We’re excited to spotlight Tocqueville Society member and Partner at Eversheds Sutherland, Amy Rudolph!
Amy Rudolph is a key part of the Atlanta legal community. She is a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland and is the Deputy Practice Group Leader of the firm’s US Litigation Group and co-leads the US and global Professional Liability Practices.
In addition to her day job, Amy makes community a priority. She is a member of the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Tocqueville Society Cabinet, serving on the Engagement & Retention Committee. She also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Appellate Practice & Educational Resource Center. We sat down with Amy to learn more about what is important to her and why she gives back.
Why did you decide to get involved with United Way of Greater Atlanta?
I have been a United Way donor through my workplace campaign since 1994, and over the years have led three United Ways campaigns at my law firm. I decided to get more actively involved with United Way a few years ago, simply because of the opportunity it presented to work with others in the Atlanta business community to benefit the Metro Atlanta area … but as I have gotten to know United Way better, I have been incredibly impressed by United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Child Well-Being Initiative and the impressive results it has achieved just in the last 2-3 years. It’s great to know that I’m part of an organization that is making a difference.
Who or what inspires you to give back to the community?
I was taught from a young age that much is required of them to whom much has been given. I am incredibly fortunate to have a steady job and successful career; a stable, loving family; a quality education; good health; and a nice home in a safe neighborhood. Too many people in our community are not able to say those things. I have been given a lot in my life, and I like paying it forward, being a part of helping to make others’ lives better.
Why did you decide to become a Tocqueville Society member by way of the Global Payments Match?
I have gradually increased my United Way pledge over the years since my first workplace campaign, so my financial commitment to United Way was already fairly significant, especially through Cole Women United and United Way signature events like the Women’s Leadership Breakfast and Leading a Life of Purpose. I decided that the match was a good way to help me ease into Tocqueville-level giving.
What advice to you have for Cole, Young Professional Leaders (YPL) and other community members who are thinking about leveraging the Global Payments Match to become a Tocqueville Society member?
My advice is to think carefully about your overall philanthropic philosophy — what are your priorities, what causes and organizations give you the most fulfillment (and why), and where does United Way fit into that philosophy. Many people prefer concentrating their giving into one or two primary causes where they can have significant impact, rather than making a diffuse array of smaller contributions that will help a lot of organizations, but only incrementally. If you share that mindset, then United Way is an excellent way to concentrate your philanthropic efforts — and United Way, in turn, can direct your gift to the organizations most in need of it in Atlanta. So many nonprofits are doing such amazing work in Atlanta, and you may never have heard of them, but when you do hear of them, it’s really inspiring. United Way does that research, tracks down these inspiring agencies and their creative programs, and directs our donations to where they are most needed. The match helps you ease into Tocqueville-level giving, while increasing the dollars flowing to United Way and the organizations they support. It’s a win-win!
What advice do you have to navigate the COVID-19 crisis (from a personal and/or corporate perspective)?
What a weird time this has been …. I don’t profess any sort of expertise in this area, but from a personal perspective what seems to have helped me along the way is to keep to some kind of structure for the work week and to punctuate the weekends. I try to keep to my normal schedule for work (albeit from my basement), to dress nicely for work (at least for what will show on video conferences!), and set aside time each day for family and “me” time, some reflection, and, time permitting, some exercise. Proving that I am not an original thinker, I, like so many others, took up cycling in the pandemic, and I have really come to look forward to nice bike rides on the weekends! I have been pretty determined to keep my weekends free of work and have used that time to rest, recharge, exercise, fix a nice breakfast, fire up the grill for dinner (or support one of our local restaurants via takeout, and a generous tip!), read a good book, go for walks in nature (while socially distanced, of course), and even organize a few kitchen cabinets! It’s also important to reach out to others, even by phone or email, just to see how they are doing — I could do a better job of that.
Thank you, Amy, for your insights, leadership and support of United Way of Greater Atlanta and the entire Atlanta community!
For those interested in learning more about joining Tocqueville Society by way of the Global Payments match, please click here, or email Tocqueville@unitedwayatlanta.org.
