We recently connected with Lincoln Vallett and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lincoln thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
“Talent is distributed equally. Opportunity is not.”
Growing up, I had every opportunity in the world. I also tried just about everything in the world to mess those opportunities up, but because our family had money and my parents were supportive there was always another opportunity waiting for me.
It is not so in Ethiopia. A talented kid with good character may be doing everything right, but there still might not be one opportunity there for them. Poverty, a broken education system, stigmas, these are all things working against kids in Ethiopia every day.
I see the incredible talent here in Ethiopia and think about how I, who lacked the talent and character they have, had every opportunity in the world given to me. If at least I can help give these deserving kids one opportunity to make it, one opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, one opportunity to chase their dream, than I have an obligation to do it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Lincoln Vallett. I am the co-founder and executive director of Elevate Ethiopia Inc., a non-profit focused on empowering youth and women through education, mentorship, and income generating activity programs. We run an after school program and help women start their own small businesses so that they can provide for their families. The goal is that the youth and women we work with would be free of poverty and become positive impactors in their family, community, and country.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
People think the most important ingredient to running and impactful non-profit is having the newest, most innovative methods or having a lot of money. I have found that not to be true know. The most important ingredient is having a genuine relationship with those you’re serving. Transformation comes through relationships in all of our lives. It is no different when serving the disadvantaged.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
God provides. I left for the US for my first fundraising trip in February 2020, 3 months before COVID broke out. It was the worst possible timing to be fundraising for a new initiative. I didn’t know what to do. However, instead of reaching out to people I knew, four families reached out to me saying, “we heard you are starting a non-profit and want to support.” They didn’t even know the mission yet. Not only was 80% of our year 1 budget covered, but all the families promised to support for the first three years. I cannot credit that to a good strategy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elevateethiopia.org
- Instagram: @elevateethiopia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevateET
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-ethiopia-inc
Image Credits
Nafkot Gebeyehu