Speaking & Workshops
A world where everyone is empowered to create positive change is a world where everyone wins.
Past Speaking Clients
Alamance County HR Association
The Lundy Group
NCAIS Annual Educators Conference
The Hero Roundtable
The Fletcher Academy
YogaFest NC
Coalition for Collegiate Women’s Leadership
Peace Lunch Forum
RTP 180
ideaSPARK
HQ Raleigh
Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce
Texas Volunteer Management Conference
NC Executive Roundtable
Association Executives of NC
Financial Planning Association of the Triangle
Longview School
Leadership Triangle
NC State University
Business & Professional Women of the Triangle
Triangle Interactive Marketing Association
NC Center for Nonprofits
Institute for Emerging Issues
Junior League of Raleigh
CHIESI USA
Global Summit on Social Impact
SHE Leads Conference
Saint Mary’s School
Leadership Raleigh
Raleigh Chamber of Commerce
Dell EMC
NC SHRM State Council
Raleigh-Wake Human Resource Management Association
North Carolina Central University
NCAVA
Conservation Trust NC
iContact
Also Featured In
Signature Keynote
The Ingredients of a Changemaker: Activating Your Unique Power to Make an Impact
After your audience hears Amber speak, they’ll have the inspiration to take their next steps towards creating positive social impact through their careers or organizations!
Audiences
- Corporate social responsibility, employee engagement and human resources leaders and organizations
- Women’s leadership events
- Conferences and events for audiences seeking their next career opportunities
- Young professionals
- Aspiring nonprofit or social enterprise founders and leaders
Audience Takeaways
- How to clarify your social impact goals – and transform personal, professional, and organizational success at the same time
- How we can apply lessons from social change movements to drive positive change in your community, organization, or team
- Mobilize people around you to support a cause or a goal
Workshops for Nonprofits
Nonprofit Board Governance Basics
Great for nonprofit boards and new or first-time Board members
- What nonprofit board governance is and why it is so important
- The 3 fiduciary duties of nonprofit board members
- How board and staff dynamics, roles and responsibilities evolve based on the phase of the organization
- Current trends and conversations in the nonprofit sector and what they mean for board service
Diversifying Funding for Nonprofits
Great for nonprofit organizations and conferences
- Understand what Earned Income is as a potential nonprofit revenue strategy
- Learn the basic steps to develop an Earned Income strategy
Volunteer Recruitment in a Post-COVID World
Great for nonprofit organizations and conferences
- Volunteer recruitment basics with a focus on impactful learning and engagement
- How to determine ideal volunteer roles working backwards from your organization’s ultimate outcomes
- Current trends and their implications for volunteer recruitment and retention in the modern era
- Strategies to improve volunteer retention and help volunteers move into deeper roles with your organization
Creative Collabs: Form Effective Partnerships for Social Impact
Great for nonprofits and social impact organizations and conferences
- Clarify on your goals and outcomes for partnership and what you need in place for effective social impact partnership
- Best practices for finding partners and formalizing a win-win partnership
Workshops for Business Leaders
Nonprofit Board Service Basics
Great for Professionals interested in serving on Nonprofit Boards
- What nonprofit board governance is and why it is so important
- The 3 fiduciary duties of nonprofit board members
- How board and staff dynamics, roles and responsibilities evolve based on the phase of the organization
- Current trends and conversations in the nonprofit sector and what they mean for board service
- How to assess your personal readiness to serve and find the right board
Build Your Team's Social Impact Plan
Great for Employee Resource Groups, CSR, and HR teams
- Align company values, interest areas, policies, and practices with social responsibility and employee volunteerism initiative best practices
- Leave with concrete next steps to launch or build upon social responsibility initiatives
Workshops for Career-Seekers, Students, or Young Professionals
Discover Your Path to a Changemaker Career
Great for young professionals groups, career-seekers, or colleges
- Understand multiple changemaker career options: From social entrepreneurship, to nonprofit jobs, to public service
- Leave with clarity on how your interests and skills align with different career paths
Watch Amber's Demo Reel
Amber is an engaging speaker and the students, educators, and nonprofit staff at the conference were inspired and motivated by Amber’s personal journey to service as well as her vision about the power of volunteerism to transform communities. I highly recommend her for your next event!
Amber is a powerful, inspirational force for social positive change. At a recent North Carolina Executive Roundtable luncheon, she passionately shared her changemaker journey and adeptly wove together insights from social change movements with practice advice on how to apply these principles in our own lives and communities. She shared how we can leverage our own strengths and abilities to drive meaningful change by understanding our own power and potential to make a difference. Her inspiring message left NCER members feeling empowered to take action. I would highly recommend Amber to anyone looking to understand how they can become a changemaker and have a positive impact on both themselves and the world around them. Her expertise, passion, and ability to connect with the audience make her a truly exceptional resource for anyone on the path to making a difference.
Amber was definitely the draw for the evening.
I highly recommend Amber Smith as a keynote speaker. Amber was truly engaging and brought a level of passion that resonated with everyone at the Texas Volunteer Management Conference. Her energy was contagious, and the volunteer managers in attendance absolutely loved the enthusiasm she brought to the stage.
Amber was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. Her communication was clear and consistent, and she was always flexible and accommodating, ensuring everything ran smoothly leading up to the event. Her commitment to making the conference a success was evident every step of the way.
Amber would be a fantastic addition to any event looking for a dynamic and inspiring speaker.
Amber’s personal story is both inspirational and impactful to our participants. Her approach toward widening the view of ways one can make a difference has been very well received. Amber has an incredible ability to help people realize how to convert personal passion into community action.
Amber gave a fascinating presentation to our SHRM-affiliated organization and reenergized our members to think about the importance of giving back to society and how it relates to the wellbeing of our employees and organizations overall!
Amber was a professional right from the first communication all the way through to exiting the stage. She asked all the right questions, making sure that the talk she was delivering matched the goals of both the organization and audience. I’ve recruited more than 200 speakers and that is a rare quality. The talk itself was practiced, smooth, and on time. I’d say the usual, “I’d love to work with her again”, but I’ve already booked her for two more events, so it’s more of an, “I can’t wait to work with her again.”
Bio and Resources for Meeting Planners
Amber Melanie Smith is a speaker, award-winning nonprofit founder, and social entrepreneur. Through a growing online community of changemakers, speaking, and educational content, Amber helps people create their roadmap to a life and career that creates positive social change.
In college, Amber took off on a 3 month cross-country road trip with her best friend to volunteer in over 20 states. When she returned home, she launched Activate Good, a nonprofit that has since mobilized over 50,000 volunteers to help hundreds of causes. Amber’s writing about social impact, service, and leadership has appeared in Fast Company, the Philanthropy Journal, and other media. In 2017, Amber was appointed a commissioner on the NC Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service by NC Governor Roy Cooper. In 2019, Amber launched a YouTube channel to help educate people on starting and growing a successful nonprofit organization or social enterprise, which has since reached over 62,000 changemakers around the world.