For Savvy Ladies Volunteer of the Year award recipient Amanda Connaughton, volunteering is about more than giving back. It’s about helping women move from uncertainty to confidence, and ensuring they feel seen, heard, and empowered when making financial decisions that shape their futures.
As a financial advisor with Financial Solutions, Amanda has spent the past four years volunteering with Savvy Ladies as both a Helpline Volunteer and Junior Board Member. Through her work, she has become a trusted resource for women navigating financial challenges ranging from budgeting and spending habits to major life transitions like divorce.
Amanda says her passion for the organization stems from a belief that financial education is one of the most powerful tools for creating independence and long-term security. Throughout her career, she has witnessed firsthand how often women are excluded from financial conversations or underserved by the financial system, experiences that deepened her commitment to helping women gain confidence and ownership over their financial lives.
That commitment has translated into meaningful impact. Through Savvy Ladies’ helpline, Amanda dedicates hours each month to providing thoughtful, practical financial guidance to women seeking support. She also has helped advance the organization’s broader educational mission through outreach and speaking engagements, including participating in a panel on financial considerations for women navigating divorce and presenting financial education concepts to college students at.
Among the many women she has supported, one interaction stands out as especially meaningful. Amanda recalls working with a woman who felt overwhelmed and discouraged about her spending and budgeting challenges. By helping her break those challenges into manageable steps and offering practical strategies she could implement immediately, Amanda watched the woman’s mindset transform during the conversation, shifting from stress and uncertainty to hope and confidence.
For Amanda, moments like that are why volunteer service matters. She believes financial education creates a ripple effect far beyond one individual. When women gain confidence in their finances, they often share that knowledge with friends, family members, and their broader communities, extending the impact far beyond a single conversation.
In recognition of her dedication and impact, Amanda was named the recipient of the Savvy Ladies Volunteer of the Year Award, sponsored by Invest in Others. The award was presented on May 12 at the organization’s Volunteer Summit in New York City. As sponsor of the award and in celebration of Connaughton’s volunteer efforts, Invest in Others is providing a $5,000 grant to Savvy Ladies to support its volunteer-driven efforts to deliver free financial education to women nationwide.
Amanda also participated in the Volunteer Summit as a thought leader and panelist, where she joined other speakers focused on the topic of “Purpose, Trust, and Confidence: How Advisors Can Build Credibility by Leveraging Volunteering.” The conversation highlighted the growing role volunteerism plays in helping advisors build authentic relationships while creating meaningful community impact, something Amanda exemplifies through every conversation she has with the women she serves.
For Amanda, the work is ultimately about helping women realize they are capable of taking control of their financial futures and ensuring they never have to navigate those challenges alone.
