Amy's commitment to leadership in philanthropy began as early as 16 when she led a region of 41 high schools in fundraising to support the mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Her first fundraising campaign raised over $41,000 and through that work Amy saw the impact philanthropic donations can make for a cause. Driven by her passion to create change through philanthropy, Amy pursued her bachelor's degree with a concentration in nonprofit management and went on to receive her Master’s in Human Service Administration. Throughout her collegiate coursework Amy remained committed to the nonprofit community, serving as the student representative on her local YWCA Board of Directors and the Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley. Her Master’s thesis centered around researching nonprofit organizations who survived the Great Recession of 2008, adding to the body of academic research supporting the nonprofit field. Over the past 11 years Amy has devoted her professional career to fundraising. She has served as a Development Representative, Senior Development Representative, and Regional Manager for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. During her tenure with ALSAC/St. Jude, her team’s revenue more than doubled to $8 million raised annually, she founded a local fundraising initiative that has gone on to raise more than $15 million for the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and she was instrumental in the founding of two Advisory Councils of local leaders. In 2020, Amy embarked on a new role with the Novant Health Foundations as a Philanthropy Manager to more closely serve her local community. In her work, she’s been able to generate over $3.9 million in revenue in just under three years. In addition to revenue raised Amy has served as a mentor to her peers across the organization, supported the team through quarterly learning opportunities, and has led the creation of the Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital Advisory Council and two capital campaigns generating more than $10 million in revenue.
At 16 I felt a call towards healthcare. That spark ignited a desire in me to host my first fundraiser with 40 high school student councils across Northern Illinois. Together, we raised $40,000, and I experienced first-hand the difference healthcare philanthropy can make.
I felt inspired to serve in healthcare as a teenager. What started as an interest in nursing transformed into a desire to live out a similar mission of compassionate service and humble determination through philanthropy. I'm not so sure I chose healthcare philanthropy as much as it found me and aligned with the needs of our world and my passion and skillset.
My second job out of college came to me through a referral from my days volunteering in college. The job, fundraising for ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, brought me to Charlotte, NC—a city I had never visited and where I knew no one. I gleefully accepted the job over 10.5 years ago. Saying yes to that opportunity launched my career in healthcare philanthropy, allowed me to serve a mission I loved for eight years, and led to my current role with the Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation. That risk served me well personally too: I met my husband, and we now have three children together. All because of one "yes"!
My greatest passion and highest calling is to connect with people in a way that inspires them to operate in their highest calling. It's an honor to live out of that passion and calling both in my career and in my personal life as a daughter, mother, wife, aunt, and member of my community.
Connect with the mission of your institution and understand deeply how that aligns with your personal mission or calling. That knowing will be how you guide philanthropic partners in identifying their own mission alignment with your institution. AND Everyone is scared to make the call. Do it anyways.
In college I spent most of my school breaks providing childcare programs on military bases across the globe. I've served US military families in Japan, Okinawa, Hawaii, the Netherlands, Belgium and throughout Germany.