David Conway David is Regional Fundraising Manager for Europe at Amnesty International, where he works with fundraising leaders and teams across diverse European markets to strengthen performance, develop sustainable income and turn fundraising strategies into practical delivery. He has worked in fundraising for almost 20 years. He began his career in traditional direct marketing at a commercial agency before moving into the NGO sector in 2007. Starting as a Direct Marketing Executive, he progressed through senior individual giving and management roles, eventually becoming Head of Direct Marketing, Data and Supporter Care. He subsequently moved into fundraising consultancy and international fundraising. David has worked for three UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) member charities, spearheading mass-market fundraising during major humanitarian emergencies. While his experience spans the full range of individual giving disciplines, his particular practical expertise lies in donor acquisition: reaching new audiences, inspiring people to respond and turning that initial response into a longer-term relationship.
His career spans several generations of fundraising. His early work was grounded in traditional direct marketing, but he was also involved in the early adoption of SMS and mobile fundraising in the UK during the early 2010s. He later developed extensive experience in direct response television (DRTV) for donor acquisition. Since then, his work has encompassed regular giving, face-to-face fundraising, digital acquisition, lead generation, telemarketing, retention and supporter development. This has allowed him to see first-hand how fundraising has evolved in response to changes in technology, media and supporter behaviour.
Working across Europe now gives David a broad perspective on the challenges facing both established and developing fundraising markets—from building programmes and improving performance to responding when previously reliable acquisition models are disrupted. His work combines strategic oversight with hands-on experience. Alongside his regional role, he has served as Interim Fundraising Director for Amnesty International Portugal. He also works closely with fundraising directors across Europe, providing advice, coaching and practical support on growth, investment decisions and fundraising performance.
David strongly believes in collaboration and learning between markets. He regularly creates and facilitates opportunities for fundraising leaders and specialists to exchange experience and learn from one another. Most recently, he played a leading role in Amnesty International’s 2026 European Fundraising Skillshare in Berlin, which brought together fundraising leaders and specialists from across Europe to examine emerging challenges, share evidence and explore how the sector should adapt.
He is particularly interested in the point where data, creativity and human behaviour meet. His focus extends beyond whether a fundraising programme is performing to understanding why people respond, what makes a proposition compelling and how these insights can be translated into stronger public engagement and sustainable income growth. When speaking about fundraising, David combines an international perspective with practical experience and evidence from the market. He is as interested in what has not worked as in what has, believing that some of the sector’s most valuable conversations happen when practitioners share both openly and practically—without pretending that there is a single formula for success.