For reference only
| Business/Project Name | Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion |
|---|---|
| Main Contact | Raanan Rosenbaum (Project Manager/Tech) |
| Additional contact | Tammie (for Content approval/collaboration) |
| Current Website URL (if applicable) | https://lalichcenter.org/ |
| Current Web Hosting company and domain registrar (if applicable) | GoDaddy |
| Please describe your organization in a few sentences. | We empower survivors of cults and coercive relationships to live meaningful lives by providing lifesaving resources. We also offer assistance to mental health professionals and family/friends of cult members. We educate the public about these matters through social media, press and podcast interviews, public and conference presentations, and by providing expert commentary in documentaries. |
| What problems do your clients have that your organization solves? What makes you different? | We serve a varied client base consisting of survivors of cults and coercion, as well as survivors of traumatic narcissistic situations and programs in the Troubled Teen Industry. We offer online accredited courses for mental health professionals to acquire the knowledge and skills to better treat such survivors, as well as assistance and resources for families or friends of those who are in cults or recovering from cultic abuse. We offer one-on-one consultations, moderated survivor discussion groups, psychoeducational courses, resources, and training with the goal of helping survivors regain their lives and independence. One of our most unique features is that we provide psychoeducational courses and discussion groups for those who were born or raised in a cult, which is a unique and growing population.Our differentiating factors are (1) Janja Lalich, Ph.D., who is a Professor Emerita of Sociology, a world-renowned author and an authority in the field; (2) Beth Matenaer, LPC, a seasoned trauma therapist with extensive knowledge of the applicable neuroscience; (3) the scope and depth of the services we provide; and (4) low-cost or free assistance for those who need it. |
| Who are your direct competitors? Or, name some peer organizations that are similar to yours. | Stronger After, I Got Out, therapist Rachel Bernstein, and ICSA offer some help to survivors, but no one else is currently offering the breadth of recovery support that the Lalich Center offers. |
| What frustrates you about your current website? | It’s a placeholder site, primarily there in the interim while we find a designer (like TechFleet) to help get this going. We’d like something that conveys the mission, the feel, the expertise and professionalism, and the safety of the Lalich Center. The placeholder is not branded and not in line with the look and feel we would like going forward. |
| Describe the desired look and feel by using adjectives and short phrases. | Warm, welcoming. Safe space, professional, trustworthy. Caring and calming. Knowledgeable. Established, known. Affordable. Qualified. Open and not rigid or ideological. Survivors first. |
| Describe your target audience? What do you want to your site to convey? | Survivors, clinicians, family and friends of survivors or those within a coercive environment. Site should convey that we are a competent, trusted source of recovery assistance, |
| How many current users do you have, if applicable? | 500 |
| If you have access to users, how do you contact them? | Manually by email, phone, and Zoom |
| Briefly list what has been done for this project so far. Any research or design? | We had a few different proposals. We’ve had a few false starts with one designer getting to the branding phase with a style guide and logos which we are not in possession of, and another who agreed to start, but then took another job. It’s taken us a lot longer than we have wanted to get our internet presence up to speed. |
| List any important words that you want people to associate with your organization’s image and brand. | Expert, Trustworthy, Confidential, Safe |
| Do you have a high-resolution logo? | No |
| Do you have a style guide or brand standards? | No |
| Do you have established print materials? If yes, what type (brochure, letterhead, event materials, etc): | Not yet, but we will begin work on this after branding, logo and style sheet are in place |
| What fonts do you typically use? | Montserrat and similar fonts. |
| If you were using a search engine, what words or phrases would you use to find your site? | Cult, Narcissism, Janja Lalich, Janja, Coercion, Trauma, cPTSD, cult recovery, coercive control, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, take back your life. Note: Janja Lalich is more or less the most renowned and respected professional in this field, having 30+ years of experience. She has authored 6 books and has a massive amount of media presence. Her book Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships is a classic resource in this field. Her book Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out and Starting Over was a groundbreaking contribution and is cherished by survivors. |
| Do you use Google Analytics? | No |
| Is your site managed by a content management system (CMS)? | No |
| Approximately how many static pages do you need? (Example: About, Contact Us, Donate, FAQ, etc.) A ballpark number is fine. | 7 Static Pages (Home Page, Sign up/Contact Page with Intake Questionnaire Form, Course Description Page, Discussion Groups Page, Donation Page, Password protected/passcode entry Registration and Payments page, About Us Page, Privacy Policy page, Resources Page, In the Media page with links to podcasts, books and documentaries that we have contributed to. |
| Do you currently have content that you want to use? | Yes |
| Do you have high resolution photos that you want to incorporate into your website? | No |
| If no, who will be providing photos? | Will need to source photos, build out CMS, and set up Google Analytics |
| Who will be updating this website on an ongoing basis? Check all that apply. | Just meOther StaffWebmaster |
| How often do you think you will be updating the website? | Monthly |
| Which Social Media tools do you use? Check all that apply. | Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn Instagram TikTok |
| What types of social media integration would you like to see, if any? | All that we use |
| Are there any specific website functions that you need? | Export tool for the Survivor database to keep updated in a Google Excel sheet with autoreply; separate payment & donations options; video elements for video testimonials. |
| Who is the decision maker for this project? | Collaborative, but Raanan will be point person and Tammie will handle getting approval on all copy. |
| What is the typical turnaround time for making decisions? | Depending on the decision, should be possible within the week and often much sooner. |
| Do you have a designated IT person that we need to coordinate with? | No |
| What other staff will be involved? What are their roles? | Ideally, by end of March 2023, but if we could hire Morgan for assistance getting a new temporary page in the interim with a donation / payment capability in the desired theme, that would be great. Note: We expect to have our tax-deductible status by mid-April. |
| What is your preferred deadline for completing the site? | We would love to be able to launch the site when the non profit status is complete |
| Anything else we can help you with? | We’ll leave this open ended at the moment as we don’t know what we don’t know. But this form covers everything we can think of. |
The Lalich Center empowers survivors of cults and coercive relationships to live meaningful lives by providing lifesaving resources. They also offer assistance to mental health professionals and family/friends of cult members. They educate the public about these matters through social media, press and podcast interviews, public and conference presentations, and by providing expert commentary in documentaries. The Lalich Center is seeking to establish https://lalichcenter.org/, to help create an online presence for the organization to complement their upcoming non-profit status and aid in their growth.
Current website needs include the creation of a Home Page, Sign up/Contact Page with Intake Questionnaire Form, Course Description Page, Discussion Groups Page, Donation Page, Password protected/passcode entry Registration and Payments page, About Us Page, Privacy Policy page, Resources Page, and an In the Media page with links to podcasts, books, and documentaries.