Case Study
Shield of Athena
A Montréal shelter and support service for women and families facing domestic abuse. We gave survivors a safe, dignified way to share their stories - through interviews, story-driven films, and awareness content that helps more people find them.
The Partner
A shelter built on safety and dignity
Shield of Athena is a Montréal non-profit that stands with women and families living through domestic and family violence. Beyond emergency shelter, they offer multilingual counselling, crisis support, and steady, long-term guidance - meeting people in the language and culture they feel most at home in.
Their work depends on trust and visibility: survivors need to know a safe place exists, and the wider community needs to understand why that place matters. When we met the team, they had powerful stories to tell but limited capacity to tell them - and a hard rule we fully shared: no story is ever worth a person's safety.
That's exactly the kind of fundraiser-first, social-impact cause OtterS exists to support - so we offered our work the way we always do: completely free, and with the same care we would give any paid project.
The Brief
Tell hard stories safely
"Help people understand what we do - and why it matters - without ever putting a survivor at risk."
- Protect identity firstCapture real testimony while keeping survivors fully anonymous and in control.
- Make the mission clearExplain who Shield of Athena is and the services they provide, in plain, warm language.
- Move people to giveTurn awareness into real support - donations, volunteers, and referrals.
- Work in many languagesReflect the multilingual community the shelter actually serves.
Our Approach
What we created
We shaped a small, focused production around one principle: let the stories lead, and protect the people behind them at every turn.
Survivor interviews
Quiet, unhurried conversations recorded with full consent. We used silhouettes, soft focus, and voice-only edits so survivors could speak openly while staying completely anonymous.
A short documentary film
A story-driven film introducing Shield of Athena - who they help, how they help, and what's at stake - woven together from interviews, counsellor voices, and the quiet textures of the shelter.
Awareness photography
A set of dignified, on-brand photos the team can reuse across their website, reports, and campaigns - warm, human, and never sensational.
Social-ready clips
Short vertical cuts and quote cards built to travel - so the message reaches new audiences and turns attention into donations and referrals.
The Film
See the story
The finished film, alongside a few of the frames that stayed with us from the days we spent together.
For the first time, I could tell my story without showing my face - and finally feel like it might help someone else find a way out.
- a survivor we worked with (name withheld)The Impact
What it moved
A snapshot of how the work travelled once it was in the world.
120K+
Views across the campaign
3
Survivor stories shared, fully anonymously
+40%
Lift in donation-page visits after launch
* Example figures shown for layout - replace with verified results before publishing.
Your Cause, Next
Have a story worth telling?
If you're running a charity or fundraiser that deserves to be seen, we'd love to help - completely free. Tell us about your cause and we'll be in touch.