Amanda Powell Insight & Strategy

Amanda Powell

Insight, Strategy & Innovation for Social Impact

I deliver cultural insight and strategy that helps social purpose organisations connect the dots, navigate change & increase your impact

Using qualitative and empathetic research, I help NGOs, charities & purpose brands:

🧠 Understand your audiences in depth

✏️ Design insight-led creative campaigns

🌱 Develop strategies for good growth

🔧 Build product prototypes

Services

I have over 10 years experience working with UK and International charities across a range of topics, from public health to international development. I’ve experience delivering solutions around:
- Audience/beneficiary understanding
- Programme development
- Fundraising Innovation
- Public Mobilisation and Advocacy
- Behaviour change
- Brand Strategy
- Communications Development
- Trends and Futures Thinking
I bring an expert blend of social research methodologies and commercial research tools to help clients solve uniquely knotty problems. A Sociology background has enabled me to develop a specialism in inclusive methodologies, for which I won an MRS award in 2019.
I’m always happy to chat about your current challenge to see how I can help: hello@amanda-powell.com
With a background in advertising, marketing and psychology, I am at home helping brands understand our cultural landscape. I have 9 years’ experience working agency side and am happy leading or supporting existing teams. My expertise spans a range of brand needs including:
- Audience Understanding
- User Experience
- Brand strategy
- Brand Purpose and Positioning
- Digital Campaign Strategy
- Concept Development
- Creative Testing
- Futures Thinking and Trends
I’m always happy to chat about your current challenge to see how I can help: hello@amanda-powell.com
Sometimes teams want to conduct their insight and strategy in-house, with a little upskilling and light support from me.
I’m an experienced training provider, leading sessions in the UK, Japan and the US on research, strategy and new methodologies. This has included a guest lecture at Yale School of Management.
Talk to me about bespoke research and strategy training to upskill your team and conduct work in-house: hello@amanda-powell.com

Hi, I’m Amanda

An award-winning social researcher and strategist with a passion for empathetic and inclusive approaches.

I provide audience insight and strategy for not-for-profit organisations to inform programme design, advocacy / fundraising campaigns and communications strategies. I can develop a campaign from brief to execution and have built a range of digital products from idea to working prototype. Please email me for case studies.

I am passionate about putting creativity and lived experience at the heart of design. My mission is to use research to raise the voices of those who are seldom heard and build a more equitable future for all.

My background combines Social Science, Qualitative Research and Campaign Strategy. I hold an MSc in Sociology and Contemporary Inequalities and a BA in Advertising and Marketing.

Experience & Approach

My experience spans both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors in the UK and internationally. I started my career in a global strategy agency, working with some of the world’s biggest brands before moving into social purpose work 7 years ago.

Qualitative research work has taken me to 35+ countries, exploring topics ranging from youth mental health in the UK gaming community, to understanding gender in Ethiopia for a non-profit media brand.

I use bespoke rather than template methodologies, and place lived experience, empathy and co-creation at the heart of design. I am skilled in a range of approaches including ethnography, digital communities, sprint workshops & group discussions.

Nice words from clients

Amanda is a joy to work with. She brought an invaluable balance of creativity and rigour to her work and this, combined with a highly collaborative approach, meant she rapidly reached consensus and developed well-fitting solutions. The quality and clarity of her communications was excellent; she had a clear vision and brought people along with her on the journey. Amanda took the brief and ran with it, whilst keeping me informed and engaged. She brought energy, ideas and kindness into every meeting

Catherine Seymour, Head of Research, The Mental Health Foundation
Great working relationships, like any other, are founded on trust. Which is why I had such a great experience working with Amanda. Beyond the basics of delivering what she promises (in fact, she went above and beyond), Amanda brought her massive intelligence, thoughtful reflection and incisive analysis to create a great outcome for our client. Her style is collaborative and co-creative, but she was happy to challenge when she felt the creative outcomes didn't align with the insight she'd gathered. And the clients loved her for it.

Kevin Waudby, Co-Founder, Good Innovation

Awards news

I’m chuffed to be a finalist in TWO categories for the 2022 MRS Awards! "Mind Gaming", a report and campaign about gaming and mental wellbeing, with the Mental Health Foundation has been nominated for the Public Policy / Social Research and Inclusive Research Design awards