Victoria Jane Taylor was the type of person you want on your side. A fierce activist and educator, she was also compassionate and kind. She spent her days as a clinical psychologist, helping young adults, especially women and LGBTQ youth, manage the effects of trauma and abuse.
When she passed away in 2016, the world lost a critical advocate in the quest to end sexual violence. Her passion and dedication to helping those affected by trauma lives on, thanks to husband Joshua Elliott.
Joshua wanted to do more than collect flowers and condolences—he wanted to memorialize Victoria in a way that would make her proud. Knowing how important RAINN was to Victoria, Joshua launched a memorial campaign to honor his wife and raise critical funds that support the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
Joshua shared with RAINN the ins and outs of creating a memorial fundraiser in the aftermath of losing a loved one.
How did you decide to create a memorial fundraiser for RAINN?
Victoria was always passionate about RAINN and thought it was a great organization. She was a clinical psychologist for teens and young adults—mostly women and LGBTQ youth who had suffered a trauma like rape, incest, or other abuse. She was always on call, often helping people with suicidal thoughts find a way to hang in there.
In the weeks after she died, I was putting together arrangements and wanted some way to keep up the work she did. RAINN just made sense. She loved RAINN. In so many ways, it is a large-scale institution doing exactly what she tried to do on a smaller scale. She even used to work a suicide hotline for years at a university and knew firsthand how crucial that first line of defense is for people who feel lost and alone.
How did you go about setting up the campaign?
I used Crowdrise to set up the campaign before the funeral. I described what Victoria meant to me and what she meant to the people she worked with. Then I asked everyone to donate and share it on their own social media networks.
How did RAINN help with your fundraising efforts?
Kay Ericson (RAINN’s fundraising coach) reached out to me, since I listed RAINN as the beneficiary. The first conversation with her, I’ll be honest, I cried. She was really nice. She explained that she wanted to help me memorialize Victoria in a way that would benefit people who turned to RAINN in times of crisis.
What has the reaction been so far?
The reaction has been extremely positive. I don’t think a lot of people (in our community) knew who RAINN was, but everyone very much agreed that this is the closest organization to Victoria’s mentality that you could get. Victoria was an intensely empathic person. She understood the importance of listening and the importance of feeling like you’re not alone—and that’s a lot of what RAINN does.
Learn more about Victoria’s work and support her memorial campaign. If you are interested in creating a campaign to honor a loved one, visit RAINN’s fundraising page or contact RAINN’s development manager, Kay Ericson, at kaye@rainn.org.