Lynn was a career fundraiser and the lessons in her book are invaluable. I think everyone should read this book – it will transform your life and how you relate to money in general.

The biggest lesson I learned was that we all have a soul tie to money. Once you realize what that is, you will clearly define where your money is coming from and how to approach companies and organizations in the fundraising world.

We all have a relationship with money, that looks different for each of us. When you look at the very wealthy among us as humans, rather than with an expectation of oh you’re in the community, you should want to donate to this or that nonprofit, your conversations look a lot different.

When I learned the lessons from that book, the money literally started pouring in. My attitude towards money and donors shifted, and the universe responded to that with abundance.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Since I escaped my own abusers at age 29, my conversation around domestic violence and abuse has never wavered. I’ve never given excuses to abusers, never not been loud on this topic. For a decade, I spoke about my own experiences with a rawness that you couldn’t deny. I was never shy about the details of my own experience, and my growth over the years. I was never shy about the therapy I went to/go to consistently, the learning I did about this topic, and how insidious it is in our communities.

I served, helped, and donated wherever and whenever I could, to make survivors’ lives better. I had difficult conversations with all kinds of people in the community about domestic violence.

I openly shared my triumphs and my failures in my journey to freedom. I didn’t sugarcoat the journey. It’s not easy getting out and getting free, and winning!

It was all the authenticity I carried myself with over the years, that established the reputation I had going into founding this nonprofit. I was transparent with my journey, and that’s why donors freely donated. They knew I was good for my word, and true to the cause of serving survivors in our communities.

I built such trust over the years; so, when we launched, donors happily opened their finances to donate.

I think that’s an important lesson in being true to yourself, and not shying away from hard truths in the communities you serve.

I surrounded myself with mentors, leaders, advisors and teammates that are highly respected in the community, as well. I think that speaks to my reputation, and people noticed that. Who you have around you speaks to your character and integrity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onthewings.org
• Instagram: onthewingsofangelsnonprofit
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnTheWingsofAngelsMI/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jojodries/

Image Credits

Shadia Amen Photography