BENJ VARDIGAN

Benj, our longest-tenured writer, draws on ample writing experience to deliver authentic, compelling communications and cases for support that reflect and celebrate our clients. 

Versatile, thoughtful, and crafted are words that define Benj’s writing. From a managing editor in the healthcare sector to a communications director in the education sector to inadvertently becoming Amplify’s housing sector guru, Benj knows how to capture the reader’s interest on an array of topics. Benj’s toolbox includes journalistic rigor and poetic creativity, making him well-suited for the expansive range of projects and topics Amplify clients require. 

As Benj describes, and executes flawlessly, the job of the Amplify writer is to communicate the impactful work of our nonprofit client in ways that strike different audiences in meaningful ways—without overselling, underselling, or misrepresenting their programs and the people they support. Benj isn’t the loudest guy in the room, but his grant-writing and other deliverables consistently produce results and serve as a powerful megaphone for clients. Or as Benj, prone to puns, would state it – he knows how to precisely amplify the powerful stories our clients are telling. 

Ask the Ampster: Can you share a memorable volunteering or fundraising experience you’ve had? 

In 2003 a friend of mine founded a K-5 school in Oakland, California's Fruitvale neighborhood. Between jobs at the time, I started volunteering there by writing (and printing and stuffing and mailing) the school's newsletter and fundraising appeals. I loved connecting with students, teachers, and families and telling the school's story through their stories. This experience led to a writer position at the Oakland Public Education Fund, which started a nonprofit journey that eventually led me to Amplify and to Mile in My Shoes, where I volunteer as a Run Mentor and board member.