Testimonials
“Amy is a true professional. A brilliant combination of demonstrating great expertise, insight and compassion while being proactive and people (and animal!) centred. She is a pleasure to work with.”
Kirsteen Campbell – CEO, Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA)
“I had the chance to work with Amy on exploring possible strategies regarding children focused charities. I found Amy’s approach very professional and the analysis she provided was analogous to that of a high calibre for-profit advisor. I used to think of philanthropy as a discipline less attuned to strategic thinking but Amy helped change my mind.”
Ioannis M – Client
“As a private client lawyer who has been advising in philanthropy for more than ten years, Amy’s impact evening was unlike any event I have ever attended and was like a breath of fresh air. Thoughtfully curated and facilitated, Amy was challenging and encouraging throughout the evening. It was an absolute joy to participate in the discussion and I left the evening with an invigorated sense of purpose, both reminded why I enjoy working in this space so much and also motivated to think about philanthropy differently. I cannot recommend the impact evening enough. I think everyone involved in philanthropy should experience this at least once.”
Jaime McLemore-Partner, Withers LLP
“I had the pleasure of working with Amy Blackwell on a major gift to our University in 2019-2020. From the outset, Amy was an asset to the discussion. Her client was relatively new to philanthropy and therefore, needed coaching herself. She knew what she wished to accomplish with her philanthropy and the avenues to get there were wide open. Amy, through her knowledge of my Institution, her understanding of her client’s passions and personality, and experience as a philanthropic advisor, adroitly guided us through a multi-step process to narrow in on programs and people that truly delighted her client. Amy also took the time to preview our proposal and offered valuable input to strengthen the proposal itself and our engagement model with the client. During the whole process, Amy was focused on setting us up for success in finding a funding opportunity that would delight the client, and hold our Institution accountable in delivering on our commitments in a very productive manner. Amy brings her intelligence, experience and people skills to the gift conversation and is a joy to work with. She provided me with frank, funny and strategic guidance to ensure the process moved forward and she was able to establish herself as a person of utmost integrity and intelligence quickly. I trusted her and would not hesitate to work with her again, and hope we do!”
Jennifer Hering-Butler-Senior Leadership Giving Officer International, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
“Collaborating with Amy has been easy and seamless. She did an excellent job of maintaining clear and regular communication with us, from the initial approach right the way through to meeting the donor and managing the administration of the funding. It has put us in an excellent position to ensure our project is a success. From the very beginning, Amy took the time to ensure we understood exactly what our donor was looking to support. When it came time to meet in person, we were all on the same page and Techniquest received a funding decision later that very day. It’s positive stories and impacts like these that make it incredibly rewarding to be a fundraiserI just wish that all our partnerships could be this rewarding!”
Abe S – Techniquest-Cardiff, Wales
We have worked with Amy for several years now where she represents a family who has been incredibly generous towards our lifesaving medical work. Amy stands out in her approach to the funder/charity relationship. Her vast knowledge and experience of philanthropy and natural instincts around people and relationships means that she has the unique ability to see and support the perspectives of both the funder and the charity. She has an extremely collaborative approach and works with us in partnership - we feel like she is part of our team. We love meeting with Amy in person or talking on the phone as our time together is always motivating and we know that we will come away with new learnings. Amy is always approachable and never puts up barriers, but she is also not shy to challenge which we really appreciate. We hugely value our relationship with Amy and hope it will continue for many years to come!
Katie Stokes - Major Gifts Officer, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) UK
“Sightsavers has collaborated closely with Amy and one of her clients to support vital eye care in Malawi. Amy stands out in the advisory community for her depth of knowledge about the sector, development, how charities function, and much more. It means she knows the questions to ask and when to probe. In our experience, Amy wants to get under the skin of the organisations her clients are considering funding to work in partnership with them, to understand the challenges they face, and to champion the work they do. It is a refreshing approach. All of this means that together we can help bring her clients’ vision to life so they can realise their desire to improve the world we all live in. It really has been wonderful working with Amy. We value her wisdom and insight, and we hope our relationship with her will be an enduring one. ”
Robbie Peacock-Sightsavers
“I have had the pleasure of knowing Amy Blackwell for the past 5 years, both in capacity as peer, and more recently in my professional roles. Amy provides a vital role advising clients in understanding their personal values and how these influence effective philanthropic solutions, through to implementation and understanding the impact of clients’ philanthropies. Amy possesses experience of multiple sectors, which helps clients understand what good looks like, particularly within high value philanthropy. Amy’s approach is holistic, backed by evidence-based solutions. Amy excels in peer to peer evenings for clients. These events offer learning from each other to deepen their understanding of social impact while promoting intergenerational wealth and philanthropy as a complementary tool. Her background in private banking also enables Amy to leverage this experience as a trusted advisor. Supporting wealth managers to incorporate philanthropic planning into their clients’ wealth and estate planning is a strength.”
Jon Kinnell – Sustainability specialist, London
Your time with us was much appreciated because your input enabled us to focus on what needed be done and what could and could not be done. Without your input, we would never have been able to reach the point where we could be clear about what the precise next steps should be. You brought to us expertise and experience that enabled you to engage immediately with our project and to offer advice about the best way forward. I think the most valuable contribution was to take the executive action on what needed to be done and which was difficult because of our other commitments and lack of time. I felt very comfortable working with you. You had a lot of energy to give and I felt we were part of a team.
John N – Client
“Amy is professional, engaging and dependable. She is incredibly passionate about understanding her clients' philanthropic interests, and takes time to navigate the non-profit sector to ensure she can best inform them about charities and projects that have an impact on the issues they care about. The commitment Amy has to her clients is inspiring, and it’s a pleasure to work with her to deliver the best possible experience.”
Alexandra Osborne at Dogs Trust
“I have had the pleasure of working with Amy over the past few years. She is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive, willing to listen and develop thoughts and ideas, always putting impact at the centre of conversations. I have learned a huge amount from Amy’s breadth of knowledge across sectors. Her open, honest approach and kind manner is incredibly rare. Philanthropy is an incredibly personal thing and Amy is the perfect person to help you navigate it’s complexities.”
Josh Bone, Principal Gifts Manager
Macmillan Cancer Support
“I am pleased to have engaged Amy Blackwell’s services to deliver a series of philanthropy workshops for our team at the Scottish SPCA. Amy brought a wealth of experience and solid knowledge to the sessions, offering valuable insights that have significantly influenced our approach to our philanthropy strategy.
Amy’s delivery style was engaging, interesting, and informative. The workshops proved beneficial in focusing our efforts on a more refined strategy thanks to Amy’s practical guidance. One standout aspect was Amy’s expertise in helping us understand donor motivations, communication styles, and preferences. Her insights on tailoring approaches suited to each donor’s style have proven invaluable in enhancing donor relationships.
We very much enjoyed working with Amy, and I recommend her services to any charity seeking to develop their philanthropy strategy with a knowledgeable and effective consultant, with a keen emphasis on understanding and connecting with donors .”
Nicola Gunn, Director of Development, Brand & Engagement
Scottish SPCA