Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalie Paulus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Natalie, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Madd provides services to anyone who has been affected by impaired driving; either directly or indirectly. Our goal is to provide support and assistance to those who are facing some of the most traumatic times of their lives. We provide free services to all communities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Victims/survivors are an underserved population in and of themselves. We provide general support, assistance through the criminal justice process, support groups, Crime Victim Compensation assistance, local referrals to counselors and social service programs, and much more. We have bi-lingual advocates as well to assist those whose first language is not English. We advocate for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My work within the nonprofit and victim service industry began in college. I studied criminology and victimology. Through my education and first-hand experience, I was able to see just how underserved crime victims/survivors really are. I worked in the investigative bureau of two different DA’s offices and was able to make an impact with victims during this time. When I saw the opportunity to continue my career with Madd, I knew I had found the right place to assist victims even more.

We provide free supportive services and advocacy to those impacted by impaired driving, including first responders. What sets us apart from others is that we are specialized in these types of crimes, so we truly are experts in what we do. We work with law enforcement agencies, District Attorney’s offices, and community partners to provide quality services to victims/survivors. When facing trauma and loss it can be difficult to know where to start. Our service providers walk along with families and assist throughout their healing journeys and the criminal justice process. We never end services for those who wish to receive them. Whether a crash happened the yesterday or 30+ years ago, we will continue to provide support and service to those who need it.

We also have outreach and prevention programs where we perform community presentations, awareness campaigns, and educate in schools to prevent underage drinking. Furthermore, we offer victim impact panels for first and second time dwi offenders to help prevent recidivism. Our partnerships with law enforcement are also incredibly important to our Mission. We honor exceptional law enforcement efforts in the areas of impaired driving education and enforcement.

I am most proud of the impact that our victim service team is able to make in the lives of others. It is an honor to be a part of the healing journey of so many people, and to help them along the way. We have many rights that are afforded to crime defendants and very few that are given to crime victims, which is why our work is so important.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

We operate almost exclusively on referrals. While there are those who will seek us out proactively after they have been impacted, we rely on word of mouth from individuals and assistance from our community partners, District Attorney offices, and law enforcement agencies to direct victims to Madd for help and support. We need to spread the word about our free services so we can connect more victims and survivors to the help they need and deserve. Every person who knows about Madd victim services can have a hand in getting victims/survivors assistance by sharing with others and referring victims to our organization.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

As a people leader in my organization, it can be challenging to keep morale high. This is even more difficult in the world of victim services because we are faced with traumatic situations and heart-breaking stories on a daily basis. I would first recommend that you build trust with the team that you manage. When those that you supervise trust you to address issues, when they can come to you with concerns, when they know you are in their corner, it is much easier to keep morale high. My team knows if they have been working a particularly difficult case and it is affecting them emotionally, they can come to me to talk or to request time off without judgement or fear. When your team knows that you will attempt to solve any issue that they bring to your attention, low morale is rarely an issue. Second, I would recommend getting to know each member of your team and know their “why”. When your team knows that you care about them as individuals and that you know why the work is important to them, it helps build morale. Third, don’t be afraid to have fun with your team when it is appropriate. Have a light-hearted meeting where you learn about each other more, perform a team-building activity, have a meal together. All of these will help keep morale high.

Contact Info:

• Website: Madd.org/victim-assistance
• Instagram: @madd.texas @maddnational
• Facebook: Facebook.com/MADDTexas
• Linkedin: linkdin.com/in/nataliepaulus
• Other: [email protected] 24/7 Advocate Helpline 1-877-623-3435