AMA PDX Agency Draws to a Close: hear about reflections on AMA PDX Agency, Embracing New Challenges, and Creating Impactful Stories
Ever wonder what it’s like to be AMA PDX Agency volunteer? Meet Kara, a recent graduate and Portland native who joined the AMA PDX Agency program to grow her marketing skills while giving back to her community. Via AMA PDX’s unique agency volunteering program, Kara worked with Wonderfolk: a nonprofit that empowers diverse youth through leadership opportunities, mentoring, and global experiences.
Over the course of six months, Kara leaned into new challenges, honed her communications expertise, and played a key role in developing research-backed messaging and compelling visual materials to help Wonderfolk tell its story with clarity and impact.
Read Kara’s reflections on six months of volunteering with AMA PDX Agency.
Q: Can you introduce yourself and your role in the agency program?
A: My name is Kara and I am an Agency Associate for the AMA PDX Agency program.
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and earned my BA in Communication Studies in May of 2024. I am currently a Marketing and Communications Associate for a Portland based sports and recreation company.
Outside of work I enjoy pilates, travel, cuddling with my cats, and visiting fun new food and drink spots in Portland!
Q: Why did you decide to volunteer with AMA PDX Agency?
A: When I first discovered the AMA PDX Agency, I had recently graduated and was looking for opportunities to learn new skills and gain additional experience. I also had previous background in working with nonprofits through my past internships and volunteer work.
I was excited to be selected for the PDX Agency because I value using my communications and marketing background to work with organizations that make a difference in my community and create change!
Q: Which nonprofit client did you work with this season?
A: My team and I worked with Wonderfolk, a nonprofit that works to empower diverse youth through access to unique leadership and development opportunities. These include mentoring, global travel experiences, leadership opportunities, and career development opportunities.
Wonderfolk’s most pressing need was to develop strong, research-backed messaging that demonstrates the essentiality of their work and communicates their brand and mission more clearly.
Q: Now at the end of the 6-month engagement with Wonderfolk, what have you and the team delivered?
A: I’m really proud of the amazing work that my team and I completed in the past 6 months. Our first phase of the project resulted in an Evidence Matrix that provided Wonderfolk with impactful statistics to help them communicate the value and importance of their work. These included data points from their website, annual reports, and past participant surveys. We also pulled some proof points from scholarly research that highlighted the impact of similar programs.
The second part of our project was the Activation Toolkit. My primary focus for this phase was managing the development and creation of several impact metric one-pagers. I created four one-pagers for various audiences, including prospective parents and caregivers, donors, prospective students, and partners. Each one-pager was customized with relevant imagery, statistics, quotes, and calls-to-action.
The third part of our project was a Data & Research Augmentation Roadmap - a toolkit to create a system that augments existing research with data from Wonderfolk’s own programs over time. This included survey updates, a capacity model, methodology documents, and an implementation plan.
Q: What was the most exciting part of this experience?
A: The most exciting part of this experience was to be able to watch everything come together. It was amazing to see our work go from initial brainstorming, to drafting, to editing, and then finally seeing the finished product.
I also really enjoyed gaining new skills and being able to learn from my more experienced team members. I valued being able to receive feedback on my work and bounce ideas off of one another.
Q: What have you learned from your experience with AMA PDX Agency?
A: I have learned to push myself and continue to do things that fall out of my comfort zone. Some of the projects that I assisted with involved challenging myself and helping out by doing things I hadn’t done before. Always be willing to try something new - that’s how you learn!
Q: What advice would you give to future volunteers?
A: A piece of advice that I would give to future volunteers is to identify what it is you enjoy doing and know what you can bring to your team. Each one of us on the Wonderfolk team brought a diverse set of skills, and our unique experiences helped us create impactful deliverables for our client. At the start of the program I expressed interest in creating a visual deliverable - that resulted in the creation of our one-pagers!
Get Involved
For Kara, volunteering with AMA PDX Agency has been both a professional growth opportunity and a way to make a tangible difference for a local nonprofit. By stepping outside her comfort zone, she not only expanded her skills but also helped Wonderfolk strengthen its brand and connect more effectively with the community it serves.
If you’re ready to stretch your skills, collaborate with fellow marketers, and give back to the community, the AMA PDX Agency program could be the perfect fit.
Volunteer for the 2026 season – applications open in late 2025
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