AMA PDX Agency

Marketing for Impact. Community for Change.

AMA PDX connects Portland nonprofits, community-based organizations, and mission-driven businesses with skilled marketers for pro-bono consulting that drives real impact.

Join Our Community

The applications for the AMA PDX Agency 2025 cohort are now closed. Please stay tuned for more updates and join our network to stay connected. If you have any questions, please reach out to amapdxagency@gmail.com.

Get Involved

 

We connect local marketing professionals with nonprofits and mission-driven businesses to create lasting change throughout our communities. How would you like to contribute?

Join Our Community of Change Makers

I’m a Marketing Professional

Benefits of joining the Agency program:

  • Gain new skills and experience while giving back to your community

  • Build your resume and portfolio

  • Grow your professional network

  • Learn from AMA PDX community members via workshops and mentorship

Expectations for volunteers:

  • Commit 10-20 hours a month from March through August

  • Attend project team meetings as agreed upon (weekly or biweekly)

  • Bring experience and/or a strong interest in marketing and communications

  • Attend the project kickoff in March and volunteer celebration in early September

  • Complete survey at project completion

Typical Agency team roles:

While many PDX AMA Agency teams opt to share responsibilities across functional areas, some designate specific roles like:

  • Account Manager

  • Administrative Associate

  • Storyteller

  • Graphic Designer

  • Marketing Strategist

  • Copywriter

  • Digital Marketing Specialist

I Need Marketing Help

AMA PDX Agency benefits Portland area community organizations in need of a bit of marketing and communications expertise and creativity. Pooling resources with support from AMA PDX, a team of dedicated AMA PDX Agency volunteers roll up their sleeves to further your mission, contributing their skills to scope a project and deliver a pro bono marketing consulting project over six months to elevate your communications.

Project work starts with a kickoff event in March and concludes with a volunteer celebration in early September. If you would like to be considered for the next round of projects running March 2025 through August 2025, please apply by January 31, 2025, and reach out with any questions to amapdxagency@gmail.com.

Benefits of Nonprofit Participation with AMA PDX Agency:

  • Connect with the marketing and communications professionals in your community

  • Evolve your marketing strategy with tailored consulting

  • Develop tools and resources to elevate your marketing and communications efforts

  • Inclusion and promotion on the AMA PDX website, email newsletters, and social media channels

Expectations for Participating Nonprofits:

  • Assign a primary representative who can commit 10-15 hours per month from March to August and can respond to the Agency team within two business days

  • Develop a narrow project plan based on your application with your nonprofit agency team

  • Send nonprofit representative(s) to attend the virtual or hybrid project kickoff event in March

  • Send nonprofit representative(s) to attend the virtual or hybrid project presentations in early September

  • Complete a feedback survey after project completion

  • Allow AMA PDX Agency to share the outcomes of your project via blog and social media posts, case studies, etc.

Will my organization qualify, and what types of projects are successful?

We will consider applications from community organizations, nonprofits, and companies that are for-profit but are founded on social missions.

Special consideration will be given to organizations led by members of the communities most affected by the issues the organization works to address, those working to address root causes of social injustice, and those that collaborate with other organizations and shareholders.

The most successful AMA Agency projects have a clear scope and specific, measurable goals that align with the organization’s strategic plan. For example, here are some successful projects from the last three years: 

  • raised brand awareness in a new geography for a GED and job training program with Portland YouthBuilders through a campaign that included audience profiles, graphic design, and recommendations for implementation 

  • increased volunteer applications for Portland Refugee Support Group with an audit of the website and primary calls to action and recommendations for user experience improvements and lead generation campaign strategies

  • drove enrollment for Rooted School Vancouver by conducting a client survey that informed a content marketing strategy with deliverables including a promotional video and recruiting timeline 

“AMA PDX Agency's volunteers transformed our messaging, helping us **reach more of the communities we serve** with a clear, impactful brand identity.”

-OPAL Environmental Justice Team

“I truly cannot say enough about the AMA PDX team assigned to Rooted School Vancouver (RSV)! Extremely communicative, informative, and so skilled at hearing our needs and creating a through-line to the team and the deliverable needed.”

Sandra Yokley, Director of Operations, Rooted School Vancouver

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)

Our Commitment to Inclusive Marketing

At AMA PDX we believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). Our work prioritizes uplifting underrepresenting voices, ensuring ethical and impactful marketing strategies for all communities.

Getting to Know Agency Leadership

Corinne Gould, VP of Agency

Where are you from?

I grew up in a small town outside of Seattle called Duvall. I lived in Spokane, WA during college and moved to Portland, OR for graduate school. Ten years later, and I'm still here! My partner and I just moved to Woodstock, and we've been enjoying getting to know the restaurants, parks, and libraries nearby.

What keeps you inspired in your field?

I love that marketing and communications attracts smart, creative, collaborative problem-solvers, and my colleagues always keep me grounded and inspired when I'm feeling overwhelmed by committing priorities or disappointed by campaign outcomes.

What is something surprising about you?

Publishing and higher education have been core to my professional career, and so it might be surprising to learn that I was homeschooled and in alternative education until high school, and I struggled to learn to read. I'm still one of the slowest readers I know, but I love reading across genres from literary poetry and short stories, academic nonfiction, smutty fanfiction, and beyond! Linked Profile

Ines Giovannini, Director of Agency

Where are you from?

Originally from Germany, I moved to Portland in October of 2019. I think Munich is the best city in the world, and at the same time feel lucky to call Oregon my second home.

What keeps you inspired in your field?

I love that the communications function is constantly evolving. With so many new marketing, collaboration and productivity tools constantly popping up, my team and I love to try new things and see how they go based on data.

What is something surprising about you?

I'm addicted to anything sweet! I'd rather eat ice-cream or cake than any savory meal and perfected my baking skills in the pandemic. LinkedIn Profile

Alexandra Hagel, Director of Agency Comms

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Portland and am proud to be working in my home-grown city! I’ve spent time living abroad in college, while I love immersing myself in different cultures, Portland will always be my home base. I spend as much time as possible out in the forests and mountains getting lost in the magic of the wilds.

What keeps you inspired in your field?

Storytelling is at the heart of great marketing, and I love crafting narratives that bring brands and missions to life. My background is in creative design, art, and communications- whether it’s shaping a campaign, analyzing data trends, or helping businesses find their voice, I thrive on finding a perfect blend of strategy and creativity. Also, working with passionate, mission-driven people who genuinely want to make an impact!

What is something surprising about you?

I’m a lifelong nature nerd, mycologist, and advocate for wilderness conservation. I love teaching about plants and fungi, volunteering on trails, and capturing the natural world through photography. I’ve published mushroom photography, and create self-portrait art to support environmental charities, which means I’ve mastered the art of sprinting back and forth between my tripod and the perfect mossy backdrop. If I disappear on a hike, just check under the nearest tree—I’m probably taking photos or admiring some cool fungi. LinkedIn Profile

Meet Our 2025

Agency Cohort

Our History

A Legacy of Impact: The AMA PDX Agency Story

The First of Its Kind
Founded in 2007, AMA PDX Agency pioneered the first pro bono marketing program of its kind in the country. This groundbreaking initiative began as a community outreach effort, pairing skilled marketing volunteers with Portland-area nonprofits in need of professional support.

In 2018, the program was officially rebranded as AMA PDX Agency, reflecting its evolution into a structured, high-impact marketing and communications consultancy for nonprofits.

In 2020, the program transitioned to a hybrid/remote model to enhance accessibility and safety. Today, we continue to provide flexible, high-quality marketing consulting, with a mix of virtual and in-person opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Through AMA PDX Agency, we remain committed to empowering mission-driven organizations, strengthening the Portland nonprofit community, and fostering professional growth for marketing professionals.

Chapter Awards

  • Leadership Special Merit Award

  • Finance Special Merit Award

  • Communications & Marketing Special Merit

The PDX Agency Experience

  • “It is an honor to work side-by-side with a group of service-oriented colleagues, digging in to deliver marketing expertise for our vibrant Portland non-profits.”

    —Jeff Skoke

  • “Our AMA team had the opportunity to craft a campaign, spanning creative, messaging, paid and organic social, web, and influencer recommendations.”

    —Meghan Peterson

  • “AMA PDX Agency gave me the opportunity and platform to hone my skills as a multi-faceted marketer. I left feeling challenged, and as a result, more comfortable transferring my marketing knowledge across other sectors.”

    —Sarah Moffatt

  • “These are the kind of connections that make Portland a better place to live, work and play!”

  • “The AMA nonprofit program provides professionals passionate about service with an outlet to lend a helping hand to an amazing nonprofit so the organization can continue to do the amazing work they do. It is mutually beneficial and rewarding for all. Everyone wins!”

    – Rachael Cervenka, AMA PDX Agency Volunteer with Rahab’s Sisters

  • “Anyone of us can go and volunteer the usual basic ways, but being able to help with something that I work at every day seems more personal and a better use of my volunteer time,”

    – Charles Bergenstock, Bergenstock Design

  • “Our consultants have worked hard to really understand our needs and to bring us a high-quality product that reflects our important work.”

    – Jefferson Morgan, Board Chair, The Living Room

  • “We’d do it again! Anytime a nonprofit is given an opportunity like this, we have to take it. The fact that we were chosen is huge. It was such an honor.”

    – Amy Rutherford Close, Fresh Start

  • “The AMA PDX Agency program is one of my favorite ways to volunteer. I get to work with a talented and motivated group of people I wouldn’t otherwise know, while working on a project that benefits the community.”

    – Kelly Merrick, AMA PDX Agency Volunteer with Farmers Market Fund

Past Participating Nonprofits

  • The Shadow Project

  • RAIN Catalysts

  • Portland Youth Builders

  • Rooted School Vancouver

  • Portland Refugee Support Group

  • 20-30 Club of Portland

  • OPAL Environmental Justice

  • Albina Vision Trust

  • Micro Enterprises Services of Oregon

  • Farmers Market Fund

  • Independent Publishing Resource Center

  • PDX WIT

  • Rahab's Sisters

  • With Love

  • Betties360

  • Junior Achievement

  • Oregon Children's Theatre

  • The Living Room

  • The Pixie Project

  • ELSO Inc.