Jess Ratty is a human signpost, a digital communicator. Working with content, social media, storytelling and public relations, she is the Brand Communications Manager of Crowdfunder.

This year she was named one of the UK's most connected LinkedIn networkers having featured in their Stories of Success for 2015.

Working in the alternative finance industry for the last two years, she’s seen gigantic growth as communities have created new opportunities and a new world of democracy. She works with individuals and organisations from across the UK sharing inspiring stories of community regeneration, sustainability and funding in the face of budget cuts.

Jess says: “The expectation has shifted. Previously we'd look to local authorities, corporates, governments, NGO’s and charities and we'd expect them to create the change we want. We are now looking for all of the above to be working with us, the crowd. We want them to listen to what we want. What happens when people really care about things? What is the expectation of how that is handled?”

For TEDxBristol Jess will be exploring the “great expectations” of the crowd and how thousands of people from Bristol are raising millions of pounds with grassroots innovation to change our future for the better, based on their own expectations of transformation and passion for progress. We’ll hear about the huge tidal wave of support for Bristol’s inland surfing centre, the city’s powerful response to the migrant crisis and Bristol’s first free women’s magazine, tackling issues such as domestic abuse, homelessness and mental health.

Jess is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and also writes on marketing, crowd-funding, and business, featuring in The Guardian, Telegraph, British Science Association, Design Council, and LinkedIn.