Introducing Amanda Bell Senior Manager of Fund Development and Engagement
We are excited to introduce Amanda Bell as our new Senior Manager of Fund Development and Engagement! We had a chance to ask Amanda a few quick questions about herself, what excites her about joining Skills, and what we can expect for fund development and engagement in the coming months. Check out what Amanda had to say below.
Welcome from the Skills Society Board Fund Development Committee
Hello everyone,
On behalf of the Fund Development Committee of the Skills Society Board, I’m very pleased to welcome Amanda Bell to our Skills Society community. Amanda joins us as our new part time Senior Manager of Fund Development and Engagement.
As you may already know, Skills Society is not funded fully for all the services, innovations and ways we support good quality of life and the full engaged citizenship of people with disabilities. For this reason, in the last few years we have made it a strategic priority to work on our fund development culture and create additional sustainable funding streams.
Amanda comes with much creativity and deep experience with putting fund development plans into action through her work with the Edmonton Humane Society, Canadian Cancer Society, Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank, and numerous other local nonprofits.
Over the coming months expect to see and hear from Amanda as she reaches out, explains how we all can be part of building a healthy fund development culture and ways you might consider contributing to our collective vision and mission we all believe in.
Please join me with a warm welcome to Amanda and the important work she will help us with.
Ben Weinlick, Executive Director
Skills Society Vision
A community where all individuals are valued citizens deserving respect, dignity and rights.
Meet Amanda Bell, Senior Manager of Fund Development and Engagement
Thank you so much for the warm introduction! I am incredibly excited to be joining a team that is ready to build a philanthropic culture into the work we do. There has been so much preparation done by the Skills Society Board of Directors, staff, and community members to prepare for this next step and I look forward to guiding the implementation phase.
Tell us a little about yourself!
I have taken a very interesting career path to get to where I currently am. I started off in healthcare as a Laboratory Technician. Then I went back to school to take some management classes, and fell in love with personal finance, so I became a personal financial planner for a few years. While I was doing that, I took a role with the Canadian Cancer Society doing event planning and fund development. I realized at that time that all of my education and work experience had prepared me for working with people to help them support organizations that they value.
Having grown up volunteering in my community, the mentality to give back is solidly imbedded in my life. I currently volunteer with the Association of Fundraising Professionals as their Young Professional Chair, and as the President of the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank.
What excites you most about joining Skills Society?
I have been blown away by the supportive and inviting culture that Skills Society has shown. There is so much passion and creativity within this organization and the staff and board are truly dedicated to the mission.
What are some key learnings you bring with you to your role?
I believe that the key to a strong organization is through developing honest, authentic relationships with the community. I also believe in continuously learning and staying current in the fields in which I operate, which is why I am currently working on my MBA in Community Economic Development and attend numerous conferences on best practices each year.
Skills Society’s fund development plan
Our fund development plan for the year is focused on strengthening the organization's long-term financial sustainability and community engagement. To do this, we will be implementing various strategies to diversify our sources of revenue, such as launching a major gift campaign and expanding corporate partnerships. We will also be prioritizing building strong relationships with our donors through personalized communication and recognition. Lastly, we will be increasing opportunities for community engagement to create greater awareness of Skills Society's mission and impact. Our goal is to secure the financial stability of our organization while fostering a stronger connection with our community.
What’s next?
I believe that building strong authentic relationships with our community is essential to fulfilling our mission and achieving our fund development goals. Over the next few months, I will be actively seeking opportunities to engage with our community members, learn from them, and work together to share our mission of building a community where every individual is a valued citizen.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our organization, and I look forward to connecting with you soon. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email amandab@skillssociety.ca or phone (or text) 780-203-9775.
Amanda Bell, Senior Manager of Fund Development and Engagement