Domestic violence continues to be one of the most pervasive social ills of our time. In fact, more than 12 million people experience intimate partner violence, the most prevalent form of domestic violence, every single year. For nearly 30 years, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has served as a lifeline for survivors of domestic violence. The Hotline receives as many as 3,000 calls every day from survivors seeking support and resources that will help them leave an abusive intimate partnership. Yet, domestic violence — a national public health crisis in the U.S. — continues to be critically underfunded. As a result, those working on the frontlines of survivor support and domestic violence prevention are forced to overcome resource constraints that limit their ability to get survivors the support they need.
Since 2023, Spitfire has supported The Hotline as the organization’s strategic communications firm of record. At the beginning of our partnership, Spitfire worked to create a strategic communications plan to guide our work together and specific communications priorities. Building on this plan, Spitfire has worked with The Hotline to strengthen internal communications processes, develop compelling messaging to more effectively reach its key audiences, provide both proactive and rapid response counsel on earned and social media engagement, train organizational leaders, staff and survivor spokespeople to ensure The Hotline is equipped to amplify the voices of survivors at key moments and build support for the ongoing work to mitigate and end domestic violence in all its forms.
In the early stages of our partnership, the Spitfire team also worked directly with The Hotline to launch Survivor Justice Action (SJA) — the nation’s first survivor-led advocacy organization working to grow and mobilize the social and political power of people impacted by domestic violence and end domestic violence in all its forms. Spitfire worked with The Hotline to develop SJA’s brand identity, including its visual brand and foundational messaging to help the organization strongly position itself and the unique opportunity for survivors to get involved in its work. Throughout our support, the Spitfire team has remained nimble, responsive and thoughtful about key opportunities for The Hotline and SJA to amplify their shared missions, yet distinct calls to action.
Media Engagement
Spitfire began its partnership with The Hotline just weeks after the United States Supreme Court announced it would take on the case of United States v. Rahimi, which would determine whether abusive partners under a protective order could legally access a firearm. In the months leading up to SCOTUS’ ruling on Rahimi, Spitfire worked with The Hotline and SJA to ensure the voices and experiences of survivors were front and center in mobilization efforts and media coverage. During a rally outside of the Supreme Court, SJA was front and center amongst more than 600 people, including leading organizations in the gun violence prevention movement. Our team successfully secured coverage responding to SCOTUS’ oral arguments on the case in the Associated Press, CBS News, MotherJones, NowThisNews, The Washington Post, and 19th News.
Our strategic media support has also included proactively pitching stories that center survivors on issues at the intersection of domestic violence, including reproductive rights and justice. As The Hotline prepared to release a report uncovering findings on the deep intersection of domestic violence and reproductive coercion, Spitfire worked with the team to identify strategic timing and opportunities for sharing the report with key audiences. We worked with The Hotline and report partners at If/When/How to coordinate a press briefing on the report, securing coverage in HuffPost, Jezebel and the 19th News, and garnering interest from PBS News.
Spitfire’s strategic media efforts have also included drafting and placing an op-ed in Chronicle of Philanthropy, authored by The Hotline’s director of development, calling on philanthropy to take action to support advocates and organizations working to prevent and end domestic violence. Spitfire also coordinated with The New York Times to plan and hold a two-day visit at The Hotline’s headquarters in Austin, TX and interviews with staff who answer the calls. Our efforts resulted in an extensive piece detailing a day at The Hotline. To help The Hotline make the most of this coverage, Spitfire developed a plan of action for sharing the piece with key audiences and responding to potential backlash from partners in the domestic violence space.
Spokesperson Trainings
Over the course of our partnership, Spitfire has held numerous spokesperson trainings for the organization’s leadership and staff, as well as survivors, to help build a strong bench of spokespeople directly impacted by domestic violence and those on the frontlines supporting them. We held a training with survivors from The Hotline’s speakers bureau, which includes more than 900 survivors who are willing to share their stories with media, to ensure they know what to expect when engaging with media, have the tips and tools to respond to any interview question and have the support they need to take care of themselves when resharing traumatic experiences with reporters or in any speaking engagement. Our team has also held one-on-one trainings with individual leadership ahead of key moments, including Ruth Glenn, president of SJA, in addition to a series of in-person trainings with staff across the organization — offered in both English and Spanish.
Strategic Counsel
Spitfire provides ad-hoc strategic counsel to The Hotline on navigating key topics of domestic violence as they arise in the media and pop culture. This has included developing a strategy and guidelines for when and when not to respond to moments, such as breaking news or court trials regarding high-profile figures and celebrities accused of intimate partner violence, a public figure sharing their story or referring survivors to The Hotline for support, and in situations of public backlash toward the portrayal of domestic violence in pop culture media.
Spitfire is proud to work with The Hotline and SJA to amplify the voices of survivors and advance solutions that secure their right to safety. We have built a long-standing partnership with both organizations and are honored to continue supporting their work through September 2025.