Client: Project Unity
Challenge: Significant secondary trauma among staff due to the nature of their work. Despite efforts to support employees, the emotional toll of daily crises—from child abuse prevention to medical care for HIV-positive clients—had built up over the years.
In addition, the team has nearly doubled in size over the last year, creating challenges for team cohesion and management.
Outcome: By partnering with Hummingly, Project Unity initiated a deeper focus on staff care, proactive strategies for protecting staff, and built stronger, interconnected teams.
Since its founding in 1995, Project Unity has been on the frontlines, meeting families where they are and offering transformative support in times of crisis. Now nearing its 30th year, the organization, which began with just three employees, has grown to nearly 50, but with that growth has come challenges—namely, the emotional weight of serving some of the most vulnerable communities and the strain of rapid growth. From providing job training for homeless veterans to in-home visits for families and medical care for HIV-positive clients, Project Unity’s work is vital, but emotionally draining.
Over time, staff began feeling the burden of secondary trauma. Jeannie Mansill, Project Unity’s founder and CEO shared, “Our staff are in high-stakes situations on a daily basis. While we pay good salaries, offer benefits, and encourage time off, it became clear that wasn’t enough to address the emotional toll.”
The leadership team realized that something more profound was needed to support their staff. That’s when Hummingly came into the picture. After meeting Jolie, CEO of Hummingly, the Project Unity team knew they had found the right partner to help them address this long-standing issue. “Within minutes of hearing about what Hummingly does, I knew this was what we needed for our staff,” said Jeannie. “We’ve done workshops on self-care before, but I could tell that Hummingly went deeper. I knew immediately that Hummingly was going to be my answer. I said, ‘Jolie, we need you to come.’”
What followed was a transformative retreat led by Hummingly, designed to help staff heal from years of accumulated trauma. The day was carefully paced, giving everyone the time they needed to process, connect, and begin to heal. Teams that had once been isolated from each other began to form new bonds, with many participants expressing surprise at how much they gained from meeting colleagues in different departments.
The retreat didn’t just provide immediate relief—it laid the foundation for a long-term cultural shift at Project Unity. As one staff member noted, “I think we were all shocked that leadership would bring someone in specifically to focus on us.” “After all these years of not having an answer to the challenges they face, this in-depth approach to the self-care of staff who are pressured day in and day out was just what we needed”, said Jeannie. Being grant-funded has meant a focus on outcomes for organizational survival. The leadership has struggled to balance this necessary outcomes-focus with the care and measures needed to sustain their great people. “After being an organization in survival mode for so long, it was exciting for us to say, we're ready to focus on our staff and make sure that they're ready, that they feel very confident in their roles and in their own self-care - and that really is the way to bring the best outcomes and the families we work with.”
The other challenge Project Unity was looking to address was team cohesion among a team that has rapidly grown over recent months. The teams are structured according to the grants that fund their work, leading to little interaction between the teams. The rapid expansion has also led to a move to a new building. The leadership team has been intentionally designing their new space to encourage gathering spaces but needed a way to spark connections between teams and team members who don’t yet know each other. The Hummingly workshop was deliberately and carefully designed to create fun and safe ways for people to meet and get to know each other through the workshop activities and conversations.
In the weeks following the retreat, the impact was evident. Project Unity’s leadership team, which had previously struggled with isolation from the rest of the organization, is now more connected to staff and has embraced new trauma-informed approaches. People have a sense of being part of the bigger Project Unity team and know how to reach out and support each other across the different program teams. Staff are not only more motivated but are also better equipped to handle the challenges that come with their work. “I’ve already noticed a change,” the founder shared. “The energy level has shifted, and people are excited about the work again.”
Project Unity has always been an organization driven by its mission to empower families and individuals. Now, with Hummingly’s help, the organization is also empowering its staff—ensuring that they have the tools, support, and care they need to continue their life-changing work for years to come.
"I've been waiting 30 years for this training! I am now equipped to do my job so much better, and so are all our people. I feel like we hit the jackpot." Jeannie Mansill, President/CEO