Amplify Celebrates 5 Years!

Amplify Mission Network’s Board of Directors, staff, and partners gathered to celebrate the impact of five years of ministry at the partner meeting on July 12th.

President, Julie Eide thanked partners for their engagement and support, “Amplify works because of you! When you show up God is present in creative, unique, and surprising ways and we are all blessed.”

Amplify has touched more than 300 ministries in its first 5 years and continues to set the stage for ripples of impact!

The idea for Amplify Mission Network emerged from of group of business leaders who were journeying together through The Master’s Program nearly 10 years ago. These friends shared a belief that collective work and generosity between business leaders and ministry leaders could produce powerful ripples of impact in the Twin Cities and beyond. 

John Trautz, Board Chair shared, “From a great idea that began 10 years ago by a group of Christian men, the Amplify board and staff have worked tirelessly to refine and improve what we do to help and support emerging ministries.  It has been a joy to observe our partners – a diverse group of very talented people – engage with a huge variety of emerging ministries to make a difference in God’s Kingdom.  I am delighted and proud to be a part of such an organization and excited to see what the next five years bring.”

Here’s a brief look at our history:

• 2018: Amplify Mission Network is incorporated as a 501(c)3 in May of 2018 with a public celebration and launch in July of this year. Amplify also launches the Learning Academy with seed money from a founder, offering expert leadership training to nonprofit Directors. The first cohort consists of 20 local nonprofit leaders.
• 2019: Amplify meetings move from Colonial Church to Christ Presbyterian Church and the first annual fundraising event is held, raising $105,640. The Learning Academy enters its second year, welcoming a new cohort of 25 ministry leaders. 
• 2020:  Amplify adds a second track, the AMP Track, to the Learning Academy. Mentorship is added to Amplify’s programming, engaging both business and nonprofit leaders in additional collaborative work. In March of this year, bimonthly group meetings move to a virtual format for more than a year as COVID disrupts the world. In spite of the challenges, Amplify serves 39 nonprofit ministries and surpasses its fundraising goals for the year. 
• 2021: Amplify returns to in person meetings in July of 2021, welcoming a record 150 business leaders to the meeting. A third track is added to the Learning Academy for mid-level leaders and two full-time staff are hired to support and continue Amplify’s growth. A new website is launched and Amplify welcomes 127 new partners to the network this year. 
• 2022: Amplify adds a Development Director to its team and grows its average meeting attendance to 130+ business leaders. The Board and staff launch a strategic growth plan focused on opening a second meeting site. Consulting services are added to meet the demand from nonprofit ministries interested in presenting a challenge to our network.

Reflecting on the growth over the past five years, Eide shared, “I have loved every minute of these past five years leading Amplify. We are a small organization with a big footprint. We used to be a best kept secret and now the secret is out and catching on. As our family grows, so too does our impact as emerging ministries hit their stride alongside our marketplace leaders with the investment of their time and network connections.”