Melanie Jackson

Founder at Words That Count

Melanie Jackson is a journalist by training who has been involved in the non-profit sector for almost 20 years. She has worked ‘on both sides of the fence’, in both grant-making and raising funds for a variety of causes.

Her experience has ranged from philanthropic corporate and trust fundraising, to the more challenging individual giving arena, working in several aspects of consumer fundraising. She has worked with traditional direct mail programmes, and more recently with face-to-face fundraising teams.

As the founder of Words that Count, Melanie spends much of her time guiding organisations in their development strategy and measuring the impact of their interventions. She also is a successful trainer and mentor. She has raised money for South African organisations as diverse as a mission hospital and the University of Cape Town and held senior positions in a number of large non-profit organisations prior to establishing the consultancy in 2012.

Melanie and the team at Words that Count believe the secret to their success is the commitment they share to both NGOs and grant-makers – working to achieve impact in the development sector to realise the ideal of a better world.

Melanie a trustee of Positive Vibes, a Namibia-registered non-profit organisation and a council member of Northlink College.