Nonprofits and Advocacy
A Survivor Voice That Strengthens the Work You Already Do
Advocacy organizations do not need trauma explained to them. They need a speaker who can move donors, energize staff, and represent survivors responsibly in public.
What you're navigating
The pressures in this room
Stephanie builds every session around the reality of the audience, not a generic version of it.
Staff depletion
Frontline advocates absorb crisis daily on constrained budgets.
Donor rooms that need honesty and hope
Fundraising events must convey urgency without exploiting the people they serve.
Public misunderstanding
The question 'why didn't she just leave' persists, and financial control is the missing answer.
Survivor representation done poorly
Too many platforms use survivors for effect rather than for insight.
Why Stephanie
Why this audience trusts her
- Stephanie has worked alongside advocacy organizations and understands the difference between a story and a spectacle.
- Her financial expertise strengthens the economic-justice side of the conversation.
- She is comfortable in donor rooms, coalition meetings, and awareness-month programming alike.
Outcomes
What organizers report afterward
- Donors understand why leaving is not a single decision
- Staff feel recognized and re-anchored in the work
- Financial abuse is added to the public conversation
- Survivor voice is modeled responsibly
Recommended
Keynotes that fit this room
Any of the six experiences can be adapted, but these are the ones most frequently selected for this audience.
While each of our panelists made important and insightful contributions, perhaps the most meaningful contribution of the day came from our keynote speaker, domestic violence survivor and advocate Stephanie J. Bond. Graciously sharing her story with our attendees and panelists, Stephanie spoke about the night she was shot by her husband. She shared about the painful series of events leading up to that night and the role the legal system played in that story. Although the story Stephanie shared is tragic, she and her children have exemplified resilience, hope, and strength in the aftermath. Today, in her role as an advocate, Stephanie devotes much of her time to speaking engagements where she emphasizes the unfortunate reality that her story is not unique. The heart of Stephanie’s message provides a vitally important backdrop for this symposium issue—gun laws in the United States have grave and tangible consequences for millions of real people every day.
Questions
What planners in this sector ask
Other pathways
Explore another audience
Bring a Conversation to Your Audience That They Will Carry With Them
Tell us about your event, your audience, and the change you hope to create. We will help you explore the right experience.