'Dove Talks' YouTube video series a 'robust tool' for Grand Forks' CVIC

Apr. 18—EDITOR'S NOTE — If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, visit CVIC's website at https://www.cviconline.org/ or call the 24-hour crisis line at (701) 746-8900.

GRAND FORKS — In the year-and-a-half since CVIC published its first "Dove Talks" video on YouTube, President and CEO Coiya Tompkins Inman believes the series has evolved into a great project that offers useful information for staff, donors and the entire community.

"It's become a pretty robust tool," Tompkins Inman said. "It's still something I think we can continue to refine, but what's really great about it is a lot of the content isn't necessarily going to be dated. Maybe the topics and trends could get updated — but the core content, a lot of it, has some shelf life."

With nearly 40 videos in the series, "Dove Talks" provides insight into CVIC's services, priorities, collaborations and impact. Published biweekly on Thursdays, videos highlight topics like the importance of language, addressing abusive behaviors in relationships and teaching children to be active bystanders.

In a highly digital age, the series has proven to be a powerful method to provide a consistent stream of information to the public, Tompkins Inman said.

CVIC started a YouTube channel in late 2019, though activity was sporadic for the first few years.

"We had a channel, but we just hadn't really invested a lot of time in thinking about: What kind of content do we want on here?" Tompkins Inman said. "How do we want to educate people?"

There was also the issue of funding — as a nonprofit, CVIC didn't have a large advertising budget to pull from, she said.

CVIC included the project in a funding application submitted to one of its largest private grantors, and ultimately received $28,300 for it.

"The primary expense of it is the actual video production," Tompkins Inman said. "We've put quite a bit into lighting, sound and things like that."

Suzanne Irwin, a professional videographer, records and edits the videos. Guests — primarily staff and community partners — participate on a volunteer basis. Many episodes are filmed on CVIC property, though some are recorded at partner locations or even the Empire Arts Center, which offers an inexpensive rate for the organization, Tompkins Inman said.

The project was named "Dove Talks" because the bird symbolizes peace, which aligns with CVIC's ultimate goal as an organization — to become a community without interpersonal violence, Tompkins Inman said.

The nonprofit hopes to achieve this goal through a holistic approach outlined in its Safer Tomorrows Road Map.

"Our entire plan is really built on three major pillars of safety, healing and education," Tompkins Inman said.

Through "Dove Talks," CVIC emphasizes the road map itself, but also how taking a holistic approach has impacted the community.

"That's one of the things we try to underscore, too," Tompkins Inman said. "What have the results of this work really been? How have we really been able to move the needle in decreasing violence in our community?"

In taking this approach, CVIC has built a repertoire of expertise and knowledge within its own team, as well as among partners and donors — something Tompkins Inman says she's really proud of.

"(There's) a lot of institutional knowledge right here in Grand Forks County," she said. "These are folks that have either been a part of our long-range plan, or have actually helped build it."

The library of nearly 40 "Dove Talks" videos has a wide range of contributors, Tompkins Inman said, from the county state's attorney's office to partners in healthcare and education.

Guests in upcoming episodes include Altru leadership, who will speak about the new hospital; Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider, who will talk about CVIC's partnerships with law enforcement; representation from Alpha Chi Omega, a UND sorority with a national philanthropy focus on domestic violence awareness; Dave Molmen, former Altru CEO and longtime CVIC donor who was instrumental in launching the road map; and Grand Forks County Commissioner Kimberly Hagen, who will talk about her perspective as both a volunteer and civic leader.

"No one's ever turned me down to do a show," Tompkins Inman said. "There's a lot of interest in being a part of this broader goal."

"Dove Talks" subject ideas come up in conversations between staff, community partners and clients. When the project started, Tompkins Inman was worried there wouldn't be enough to talk about to maintain a biweekly schedule.

"But there's been no shortage of topics," she said. "In fact, we usually shoot probably four to six at a time, and then I'm already thinking about the next one."

The YouTube channel gets a little less than 4,000 impressions per month, Tompkins Inman said, but the videos are utilized outside of the channel as well. They've been used to educate new employees, train community partners, inform the media and donors of what the organization is working on and let the community know what services are available to them.

"We still believe there's a fair amount of our community that may not have the broader view of what we really do," Tompkins Inman said. "They tend to think of us as still in that 'safety' bucket, that emergency/crisis stage — and we really do a lot more for victims and families beyond just that initial crisis standpoint."

When the two-year grant period concludes at the end of the year, CVIC will apply for a renewal. If the application is accepted, "Dove Talks" episodes will continue to air for at least another couple of years. If the application is denied, production costs could potentially be cut to keep the project going. For now, Tompkins Inman says the organization is fortunate to have the funding it does.