Mirella was my mentor in the BCG EmpowerPL program. She is above all a very good listener and someone I can trust completely. The greatest value of the mentoring was her very rich and interdisciplinary experience. I appreciate that she shared many stories and insights from her 25 years of work across all three sectors of the economy, and I also greatly appreciate that she went beyond the program framework and introduced me to many people she had collaborated with, who further enriched our mentoring program with their experience. I'm particularly grateful that despite the fact that I was in Asia on exchange for most of the mentoring period, Mirella initiated on-site meetings for me from Europe, so I could better understand and get to know the Asian market and world. Michał Boroń, student, mentee

I would like to highly recommend Mirella Panek-Owsiańska as I have had the privilege of being mentored by her. Mirella's exceptional skills in advising on communication strategy for our NGO - Fundacja Wymiany Kulturowej toTU toTAM were invaluable. Being an entrepreneur herself, Mirella has a creative and strategic mindset which allows her to teach others on how to effectively develop, plan and execute communication and fundraising strategies by using corporate websites, social media and tech for good organisations or even connect with other significant NGOs in the field. Consultations with Mirella helped us analyse not only our communication strategies but we realised that to have real impact, we need to communicate our mission, vision and project activities based on a communication strategy, because a well-planned communication will let others know what our NGO does and why it matters. The key reason for recommending Mirella would not exclusively be her vast knowledge on building your brand/NGO visibility and capacity but also her ability to work in the interdisciplinary projects with people from diverse backgrounds. She is always willing to go above and beyond to ensure that the project is nurtured by non-obvious solutions, partnerships and disciplines. Mirella's outstanding ability to build others' leadership skills is well reflexed in her own work and proves that she talks the talk and walks the walk. Her analytical approach helped us understand that for an NGO to be successful, impactful and self-sustainable, the team needs to work really hard not just on operational level, but also strategically. I have no doubt that Mirella's advice will be an asset to any team and will move every organisation forward. Magdalena Pardel-Trefler, Foundation toTU to TAM

I wrote to Mirella on LinkedIn at the beginning of this year. I had never met her before. I simply had a New Year's resolution to ask for advice from people I admire. That's why I wrote to Mirella. I don't know another person so engaged in topics related to changing the world for the better. I wrote to her directly that she impresses me and that I'm amazed by what she does. That was then, and since I've gotten to know her, these feelings have only grown stronger. I asked her for help because during the year, my firm transformed from a small, essentially two-person law office into an 8-person team for whom I wanted to create a great and valuable workplace. Besides that, I still had to ensure they had meaningful work to do. Since then, we've been on many mentoring walks. During these, Mirella helped me understand how to create a Team and how to care for the people who help me realize my dreams. She advised me on how I could better help non-governmental organizations and businesses that want to have a positive impact on the world. She also helped me overcome my reluctance and start attending industry conferences, which I used to avoid. She opened my eyes to many issues related to working with people that I had been completely unaware of before. She always shared all her advice with a smile and in a way that never made me feel like she was lecturing me. Her understanding of my ignorance and lack of knowledge in some topics is truly enormous. Thanks to this, I never hesitated to share my honest concerns or current problems with her. Today, as Legalden law firm, we are in a completely different place, and I can write with 100% certainty that Mirella deserves enormous credit for this. Without that LinkedIn message from January 2, 2023, my life as a leader and founder of the law firm would have taken a completely different path. Thank you, Mirella, for all the hours you dedicated to me! I recommend collaboration with Mirella to anyone who wants to change the world for the better. Jacek Olejarz, lawyer, founder of Legalden

I had the pleasure of working with Mirella on the framework discussion of fundraising strategy for the business of SOS Food Bank in Warsaw. Mirella introduced me to the process from a bird's eye view. She asked several questions that opened my eyes to the broader element of building the Foundation's strategy, communication whether on the website or social media. De facto, the work resulted in taking 3 steps back to be able to take 33 steps forward later. Mirella's knowledge, experience, and rich illustration with examples are wonderful inspiration for a fundraiser and strategist. And the subsequent relationship building with the Client and nice posts with interesting tidbits on LinkedIn - priceless. Iwona Wojtaszek , Food Bank in Warsaw

The Association Volunteer Center has had the opportunity to work with Mirella several times in different areas. Mirella led a debate on employee volunteering during one of our conferences, and provided training and advice on fundraising. What we value in her is knowledge combined with practical experience, familiarity with the third sector, business knowledge, and various innovative ideas for connecting both sides. Mirella willingly shares knowledge, experience, and ideas. We really like her drive to make the NGO world professional and the business world sensitive, to connect these two worlds by utilizing the strengths of both. We wish you success in your further activities and would gladly work together again! Agnieszka Lissowska-Lewkowicz , Volunteer Center in Warsaw

I have known Mirella for many years and have always appreciated her engagement in issues near and dear to me, such as civil society development and gender equality. More recently, I had a pleasure to work with her on developing fundraising strategy of Institute of Public Affairs (ISP), a leading Polish think tank. Working with myself and other ISP staff, Mirella proposed a very comprehensive and concrete strategy, tailor-made to our needs. The strategy has been adopted by ISP Board and is now carried out according to the plan that Mirella had proposed. I have been very satisfied not just with the document itself, but with the participatory process of its creation, which was overseen by Mirella. She is not only competent in the field of NGO governance and fundraising but also a very good person to work with, thanks to her diligence, active listening skills and, last but not least, her sense of humour. Jacek Kucharczyk , Institute of Public Affairs

Working under Mirella's watchful eye is a unique experience. On one hand, it allows you to maintain great freedom in terms of your own ideas and actions, while on the other hand, it provides expert support where doubts arise. Her knowledge, commitment, and years of experience make her a valuable companion on the challenging paths of fundraising, while her openness, cheerfulness, and never-fading smile make working with her pure pleasure. Grzegorz Kostka , ITAKA Foundation

I value working with Mirella because she is super-professional and super-human at the same time. Besides sensing trends in communication, new technologies, and fundraising, and having solid knowledge in these areas, she always sees people, organizations, and their causes first. For the third year now, she has been meeting as a trainer and consultant with organizations in the SCWO Fundraising Schools conducted by the BORIS Association as part of the Capital Center for Supporting Non-Governmental Organizations. In her work with them, she starts from potentials and only then, based on them, addresses challenges. She strengthens, empowers, provides tools and inspiration. She leads the process, but concrete matters are also important to her – the practical side of the solutions being developed, possibilities for implementation. Mirella is grounded in values that are close to me and BORIS, but she doesn't refuse to work with organizations that might 'think differently.' Marta Henzler , BORIS Association

Mirella is the best person in organizing a good climate for CSR development in Poland. Prof. Bolesław Rok, Kozminski University

I have known Mirella for almost 20 years: first as an outstanding alumna of a leadership course; then as course assistant; then as a program collaborator and consultant; and all the time as a very good personal friend. I have found her very charming as a person; completely reliable and loyal as a colleague; intellectually acute and open to new ideas and insights - one of the most impressive Poles I have known. Zbigniew Pelczynski OBE, Founder and President, School for Leaders

I have worked with Mirella in a network of European CSR exerts and managers for almost four years and I have come to knowing her as a hard working, determined and very friendly person. She inspires others with her ideas, and knows how to drive themes and ideas, and to motivate people. She is a great person! Kerstin Born, CSR Europe

I worked for almost two years with Mirella. She was a great boss - taking care for employees, listening to their needs and creating the opportunity for development. As a Director General she was also a great manager to learn from - how to manage organization, people, projects and relations with all stakeholders. Aleksandra Stanek-Kowalczyk, Responsible Business Forum