STEPHEN DEVEREUX

When Steve founded AmplifyDMC as Devereux Development Consulting out of his home, two things eventually became clear: the house as his office, and his name as our name, would not fit for long.  
 
As he built a versatile and talented team to support Twin Cities nonprofits, Steve reconsidered the “self-titled” company name. After years of working in development with organizations like Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, and The Bridge for Youth—including as a volunteer manager—Steve knew that leadership was about setting others up to lead.  
 
Changing our name to AmplifyDMC in 2017 made sense on two levels. First, it captured the work: helping nonprofits with development, management, and communications (DMC) could amplify their impact. Further, the name reflected Steve’s goal to center the expertise and leadership paths of our team—to amplify the Ampsters.  
 
As a connector and an extrovert, Steve works best in the same space as his team. Amplify flourished when he left the home office behind and moved the company into our current location in Flannery Construction building, a fitting home due to Flannery’s focus on working with nonprofits.  
 
At “AmpHQ” Steve takes the lead in business development, client relationship management, and generating new ideas and strategies in collaboration with our team and our clients. Steve’s experience in the housing sector has led to successful, long-term partnerships with nonprofits across the housing system. (Read about two here and here.) While specializing in the bigger ideas, he’s also known to do a deep dive on a list of funding prospects, singling out new potential funders for our clients.  
 
But Steve is most proud of growing the Amplify team and equipping each Ampster to live into their role and professional journey. That spirit of generosity carries into office culture: in a world of acronyms, he’s quick to use one he coined—“AMP,” or Amplify Meal Plan—to let staff know when lunch is on Amplify, a gesture Steve concedes he may extend a little too often.  

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

My involvement in growing Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s volunteer program helped me realize the critical link between community engagement and fundraising. I was lucky to be there in a huge growth period, expanding our department from two volunteer coordinators to eight and doubling the number of houses we were able to build. During that time I saw how important it is for people to have a personal connection to an organization and its mission before they give their time, talent, and treasure. Looking back, I recognize this as the seeds of how we do our work at AmplifyDMC: nonprofits need strong storytelling and engagement—alongside solid program design and sound organizational management—to build successful and sustainable fundraising.