a multi-million unrestricted donation
Amanda participated as a charity leader in the 2022 Growth Program.
Everyone finds light bulb moments in their time with us and Amada’s came in threes. During the Storytelling session led by Travis Gale and Gcina Mhlope, the Negotiation workshop led by Simon Horton and the LinkedIn masterclass led by Laura Fox. They all came together a few months later with dramatic results.
Inspired by these workshops and instilled with confidence from the cohort around her, Amanda posted on LinkedIn about the cost-of-living crisis. She told the story of how the families who her charity supports were having to choose between eating and heating while these companies made billions of pounds in profits.
Her post told a powerful story and a made a compelling call to action. Amanda challenged the energy company executives to pay a visit and ‘come and learn’.
It was a perfect post, and it went viral. Viewed by over 1m people and liked by over 40,000.
The message landed and the executives requested a meeting and offered a 15 minute window. Amanda, with the negotiation workshop still fresh, took the 15 minutes, where executives efficiently explained how her charity did not meet its criteria for funding.
Engaging in courageous and empathetic negotiation, focussing on the values that brought them together rather than the processes that were barriers, 5 mins became 1 hr. She left with a plan of how through funding a range of charities in the network to provide a national impact, the criteria could be proven.
A plan that resulted, through further partnership and negotiations, in a multi-million unrestricted donation to 14 charities across England, with Amanda’s charity receiving 10% of the overarching donation.
A staggering seven figure amount of money in total all for unrestricted purposes, that had a game changing impact on charities that collectively support more than 50,000 children nationally.
Among the first people Amanda turned to during the process to help her hold her nerve and own her conviction was her fellow leaders in The Growth Community. And we all cheered her on, inspired by her story. The Growth Project creates ripples in many directions. We have no idea what impact they will have until it happens. We celebrate them together at every opportunity because Together We Grow.
