Sojourner

What Sojourner does

Sojourner Project Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Hopkins, Minnesota, that has provided direct services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and elder abuse in West Hennepin County since 1977 (shelter operations began in 1979). The organization delivers a comprehensive continuum of care including a 24-hour crisis hotline, a secure emergency shelter for women and children, community-based legal advocacy for Orders for Protection and Harassment Restraining Orders, support groups, therapy, life skills programming, interpretation services, and the SafeU youth personal safety education program. Sojourner operates as one of the oldest battered women's shelters in Minnesota and was named after Sojourner Truth.

Sojourner has no proprietary technology platform and no digital product surface beyond a Wix-based website and standard social media presence. Its service delivery model is relationship-driven and human-intensive, anchored by embedded legal advocates stationed across 8 police departments in West Hennepin County (a model originating with the Hopkins Police Department partnership in 1982), school-based youth education delivery, and community outreach to faith, civic, and professional groups. All services are provided free of charge and are confidential, reflecting the organization's core principles.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, with federal grants (Office of Justice Crime Victim Services, FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program) accounting for an estimated 15-20% of the budget and the remainder sourced from individual donations, corporate gifts, foundation grants, in-kind contributions, and Donor-Advised Funds. Sojourner is governed by a 9-member Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Laura Sisterman, with a headcount of 11-50 employees serving more than 1,000 survivors and their children annually.

Name

Sojourner

Legal name

Sojourner Project Inc.

Website

https://sojournerproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sojourner is a Hopkins, Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that provides free, confidential crisis intervention, emergency shelter, legal advocacy, and prevention education to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and elder abuse in West Hennepin County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Victim Support and Domestic Violence Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Domestic violence services
• Crisis intervention shelter
• Victim legal advocacy
• Youth safety education
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hopkins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations through online platforms (Give Lively), monthly giving programs, Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs, Donor-Advised Funds, employer matching, and tribute gifts. All donations are tax-deductible.
2. Federal and Government Grants: Federal funding accounts for approximately 15-20% of budget, including Office of Justice Crime Victim Services Grant and FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program. These grants support crisis intervention, emergency shelter, housing support, legal advocacy, and community outreach.
3. In-Kind Donations: Physical donations including cell phones, wishlist items, holiday boutique gifts, and supplies. Also accepts Amazon and Target registry donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sojourner is a direct-service nonprofit that provides a 24/7 crisis hotline, secure emergency shelter, community-based legal advocacy, therapy, support groups, and youth personal safety education (SafeU) to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and elder abuse. All services are delivered free of charge and confidentially to individuals and their children, primarily in West Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Product overview

Sojourner is a non-profit social services organization offering a comprehensive suite of victim support services rather than a technology product. Its core offerings include a 24-hour Crisis/Help Line, emergency shelter for women and children, Community Legal Advocacy for court navigation, and Community Outreach/Training & Education programs. The organization also operates SafeU, an evidence-informed youth personal safety education program. Additional services include support groups, life skills programming, therapy, interpretation services, and volunteer/internship opportunities. All services are provided free of charge and are confidential.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SafeU: An evidence-informed, age-appropriate youth personal safety program designed to provide information and skills for safe and healthy relationships. Serves schools, faith organizations, and youth civic groups.

Products and services

• 24-Hour Crisis/Help Line A 24-hour crisis phone line (952-933-7422) staffed by trained advocates providing confidential safety planning assistance and referral information for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and elder abuse.
• Sojourner Emergency Shelter Secure, temporary emergency residence for women and their children who are unsafe in their homes due to violence and abuse, providing programming, case management, children's programming, transportation assistance, and transition support.
• Community Legal Advocacy Legal advocacy services helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault navigate the criminal and civil court system, including on-site advocates at 8 West Hennepin County police departments and assistance with Orders for Protection and Harassment Restraining Orders.
• SafeU Youth Personal Safety Education Program Evidence-informed youth personal safety program providing age-appropriate education on healthy relationships, dating violence prevention, consent, and personal boundaries for K-12 students.
• Community Outreach, Training & Education Educational presentations and training programs on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse for schools, churches, civic groups, law enforcement, and healthcare professionals.
• Support Groups Group support activities for shelter residents and community members who have experienced domestic violence, covering topics related to healing and recovery.
• Life Skills Programming Life skills development groups helping shelter residents develop practical skills for independent living and personal stability.
• Therapy Services Therapeutic support services for survivors of domestic violence and their children to promote healing from trauma.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 1,000+ survivors and their children annually through shelter and community-based services

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered historical founding supporter, core and minor.

• St. Joseph'shistorical founding supporterOthersOne of the original supporting agencies that helped establish Sojourner Project in 1979. St. Joseph's, along with Hennepin County, Hopkins Interchurch Council, West Hennepin Human Services Council, and Hopkins City Council, provided support and funding for the establishment of one of Minnesota's first battered women's shelters.
• Hennepin CountycoreOthersCounty government partner that provided founding support for the shelter in 1979 and continues as a key community partner serving West Hennepin County residents.
• 8 Police Departments (West Hennepin County)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSojourner maintains partnerships with 8 police departments serving West Hennepin County. Community Legal Advocates are embedded with these departments to provide immediate support, information, and referrals to domestic violence victims following assaults. This partnership began in 1982.
• West Hennepin County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools in the West Hennepin County area partner with Sojourner for the SafeU youth personal safety education program, providing classroom series, ongoing groups, and workshops on healthy relationships, teen dating violence prevention, and consent education.
• SmartGiversminorOthersThird-party charity verification organization that has certified Sojourner Project Inc. and displays their Standards Seal on the organization's website to demonstrate accountability and transparency.
• Hopkins Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst police department partner starting in 1982, establishing the model for subsequent police partnerships. Sojourner provides support, information, and referrals to victims immediately following domestic assaults.
• Amazon WishlistminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon registry for in-kind donations allowing supporters to purchase and ship needed items directly to Sojourner.
• Target Gift RegistryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTarget gift registry for in-kind donations enabling supporters to purchase needed items for survivors and their children.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tubman: Minnesota-based nonprofit providing shelter, legal advocacy, and youth services for domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking survivors. Direct peer given overlapping service portfolio, geography, and target population.
• Casa de Esperanza: St. Paul-based nonprofit offering shelter, advocacy, and community education for Latinx and other survivors of domestic violence in Minnesota. Highly comparable mission, geography, and bilingual service model.
• Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA): Statewide coalition addressing sexual violence through advocacy, prevention education, and training. Peer in sexual-assault programming, prevention curriculum, and community education that overlap with Sojourner's offerings.
• The Family Partnership: Minneapolis nonprofit providing counseling, advocacy, and youth services for families experiencing violence and instability. Comparable social-services model serving Hennepin County residents.
• Breaking Free: Minnesota-based nonprofit serving survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation through housing, advocacy, and education. Peer in survivor-services model with overlapping legal-advocacy and shelter competencies.
• Rachel's Women's Center: Minnesota-based drop-in and resource center serving women experiencing poverty, homelessness, and domestic violence. Comparable community-based service delivery to vulnerable women in the Twin Cities metro.
• Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women: Statewide coalition supporting domestic violence programs and shelters across Minnesota through training, policy advocacy, and public awareness. Peer in the DV services ecosystem serving overlapping statewide constituencies.

Broad incumbents

• Safe Horizon: Largest victim-services nonprofit in the U.S., operating shelters, hotlines, and counseling across New York. Comparable end-to-end victim-services portfolio but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• YWCA Minneapolis: Regional YWCA providing domestic violence shelter, advocacy, and youth programming in the Twin Cities. Comparable DV services within a broader multi-program social services portfolio.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: National 24/7 crisis and referral hotline for domestic violence victims. Comparable crisis-line and safety-planning services, though operating nationally rather than in a defined county.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sojournerproject1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sojourner-project-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sojournermn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sojourner