3Strands Global Foundation Fights Human Trafficking Through Education and the Power of Partnership.

Discover how one organization is leading the charge against human trafficking with the inspiration of Ashlie Bryant, Co-Founder, President and CEO of 3Strands Global Foundation. Did you know the size of this business?  The staggering reality is a $256 billion industry that affects 50 million people worldwide. Through personal stories and a three-pronged strategy focusing on education, employment, and engagement, we'll hear the foundation's relentless efforts to prevent trafficking and empower survivors, while underscoring the urgent need for awareness and advocacy in every community.

Our conversation dives into innovative prevention education initiatives like the PROTECT program, detailing how schools across 15 states are being equipped to create safer environments for students. We explore the importance of nonprofit sustainability through business acumen, strategic partnerships, and diversified funding models. Ashlie shares insights on how these elements enhance direct services and educational outreach, ensuring that their mission can continue to grow and thrive.

We'll reflect on the impact of 3Strands Global Foundation and the TRUE program, which helps employers become trauma-informed. Ashlie's 15-year journey in combating trafficking is a powerful testament to hope and resilience for everyone involved. Engage with this vital mission and explore ways to contribute on the website to help, not only envision a world where human trafficking is a relic of the past, but to change the dynamic immediately.
You can learn more about 3Strands Global Foundation by visiting their website HERE.

Chapter Summaries
(00:00) Human Trafficking Awareness Programs and Initiatives
Human trafficking is a pervasive issue globally, with staggering statistics and a three-pronged approach to prevention and support.

(08:21) Prevention Education Programs and Partnerships
PROTECT program promotes prevention education, funding through grants and partnerships, emphasizing business acumen for sustainability.

(14:34) Nonprofit Collaboration for Grant Funding
Collaboration, abundance mindset, and diverse funding streams enhance impact and sustainability in addressing human trafficking.

(19:50) Impact and Strategies in Anti-Trafficking
Sustainability, key man insurance, mergers, feasibility studies, collaboration, data, AI, and natural language processing in nonprofit continuity.

(28:37) Measuring Impact and Funding Strategy
A school-based program on human trafficking prevention and education led to increased awareness and behavior changes, with potential for greater impact if financial constraints were removed.

(39:43) Employer Trauma Response Program and Support
TRUE program supports trauma-informed employers, empowers individuals through job placements, and offers resources on Three Strands Global Foundation website.

(43:04) Building Hope
3Strands fights human trafficking in Sacramento, emphasizing hope and inspiring change across states.

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Transcript

Ashlie Bryant: [00:00:00] So we don't know the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States. There was a study in 2016 by the University of Texas in Austin just for Texas. That study happened to reveal that there were over 300, 000 victims of human trafficking just in Texas. That's enormous, right? So imagine California, New York, and Illinois, Florida.

If you have a state like California, does that mean we have half a million? Does that mean we have more than that?

Jeff Holden: I'm Jeff Holden. Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion is to highlight a nonprofit organization in each weekly episode, giving that organization an opportunity to tell their story. In their words, to better inform and educate the respective communities they serve as well as provide one more tool for them to share their [00:01:00] message to constituents and donors.

Our goal is to help build stronger communities through shared voices and to both encourage and support the growth of local nonprofit organizations through podcasting. Thanks to our founding partners for their foresight in helping us transform the way conversations start. CAPTRUST fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Runyan Saltzman Incorporated, RSE, marketing, advertising and Public Relations, creating integrated communications committed to improving lives and Western Health Advantage, a full service healthcare plan for individuals, employer groups, and families. Before the episode begins, I wanna take a minute to share that.

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I look forward to more engagement with you as we continue to grow and better serve our non profit community. Thanks. Human trafficking is a pervasive and insidious crime that affects millions of individuals worldwide, stripping them of their basic rights and freedoms. Victims, often lured by false promises of employment or a better life, find themselves trapped in exploitative situations where they're forced into labor or sexual exploitation.

We tend to commonly think of this from the sex crime perspective, but it's also labor. This modern day slavery transcends borders and socioeconomic backgrounds affecting vulnerable populations, [00:03:00] including children who may lack the resources, support, or capability to escape their dire circumstances. The clandestine nature of trafficking networks coupled with the stigma and fear faced by victims makes it a complex issue to combat.

So much is required to address this crisis that it requires a multi faceted approach combining education, legal reform, victim support services, and a web of communication to begin to dismantle trafficking rings and provide survivors with the tools to rebuild their lives. Ashley Bryant is one of those people who was not only impacted, but stepped deeply into the human trafficking nightmare with an intent to make a difference.

Knowing step one was prevention, and the other steps that followed were focused on support of the victims. Ashley is the co founder, president, and CEO of Three Strands Global Foundation, working to improve the awareness and education of what human trafficking [00:04:00] really is, its prevention and support for those impacted by it.

And with January being Human Trafficking Awareness Month, How appropriate we've been able to have her join us for this very necessary conversation. Ashley Bryant, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Ashlie Bryant: Thank you so much. It's so good to be here. 

Jeff Holden: Well, I'm really excited to talk with you today because I remember when I was at the radio stations, KFBK in particular, now 2010, that would have been, so almost 15 years ago, I remember you coming in to talk to Kitty O'Neill about this program.

Yes. And I think all of us were shocked and mortified that this is happening in our community and it's not selective, it's not specific, it's not geo targeted or socio economic. It's everywhere. That's correct. It's prevalent everywhere. Let's get into the discussion. Before we get too deep into the [00:05:00] why of the organization, can you tell me how you came up with three strands?

global as a title? 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah, so we focus on three different initiatives, education, employment, and engagement. We talk a lot in threes, but really it is those three areas of focus, and a quarter of three strands is not easily broken. So all three of those things woven together, uniquely three strands has the ability to have employment influence education, education influence employment, engagement, which is Advocacy and policy influence both.

So all of those three woven together is really strong. 

Jeff Holden: So it's, everything's intertwined in, in a fabric that's woven so tight. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. 

Jeff Holden: That it doesn't separate. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. 

Jeff Holden: Tell me the genesis of the organization. What brought it to be? What was it that? Prompted you to act. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah, my background is in high tech marketing communications telephony, and that's what I had done before and unfortunately in 2008 my good friend's daughter was [00:06:00] trafficked from a sleepy suburb here in Greater, Sacramento and that really launched me and there were four of us together to co found Three Strands Global Foundation.

And the idea was, because of what had happened to her, how could this be happening in our community, let alone the United States, based off the research we did? She was sold on Craigslist, she was trafficked and bought 15 to 20 times a day by men who were seeking to have sex with minors, and that just wasn't okay.

And so, for the four of us that sat around my kitchen table, it was a conversation of what can we do? And so, the idea of prevention is what surfaced. How can we prevent this crime from happening? Stop it before it starts. 

Jeff Holden: I'm just shocked at the numbers you just shared in a day for a minor. Yeah, that's wrong.

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That is just wrong. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And she was recovered. 

Ashlie Bryant: She was, she was recovered. She was 17 uhhuh years old. She was recovered. She was in the Bay Area, [00:07:00] brought back to Sacramento. But back then, as you can imagine, I mean, we are, you know, almost 20 plus years from that time or almost there. Yeah. And in the.

There wasn't a lot of services, there weren't, you know, the counseling component, what didn't exist. Today where we are is a very different place than we were that many years ago. And so the idea of what can we do to make survivors lives easier, thriving, you know, what component can we play in, in this, as well as how do we stop it before it happens, really was the conversation originally that we were having.

Jeff Holden: Back to the prevention, NA education. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. 

Jeff Holden: And how lucky she was only in the Bay Area, not somewhere across the globe. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. Well, it was law enforcement who recovered her. So she was recovered and brought back to Greater Sacramento. And that's when we really understood that what you led this conversation with is this is a crime that hides in plain sight.

This is a crime that doesn't discriminate on socioeconomics. It doesn't discriminate on location or race or [00:08:00] anything. It is a crime of greed and power and control and it's a business. 

Jeff Holden: Mm hmm. Speaking of business, you actually have a number for what this is globally as an industry. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Which is? 

Ashlie Bryant: 50 million people are, um, trafficked or exploited, enslaved, um, in the world, and it's a 256 billion industry, which is more than the GDP of Costa Rica.

Jeff Holden: 256 billion. Yep. As an industry to, to traffic or enslave people. That's right. And, and we think many times human trafficking as, you know, moving somebody from a point to another. But the piece we don't think about is the enslavement. Right. And. You know, the slave labor that people are sometimes caught into even in the United States is happening.

Ashlie Bryant: Well, and I think that that's a really important point, Jeff, is that when we think about human trafficking, we [00:09:00] do think of it often overseas only, right? Thailand or Cambodia or a different country. But it's happening in all 50 states, in all our zip codes, whether urban, rural, or suburban. And that's the component over the last 15 years that we have really focused on making sure that we make happen, which is to raise the level of awareness of human trafficking so that people say, Oh, this could happen in my neighborhood.

I need to be aware. I need to make sure that I understand what it is and what it isn't. Because it's not just sex trafficking, it's labor trafficking, to your point. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Ashlie Bryant: And we often don't talk about that. Forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation are the two that we track in the United States.

The National Trafficking Hotline does. And that's what we need to be able to make sure people understand is happening in our backyard. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, I think it's so easy to identify. The sexual trafficking, because, well, we get that. We understand that. But the nature [00:10:00] of the enslavement, and it could be as simple as somebody with their particular situation at home as a housekeeper.

That's right. That's right. And so many less obvious ways that appear masked. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. And, you know, even someone who gets paid a little under the table, but not a fair wage, right? You know, part of the reason we have minimum wage and we have the wages that we do in California as in different laws is because So that people know what is a fair wage and if someone isn't getting that and their labor is being exploited, it's labor trafficking.

And so we need to be aware of, of that component too. 

Jeff Holden: Tell me about the, the programs because you've instituted A variety of things. Of course, over the last 15 years, the growth has been just immense in what I recall and the several times that we've spoken. Walk us through some of the, the prevention programs and the core programs [00:11:00] of the organization.

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. So originally when we began, it was prevention education. We started in ninth grade, actually in El Dorado County, you know, just bringing education to the classroom. But we found very quickly. That we needed some components, and this was leveraging my background in for profit, right? Not only marketing, but data.

We needed a protocol that was going to be designed for schools, because even if we went into a school, when we left a school, then what did the teacher and the staff and the administration do? How did they know how to respond?

So, you know, it started that core component of protocol, training, education, and research. That was sort of the ground. And then it has now morphed into being called PROTECT, which is the PROTECT program. Not just ninth grade, but kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. So that, that has been a flagship program for us from the beginning and is scaled across the United States into many, many, many districts.

And, and I think too, as we [00:12:00] look at that protect program, it has influenced the other seven programs that we now have as well, that includes a RISE, which is a. A juvenile justice program that's done in Texas mostly, a care program for caregivers, parents, and guardians. We also have Brave, which is for nonprofits if they wanted to have really efficient employment programs for their wraparound services.

We also have Safe Life, which is for those who might have disabilities who we want to make sure to increase protective factors for them specifically. And a couple others too, but our flagship in the education space is really the Protect Program, which is a school based program. And then I would say our Juvenile Justice Rise Program.

Jeff Holden: And on the Protect Program, you mentioned it's scattered throughout the country in a variety of different schools. I'm imagining school systems, school districts, etc. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. 

Jeff Holden: How many states? 

Ashlie Bryant: So I think in Dahl, we're in 15 states, but we do have licensed [00:13:00] facilitators in other states. So when you look at our map, it looks like almost there's someone in all 50 states who has either gone through the program or who has become a facilitator to deliver it.

But we know we have districts and schools in 15 different states that are using it. 

Jeff Holden: And this is for both the education of the student. to make the child aware of what to watch for, to say no to, et cetera, how to say it, imagining appropriately. Yes. As well as for the leadership, the schools, the teachers, and parents?

That's correct. Okay. So 

Ashlie Bryant: when you think about, holistically, we've always, every program is, we center missionally, who is it we want to protect, who is it that we want to protect. prevent, right? Because prevention is key. And that's our focus. So student. So that means that we have teachers, counselors, social workers, administrators, everyone needs to be trained.

We have a facilitator Academy that someone can become an a champion or an ambassador, if you will, who understands [00:14:00] deeply, not only the training, but also the curriculum, kindergarten through 12th. And then we have. and all campus training that would make it so that everyone would have eyes and ears to see to holistically protect that child.

But then that one who goes deep has a deeper relationship with us so that as we make updates and, and data that we give back to them, there's a relationship there that is built that it's not necessarily stronger, but it's deeper in the level of understanding of the program as well as the outcomes that are coming out of that district.

Jeff Holden: Okay. And that program is, is a fee for service that they actually. What is the specific orientation of the organization in our greater? area. Yeah. And how big is our greater area that you're servicing? 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. So 256 districts in California alone, um, that we have been in and, and it depends, you know, sometimes we've been in Sacramento, they've lost funding and there's no ability to be able to pay.

We are really good. Our staff is exceptional at going to find [00:15:00] grants. So that's the space where we can partner with corporations or even service groups to be able to say, Hey, if there's a grant for. 5, 000 or 10 000. This is how many we can reach and we can walk alongside that grant grantor in order to deliver the prevention education too.

So it doesn't only have to be fee for service from the district. In fact, in California, it's usually not in California. We actually have the majority of grants that we have received in other states. They have some different buckets that they pull from, um, so that they can actually pay for it, but mostly it's grants provided.

Jeff Holden: That's amazing that you have the opportunity for various funding sources, wherever the, you know, situation may be, whether it's a different state or even in the state of California. 

Ashlie Bryant: Well, and two, the other part is that back in 2019, one of my goals was to diversify revenue from a nonprofit perspective, because I'm a strong believer that nonprofits should be run as a business.

And 

Jeff Holden: you're preaching to the choir. I think you're preaching to the choir [00:16:00] at large for everybody listening to the episode as well. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. And, and Dan Pallotta is a huge mentor friend in the sense of, I read everything and had been at so many different conferences with him and emailed him because I believe that, you know, what nonprofits are sometimes strapped in this space of, you know, the nonprofit space and indirect funds are important.

And so I, like him, am a believer that 20 to 30 percent should be indirect to be able to do creative, innovative things. And our programming wouldn't exist if we didn't have indirect funds. And so when we look at a grant, and even speak and build relationships with grantors, it's about how do we walk this together?

We will absolutely, because we've tracked data from the very beginning, show you how the impact we're having. But how do we make sure it's beyond a reasonable doubt that, um, that we're providing what we say we will, we have the impact we are, and that we have those discretionary funds that if something comes up that we didn't anticipate, we can cover.

Jeff Holden: To your point, and let me be impossible to be misunderstood, that [00:17:00] these are businesses. And we're talking about millions of dollars of businesses. In some cases, tens, twenties, hundreds, these are big business and they have to be run properly and executed properly and to think that this non profit moniker or tax status is really important.

A vow of poverty to work there is such a misnomer. Very much. It is such a misnomer. And we obviously encounter it often, especially at the smaller organizations that are just struggling to get by if they could reorient some of that and, you know, run it just a little bit differently depending on the board and, and how they're funded.

Let's talk about collaboration a little bit, because you started to go down the path and I got excited. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but you touch a lot of different organizations just by your existence. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Who do you find that you collaborate most with? 

Ashlie Bryant: Wow, that's a great question. You know, we, nonprofits in the direct services realm, [00:18:00] here in Greater Sacramento, as well as the Bay, we have our direct services program.

We have a lot of wonderful deep relationships with nonprofits that work in this space, you know, We've and my sister's house and family justice center. We also have the DA's office as well as the courts, child welfare. So the government agencies as well, and it comes to direct services on the prevention education side, we work alongside other nonprofits who offer, whether it's afterschool programming or are in the schools, in addition to the people who have been facilitators of the protect program.

But we also work with the school districts and the state level. You know, whether it's the California state board of education or other states board of education, we work alongside them too. So I think, you know, one of the things that we just came talking about was this nonprofit model. I am a big believer of an inabundance rather than scarcity.

And I think that. When we know, without a doubt, that we can't solve this problem by ourselves and we, we truly [00:19:00] believe that, then we come open handed in an abundance fashion rather than scarcity. And I, I really believe, at least as it relates to human trafficking, we have to do that. Now, all of us are going to go after grants, we're all going to go after things.

We know that's a competitive space, which in and of itself is just that. But it doesn't mean that we can't with grantors have a conversation around, could we do this collaboratively with one or two other agencies? That's what I love to hear. 

Jeff Holden: That's, and I think that's the change, changing face of nonprofits today.

It's, it's more the mission than the organization. And as we recognize that, the collaboration changes and that competitive nature, you're right. You're seeing a bonding of sorts of, of multiple agencies. going, hey, we, we all win in this case. It's, it's not one, but it's, it's collective. Right. And we're actually seeing collectives built to where they're, they're collaborating to, to group themselves together so that they can have a distribution and somebody may need, maybe manages the [00:20:00] administration part of it.

Right. And the grant writing part of it, but they all benefit because it's still about the mission. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. And we've got, we've had that in three different places, Jeff. Um, in San Diego, we did a collective with two other nonprofits. It was funded by one funder over four years. And we worked together in all 41 districts in San Diego.

And then we had an afterschool program. We've done it here in Sacramento with two other agencies, right? We do that all the time. And we actually, even the dignity health grant is that we have to apply with multiple agencies. So, you know, it is, I believe grantors understanding. The longevity of a grant needs to be improved as well as partnerships.

I think those two places, if it's not just an annual thing, which I get is hard, but it helps us not to just have one year, but two or three, and then the ability to be ability of that nonprofit to map out how do we sustain that then? Cause you still have to be able to figure out where the money's going to come from after the 

Jeff Holden: sustainability is so critical and we just [00:21:00] had Chelsea firing for planned giving, you know, it's, and I don't want to get.

off track on that, but that's, that's a part of it. It's, it's really, it's a conscious. decision and intention to move down that path. Again, it's tough when you're really small because you're doing everything and wearing so many hats, but when your organization starts to build a little bit better and it's a little bit larger, you've got some development resources, then you have the ability to really dive into these, these other areas of sustainability in so many different ways.

Ashlie Bryant: Right. Well, and I think about, we have 43 staff now and the hardest thing for me, and I recognize this is that. I, from the beginning around my kitchen table, there were four of us, I, and I have always worked in startups. So I'm, whether I pay, take out the trash or I'm making a strategic decision, you know, at 30, 000 feet for the agency, I can go from one to the next, because that's just been my historical career background.

But to pull myself out of that, that's actually hard sometimes when you've got 43 staff. And [00:22:00] now I don't need to be doing some of this stuff, you know, operationally that I might have always done and that someone else really to be able to empower them to be able to do that. I'm finding that transition has been an interesting journey.

Jeff Holden: Not uncommon for an entrepreneur to let go of the reins in some way, shape or form, because more often than not we'll screw it up. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. Yeah. You know, 

Jeff Holden: we're holding it too tight. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And. We don't have all the answers. No, and, 

Ashlie Bryant: and I think I, I have always believed, my grandmother instilled this in me, I'm a lifelong learner.

Like there is nothing, not a day that goes by that I don't think about, wow, I just learned something new on this. Right. And, and to be curious is a huge piece of our culture, you know, and not to be, this is the way it is and it'll never change. That's not who we are as an agency. It can't be because that's not who we've always been, so.

Jeff Holden: 10 years or 15 years ago to today. Just look at the difference. Look at the organization, the difference in the organization, but look at the, the, not only the awareness, but sadly the volume. [00:23:00] Yes. Of, you know, this crime. Mm hmm. And it's not getting any better quicker. You know, we really have to work at it and to your point of prevention, just stay on it.

Right. We'll be back with more from Ashley Bryant of Three Strands Global right after this message from the people who make this program possible. I was in the media business for over 35 years and had the great privilege of working with Runyon Saltzman, RSE, Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations.

We collaborated on many different campaigns, but their commitment to the nonprofit sector hasn't changed since their founder Gene Runyon started the agency. Over many years and many campaigns, Runyon Saltzman has been committed to improving lives by tackling California's most challenging issues. Guided by research informed strategies and insightful, creative solutions, RSE develops innovative communications campaigns that raise awareness, educate and reduce stigma in diverse communities throughout our state and [00:24:00] beyond.

To learn more about RSE, visit rs e. com. 

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CAP Trust in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment.

In our more recent survey we heard concerns about proper board governance mission aligned investment And how to implement all term investments If you would like a copy of the survey or to discuss your organization, look me up, scottthomasatcaptrust. com. 

Jeff Holden: I'm thrilled to have Western Health Advantage partnering with us as they do so much to support so many non profit agencies in our community.

As a truly local health plan, you'll find individual and family options, employer options, plans for CalPERS and Medicare Advantage. From medical services to pharmacy, health and wellness support, as well as behavioral health care, Western [00:25:00] Health Advantage has a plan that fits what you need. As an employer, for profit or non profit business, individual or family, you can find more at westernhealth.

org. Funding, you, you started to talk a little bit about that in terms of the organization. How are you funded? 

Ashlie Bryant: So the majority right now, more than 50 percent is grant, grant funds. So whether that's state, federal, or corporate, family foundation, you know, that's sort of a grant. And then the remainder is, you know, individual donors, monthly donors, one time campaigns, end of the year campaigns, things like that.

Jeff Holden: Okay, and then, of course, your fee for service stuff that you actually charge, share and charge out into the, you know, the other states. Yes. Which I love that because it really is giving you a spread and a depth of distribution in revenue that you're not reliant on one or two places and things. Which, again, is challenging if something changes, the budget changes.

I mean, we know in the state of California, it's been challenging, is going to get more challenging. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's [00:26:00] correct. And the other piece, too, is that things like COVID happen. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. And so how do, you know, I've always said since day one, if I get hit by a bus, right, tomorrow, then we want to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that the good work that's happening by this agency continues to happen.

So how do we set it up for success in that space to make that happen? And here's the other thing we don't talk about very often, but I actually think is really interesting is how do you merge or acquire to be able to. to, for best practices with other agencies in the movement this last year, there were nine different individual nonprofits that have merged into three.

And so three came together in three different places. So that's an interesting conversation too. You don't hear about it often, but it is something that I think at least for the movement of anti trafficking work 

Jeff Holden: is, 

Ashlie Bryant: is something that we're seeing evolve. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and two things, key man insurance, we can't have you get hit by a bus tomorrow.

And secondly, is that mergers and acquisitions back to business, you know, as businesses grow and see [00:27:00] opportunities and there's an opportunity to look at another agency that's fulfilling something that you could use as a service or need. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Why start it? Right. If there's a way that you can merge the two.

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. And that's so important. If someone's listening and they're thinking, I want to start a nonprofit, go research who does what now. Because there's usually someone who's doing it and to have another, we have 16, 000 nonprofits I think in Sacramento. 

Jeff Holden: 13, 000. There's something. Yeah. 

Ashlie Bryant: And so. So make sure if something exists, go have a conversation, have lunch, have coffee, to be able to see what might be an alignment so that there's not another nonprofit out there, but, but doing what we can do missionally together.

Jeff Holden: And to your point, it's, we do get calls. Can I come on the program? I've got a new nonprofit and we have some criteria, two years as an agency and, or two years As the executive director of leadership, whatever it may be. And then the second question is if you're a newer nonprofit, what are you doing and why?

And, and do you know, there's 14 others that look just like [00:28:00] this. Why don't you take your talents and time? over to that organization. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. 

Jeff Holden: And, and benefit them. 

Ashlie Bryant: Well, and even more for us, feasibility studies are super important. So, you know, prevention education was the, the prevention was the focus.

Education was sort of the jumping off, but in 2016, we had a meeting downtown where we were asked. to come up with an employment strategy for around the Golden One Center. And how could we make sure around it was a mile or five miles around that there were jobs for vulnerable populations? Well, the very first response was that's all well and good, but we know a lot of really great NGOs that have employment programs right now, 

Jeff Holden: NGOs, 

Ashlie Bryant: nonprofit and nongovernmental agent or organizations, so nonprofits, and, and so we don't want to.

Take away from that, you know, we, we want to make sure. So what we did was not only have conversations with them and make sure that, you know, some had coffee shops, some had thrift shops, but there [00:29:00] weren't, there wasn't a hole. And we saw it through our feasibility study or a gap of having, you know, jobs in, I'm just.

you know, hospitality or health care or office jobs or customer support and service, right? Technology, those types of things. So in 2016, we started Employed Plus Empower, which is our direct services program, because going back to your point about don't just jump in because we did this feasibility study, there was a gap from a business perspective.

Yeah. Then we could actually fulfill a need. And we've had a wait list from 2016 till today. So we know that it is. Employers. 

Jeff Holden: Looking for employees, 

Ashlie Bryant: employees, survivors, our clients looking for a job are on our waitlist because we have so many that we, you know, we don't have enough case managers to be able to do wraparound services.

Jeff Holden: Oh, see, that's amazing to be able to have that volume of people to know that there's a resource. And I think just this conversation for employers looking for people who. Didn't [00:30:00] know that existed. Here's another opportunity. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. Yeah, three strands can be that. We've got relationships with employers in the greater five, you know, counties around Sacramento purposely to place our clients into sustainable jobs.

That's what this survivor services program was all about in 2016 was at first just around the golden one center, but it expanded to all five counties around. Well, 

Jeff Holden: I can easily see how that would happen. Once you've got that thing started, it's just, Oh, by the way, by the way, by the way. That's right. In terms of that, you know, let's, let's talk just a bit about proof of performance.

Because we look at, so often we'll see an organization, how are they doing? What is, what is the, the metric that they're measuring their success by? And you actually are servicing two different areas. One is the prevention, we'll talk about in a second because that's the tougher of the two. But one is the The student and, or the victim of trafficking and their holistic health, [00:31:00] how do we know what's happening with them?

How do you know what's happening with them? 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. So we see, so prevention's the umbrella, education is one side for three strands and then reintegration is what we call the other, which is the employment piece. So my background is like I shared marketing and in that data was always a piece of it. So three strands, whether they liked it or not, or we liked it as an agency, that was going to be a piece of what we did.

So from the very beginning, we have both quantitative and qualitative data that we have been tracking. After, actually before COVID, we started researching using natural language processing and AI to actually help us with our qualitative and quantitative data. So not only on the direct services side do we track the qualitative data or that that may be the client or our case manager is sharing with us, but we actually designed a model to show us when that client goes from crisis to thriving and different levels.

So they might go from crisis to building capacity to stability. [00:32:00] To thriving, right? And, and that journey, and we know that from the qualitative data analysis that we've done, and we can tweak our programming based off of what we're getting from a data perspective back to us as well. So when we look at impact, we say, okay, in the categories that our client might come in, so childcare, transportation, housing, basic needs, employment, education, where are they in, you know, that, that trajectory of crisis to, to thriving.

And how are we actually getting our qualitative data in, put it through our model, and then we can be able to assess. We probably need to do a little work on basic skills, you know, maybe we add a couple of courses for our clients or survivor clients so that they can understand better how to X, Y, Z, right, whatever that better 

Jeff Holden: reintegration, the more you can teach, the more likely they are to get the job 

Ashlie Bryant: exactly, but that having that model for us has been a game changer from the very beginning of quantitative and qualitative, then add AI and natural language processing, [00:33:00] Because it helps us sooner know exactly where we are on target.

I can always see how many services have we provided by month. I can see how many clients we've actually served every single month, but to understand the quantitative or the qualitative data and the themes of what we're seeing along with crisis to thriving helps to holistically serve that client better.

Jeff Holden: Now, the prevention side. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And, and this is the tough one. We were talking about this right before we started, either because it's just growing so much and so rapidly because you can't really gauge it. We only know what we know. We don't know what we don't know. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. 

Jeff Holden: Talk a little bit at least. about what we can identify.

Right. That we know we're making some semblance of an impact and how we would gauge it. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. So, we don't know the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States. There was a study in 2016 by the University of Texas in Austin just for Texas. And, you know, all studies have, like, naysayers and people who are like, Yay, this is great!

So, [00:34:00] that study happened to reveal that there were over 300, 000 victims of human trafficking just in Texas. That's enormous, right? 

Jeff Holden: 300, 000? Yes. 300, 000. And up until that. That's about a 30 million population state ish. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. Yeah. 10 percent of the 

Jeff Holden: population. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. Just in Texas. So imagine California, New York, and Illinois.

Florida. Right, who, because Texas doesn't have the most, according to the National Trafficking Hotline, victims and or survivors who are calling in for services or to be recovered, right? So if you have a state like California, does that mean we have half a million? Does that mean we have more than that?

Jeff Holden: Right? Certainly more because of just our border situation and We, we know. 

Ashlie Bryant: Potentially. So, but because we don't, a study of prevalence hasn't been done. Long ago, we looked at, at three strands that we needed to be able to look at our programming specifically, and the impact, to your question, of what impact was it having in a school district.

So, take a [00:35:00] smaller, uh, group, if you will, or a community, like get it down from a state or a nation, go smaller to community. And so we implemented not only pre and post for in the school based program for our teachers and administrators, counselors, et cetera, but also students so that we could see quantitatively what are we seeing in the, in terms of behavior change, increased knowledge, and then increased recognition of signs.

So when we measure those three things from a quantitative perspective. And then in addition, we add in the qualitative piece to be able to also look for those three things. Then we can overlay them and we can say, okay, our teachers are by 72 percent saying that they see behavior change in their classrooms as well as themselves.

Wow, that's a great thing. That means that they are changing their behavior, understanding trauma and making different choices with their students. So their students now feel safer potentially, and their students maybe also feel [00:36:00] empowered in different ways, right? The behavior component is a part of it.

Awareness and signs and knowledge is a different piece, but you know, we're, we're taking it at the local level, if you will, in that space of prevention education, to be able to truly look and see. How are we impacting that community and then giving that back to them too, so that they can see how we impact the community and then measuring, and this is hard, but one of our schools, the counselor came back to us and said, wow, we can give you right away.

The student was online with someone that they shouldn't have been. And because of the curriculum told us this, we were able to get on that immediately and. Stop that child from being trafficked and, and stop the, the exploitation from happening, which had already, the grooming process had already started, right?

Grooming that child to trust, grooming that child to be exploited or trafficked. So the fact that we know, you know, and that's just one example of many, but that's one where you can say, okay, so us measuring [00:37:00] allowed us to understand that better. 

Jeff Holden: That's empirical. Yeah. And I have to say, I was traveling over the Halloween.

period and was in Illinois, Chicago area for the airport, and then into Minnesota, I've never seen the signs on the back of bathroom stalls and, you know, in the airport on marquees of say something. And to your credit, that in itself. is, is awareness, you know, and working on prevention. But beyond that, by people saying something now gives us a metric to start to identify, okay, now they're talking and we're hearing about it.

And, and that's pre victimization, that's pre trafficking, which I think is going to make it look worse initially because it's just all the information and volume of information coming in that we didn't know what we didn't know. Now that we know it. We're starting to get a baseline where we can identify what's happening and that the [00:38:00] prevention is working.

That's 

Ashlie Bryant: right. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. So, and again, it's the first time I've seen that. So something is, is certainly occurring. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. Well, and I think that you will, now our flight attendants are trained, transportation, when it comes to truckers against trafficking, that's a nonprofit that we've been, you know, known about and aligned with, you know, over time.

There's different industries that traffickers are going to create and run their business. And, like you had said earlier, it's not about just staying, you know, where they are. They will, they will go to different locations. They will take that, that victim to different locations across the United States, sometimes just locally.

But it's important for all of us to be aware at that level. So the awareness piece is important, right? That's, that's our engagement of our three E's is to make sure we have a public awareness. It's for folks, whether it's on the back of stalls in bathrooms, or it is campaigns that we talk about, what is human trafficking?

We have a HT 101 that is available on our website [00:39:00] that if you go, you can actually understand what human trafficking is from a one on one level. And when you're out in the world, you'll be able to recognize it and alert the national trafficking hotline. 

Jeff Holden: An HT human trafficking 101. 

Ashlie Bryant: It 

Jeff Holden: took me a minute.

You kept going. So I caught it right away. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, we, we talked about the funding. What is your total budget? 

Ashlie Bryant: At the end of this fiscal, which will be June 30, it'll be five million. 

Jeff Holden: Congratulations. That is an astounding amount to think you've started with nothing. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You know, just 15 years ago, you mentioned 43 staff.

You are across the country in 15 different states. You are making an impact in so many different ways. What if budget were no option? 

Ashlie Bryant: You mean if money disappeared? 

Jeff Holden: What would it look like? What would the organization look like if, if you had all the money you needed? 

Ashlie Bryant: Oh, if we had all the money we 

Jeff Holden: needed.

Yeah, what would you do? What would it look like? 

Ashlie Bryant: You're talking to an entrepreneur who is all about innovation. So, the vision for 3Strands is a world free from human trafficking. So if I [00:40:00] had all the money in the world, I would design even more within the four P's. So prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships are the four areas of focus in the anti trafficking world across actually the globe.

So I would We follow it within the protection and prevention side. So I would build out probably even more data components using AI and natural language processing to get prevalence, to be able to have an understanding even deeper at the impact that we're having with our programs, holistically looking at more programs from a prevention perspective.

What are those places and those vulnerabilities and communities that are vulnerable that we're not reaching right now? That we could just offer all of this for free and not have anybody even do free free fee for service if I had all The money in the world, right? I would do that for sure because there are vulnerable population school districts that, that certainly we are looking for grant funds immediately.

But if I didn't even need to look and that time could be spent [00:41:00] building or improving, you know, the programs that we have. The other thing that I would do is probably, I don't know, I might even take and say, who are the other. players that are out in the world and how can we consolidate and make it so that we're a combined force and use those funds to be able to get the workforce to a place that's competitive with the outside world because non profit we know is not paid at the same rate as for profit and get some folks in to be able to look at that holistically across the nation and maybe even the globe.

Jeff Holden: Do we know geographically, globally, where 

Ashlie Bryant: the 

Jeff Holden: hotspots are? 

Ashlie Bryant: Mm 

Jeff Holden: hmm. Where are they? 

Ashlie Bryant: So, it globally is different than the U. S. So I'll talk about globally first. Yeah. So what I talked about Thailand, Cambodia, some of those places, Philippines, those are hot places in the world that need a true focus because the victim is usually younger in overseas.

One of the, 3Strands has the U. N. consultative status. And by 2030, [00:42:00] the U. N. would like everyone to have access online. We think that's great. However, we need to not open Pandora's box and make sure that those who would have nefarious things for children in the Philippines or Thailand or anywhere else wouldn't have access online to some child in some remote village to be able to exploit them and pay them, right?

There's, there's a whole lot of that already that happens. We don't want to even open it more. So let's make sure we have good things, checks in place. So from a. global perspective, I would just, you know, that is what I would share with you. It doesn't mean it doesn't happen in other countries for sure. In the U S there's a heat map that we have even on our website that people can check out.

And California obviously has the most, um, the three cities it's San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, Illinois, Florida. Those are sort of the top, which you think, cause there were the most populated States, but again, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen in North Dakota or South Dakota or New Mexico [00:43:00] or Arizona.

Right? But those happen to be the ones I have the most. 

Jeff Holden: Back to reality, where there is a budget, what's the greatest need? 

Ashlie Bryant: We have the wait list. Right? It's waivers between usually around 60 to 90 people. So those are survivor clients who want to be able to have sustainable jobs. And our case managers manage anywhere from 20 to 30 clients at a time.

So that means hiring those extra people, you know, whether that's 3, 2 to 3 people. So that to me is a great need. We have a drop in center now, The Table. 

Jeff Holden: That was the very next question. That's big news, because that just happened. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes, it did. January 31st we opened The Table, which is the drop in center, downtown 8th Street, which is great.

Which is a 

Jeff Holden: brick and mortar facility for people to come to. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. It has laundry, it has a kitchen, it has a food pantry, a clothing closet, case management rooms, mental health as well as wellness rooms. shower, all of those things. It's a drop in center [00:44:00] and we still, we have referrals that come from our partners, but we also have those who drop in and we have a toy drive that's happening this next week for those who are on our caseload, but the greatest need is, you know, let's get those waitlist people off the waitlist.

That means we have to have a full time employee to be able to meet the needs of those individuals. 

Jeff Holden: How about a success story or two? Yeah. Somebody that's come through the program that was trafficked in some way, shape, or form, went through, is maybe now gainfully employed as a result of a placement that you made or you just, just something from, from A to Z.

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. Lots of those. 

Jeff Holden: I can imagine. 

Ashlie Bryant: So many. In fact, almost a thousand. 

Jeff Holden: Oh my gosh. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. So we have served almost 1, 000 survivors and placed them into sustainable jobs, our clients. And that can range from someone coming in 16 and up. So 16 years old to 80 years old might be someone who may be a client. And, you know, a trajectory of meeting with our case manager, walking through the door at the table or meeting them from a referral that comes [00:45:00] from another agency, hospitality job, where we place in a local hotel, whether it's customer support, I can think of, or marketing or, you know, or has been a trajectory for lots of different clients who come through our doors and healthcare is another one, phlebotomy.

Those who want to be techs, you know, healthcare techs who come through the door and go through and work with our case manager on what does it mean to build a resume? And if I have been exploited or trafficked, how do I make sure that I even know what an interview should look like? And what, what are some of those skills that I need as I walk into that interview?

What are those soft skills that I need to communicate? What does conflict resolution look like? How do I make sure that I can do that? We stay with our clients for a after they have their job so that we can make sure that if there's anything that comes up, that we can address it and walk them through that.

And then the other piece is we have a program called true, which is trauma response and understanding for employers. [00:46:00] And that program is offered for employers. So they understand trauma and we never out our clients at all reason. We did trauma was so that. And so an employer would understand how best to be trauma informed, and while that individual client is being placed at their business.

So lots of different success stories. I never really talk about one because I never want to be able to highlight just one individual, but there are a thousand, almost, who we have placed and had the opportunity to empower and walk alongside. 

Jeff Holden: When the true program actually envelops a variety of different things as you mentioned various traumas That's right.

That's to the benefit of the employer not only for your particular placement But they can take advantage of that to any situation in so many cases so many people that have some semblance of trauma That's impacted them and can impact their performance at work. 

Ashlie Bryant: That's right. And when you think about it, if I'm an employer and I have so many different HR programs that I [00:47:00] need to offer my, my staff, that one, it helps not only from a team perspective, but it helps the individual understand, wow, this person may have experienced trauma.

And so how I show up looks different. 

Jeff Holden: In both ways for both the employer and the employee. And it's a sense of confidence for the employee to, to know that their employer cares. 

Ashlie Bryant: Right. 

Jeff Holden: And without the state telling us we have to do it. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, we're charging 

Jeff Holden: us for having to do it. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yes. Yes 

Jeff Holden: Ashley, what's the best way to learn more about the organization to reach out?

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah, so our website is a great place to be able to go. We have all of our staff on there and email addresses that people can connect with. If it's a client or a survivor client, the drop in center is a great place to go as well as, you know, we have on our website, if you need help now, so that they can actually get that immediately.

Great. Ashley. And, and then if they're interested in any of the prevention education programs, which there are eight now to reach out to our staff, which is on the website as well, to be [00:48:00] what's, 

Jeff Holden: what's the web URL. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah. It's www dot. And then the number three S is in strands, global G F foundation. org. So S G F three S G F.

org, or you can write out three strands, global foundation. org. 

Jeff Holden: And I'll put it in the show notes as well. So anybody can find it just by clicking there, but helpful for somebody who's driving and hears and says, okay. I need to know where to go because I'm curious. 

Ashlie Bryant: Well, and the other piece too is not only the website, but we have, like right now is the end of the year campaign.

Yes. You know, I talked about the, you know, the wait list. We would love for people to engage in that space and help us to be able to draw down off that wait list. And this is a perfect time as people close out the year to be able to think about their gifts to be able to give. 

Jeff Holden: And your website's a little bit unique.

You have a beautiful. mural esque graphic on there. If you do nothing else on the website, go there and move your cursor around on it because it's like puffs of smoke moving throughout the graphic. It's one of the neatest things I've seen on a website [00:49:00] graphic. 

Ashlie Bryant: Yeah, it's really, it's, and all kudos to our marketing team.

They have done a beautiful job of building that website and the mural that you see on the homepage is actually the mural on the back of our building. So, and it's called Blossoms of Resilience. 

Jeff Holden: And that's the table. That's the table. What's the address of the table? 

Ashlie Bryant: 1211 H Street. 

Jeff Holden: Okay, so it's 1211 H Street, downtown Sacramento.

Yes. Ashley, what you and your team are doing is, is so incredibly important and necessary in putting a dent in a horrific situation. And with Sacramento being an immigrant rich city, we obviously have too many opportunities for trafficking to occur. But you're making a difference in saving our children from the hands of the people that are so intent on getting hold of the most vulnerable.

So thank you for your efforts, your success over these past 15 years. And to you and your team in building such an incredible organization [00:50:00] that I hope to see it influence. all the states, not just 15, over the course of the next 10 years. 

Ashlie Bryant: Thank you so much, Jeff. That means a whole lot to me. It's, um, it has been an amazing journey, for sure.

And I'm so humbled to have been a part of it. And I think, for me, it's always about hope, right? This is a heinous, heinous crime. And so, there are many days I drive up my driveway and I just cry or scream. Thinking about, you know, the things that have happened, whether we've heard about in our programming and or across the nation from a prevention education in that programming.

And, but I, I end in the driveway or in the garage thinking, okay, so let's think about the hope of what happened today. Because there are so many stories at Three Strands of hope and that's our focus, right? How do we make sure that We have a world free from human trafficking that we can mobilize communities to help us combat it.

And we focus on hope 

Jeff Holden: as an empath, obviously, yes, [00:51:00] you know, for the individual. And as the leader of the organization, hence the frustration. You know, the ability to see hope through that is something that clearly resonates and translates to your staff and to everything that they do. Yeah. So, as tough and difficult as it can be emotionally when you're sitting in that driveway, thank you for being that person.

Because what you've built is an incredible organization that's making a difference. 

Ashlie Bryant: Thank you very much. 

Jeff Holden: Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. I hope you enjoyed the episode. If what you heard moved you, please reach out to that organization and do what you can to help. If you like and appreciate what we're doing to support local nonprofits, please give us a positive review, subscribe, and share.

If you're a nonprofit with an interest in participating in an episode, you can reach me at jeff at [00:52:00] hearmenowstudio. com. If you have a need for the services or products our sponsors offer, please reach out to them. CapTrust, fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations. Runyon Saltzman Incorporated, RSC.

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