Did you know that Tennessee was ranked 49th out of 50 states for women? That’s right, when measured on factors such as access to health care, affordable childcare, employment, equal pay, education and other metrics, Tennessee ranked next to last. In response, the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga has set an ambitious goal – take Tennessee to the top.
Emily O’Donnell, executive director, will present the Women’s Fund’s strategy around the 49 to 1 campaign and will give you practical steps to starting your own public conversation, getting your target audiences to get involved, creating partnerships, taking legislative action and much more. She’ll also lay out specific tactics for taking an important issue to Nashville to positively create change for your community, nonprofit or business.
The Women’s Fund improves the lives of women and girls in Tennessee through advocacy and philanthropy. On a shoestring budget, Women’s Fund advocates successfully impacted three pieces of legislation in the 2018 season that directly impact women in Tennessee. Previously, they played a key role in changing outdated laws that failed to protect sex trafficking victims, and now our state is ranked as having some of the most supportive and advanced legislation in the country.
Building a successful advocacy campaign strategy requires a multi-faceted communication effort. It includes empowering employees and board members to become voices for the campaign, in social media, media relations and community meetings, not to mention sophisticated lobbying efforts in Nashville. Come hear Emily describe how the Women’s Fund mobilizes advocates to achieve their goals so you can put similar strategies to work for your cause or business.
Emily grew up in Decatur, GA. She received her BA in Political Science from Sewanee, and her JD from Georgia State University College of Law. She worked as a staff attorney at Legal Aid of East Tennessee from 2008-2015 and was named New Advocate of the Year in 2013 by the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. Emily lives in Chattanooga with her husband, John, two daughters and a dog.