The Everlasting Power of the Purse

Few local events pair style and philanthropy as seamlessly as Power of the Purse. The annual gathering brings women together over lunch, inviting them to uplift other women and girls by placing bids on stunning handbags to support The Women’s Fund.

But to ring in the fund’s 30th year, co-chairs are reinventing Power of the Purse — switching it from a luncheon to a nighttime reception. “For the 30th anniversary, we’d really like to shake it up,” says co-chair Arnita Ozgener. “And we’d like everybody to know what The Women’s Fund does and who we support.” Arnita and fellow co-chair Tonia Klein hope these changes will draw in a wider audience of women — and encourage more men to participate. 

Ruth Ann Harnisch dreamed up Power of the Purse to gather hundreds of Nashvillians to support women’s causes and tangibly invest in their city. While Power of the Purse has long been acclaimed for its philanthropic mission, Arnita and Tonia want guests to learn more about how The Women’s Fund helps the local community. 

“The Women’s Fund has three different pillars that we try to focus on,” says Arnita. “Helping support other organizations to provide economic self-sufficiency for women and girls, prevention of violence and the promotion of well-being and talent.”

The fund pours into countless grantee organizations that empower women and girls, including Rejoice School of Ballet and Girls Write Nashville. “That’s really what The Women’s Fund is,” says Arnita. “We want to support other nonprofit organizations and lift them up so that they can do their best work.” 

Arnita channeled her passion for philanthropy by kickstarting OZ Arts Nashville with her family in 2013. The nonprofit performing arts center will host this year’s fresh take on Power of the Purse.

Grantee organizations will still share their initiatives at the event — this time, through pop-up experiences and performances. Arnita also wants to emphasize the benefits of supporting one of the region’s only endowed funds. “Thinking of a nonprofit as an endowment is so powerful because that nonprofit is going to be around forever,” says Arnita. “We are able to meet these organizations where they’re at, but we’re also able to change and grow with them in the future.” 

One of the event’s most beloved elements will also be shaken up: fashion. While Power of the Purse will still auction off a selection of donated handbags, it’s teaming up with The Vault to introduce an artistic twist. “They’ve donated five handbags that we’ve [paired] with five local women artists,” says Arnita. “Those artists have chosen one of our nonprofits to learn about and lean into, and they are [repurposing] these handbags based on these nonprofits’ missions.” 

Through this partnership, philanthropy and art will be even more intertwined. “They’re all very different visual artists, and they got to choose the nonprofits themselves — whatever spoke to them,” says Arnita. “I can’t wait to get the handbags and the stories and inspiration behind them.” In addition, Emily Holt will lead a new hands-on art experience where guests will have creative input throughout the main event. 

While the Power of the Purse luncheon traditionally draws in nearly 400 guests, co-chairs expect this year’s nighttime reception to attract an even larger crowd. Since announcing these innovative changes, Arnita has received an influx of support and excitement from the Nashville community. 

“This created buzz because it’s going to be very different. It’s going to be interactive,” says Arnita. “You’re going to gain a lot of knowledge about different nonprofits that are doing some tremendous work in our community that you may have never heard about, but it’s going to be fun.”