We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Meghan Walsh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Meghan below.

Meghan, appreciate you joining us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

When I first started Roots Ethiopia, a non profit, I carried a weight that many founders know well – the responsibility of raising money to fuel the incredible mission: schooling for kids and skills for moms. I remember sitting at my kitchen table, staring at a list of names – family members, friends, former colleagues – the names in front of me creating a cascade of nerves. I felt concerned. Asking for support felt heavy and difficult.

That’s when my husband shared words that would fundamentally shift my perspective: “It’s your job to ask, and it’s their job to decide if they can give.” Simple, yet profound. He helped me understand that by not asking, I was actually denying people the opportunity to be part of something meaningful. And, I really gained confidence to ask, and to allow space for an answer with no judgement. It was incredibly freeing for me.

Still, those early asks were challenging. I had to work hard not to let the rejection (‘no’) cast a shadow over the yeses I’d received. I was missing something crucial – the magic of celebration.

Over fifteen years of fundraising, I’ve learned that every “yes” is a beautiful affirmation of shared values and trust. Every gift represents someone choosing to care — for whatever reason. And the reasons to give are many — I feel enormous gratitude with every ‘yes’. I don’t keep a list of “who didn’t give.’ Instead, I stay open to the surprise of every gift that is given to support kids and moms and whole communities in rural Ethiopia. Every gift is a celebration — and a wonderful surprise.

Today, when I mentor fundraisers, I share this wisdom: Your role isn’t to convince everyone – it’s to connect those who care with opportunities to make a difference. Every ask is an invitation to participate in positive change. And when you receive a “yes,” celebrate it fully. A job of a fundraiser is to ask. The donor’s job is to answer — any way they desire.

This journey has taught me that fundraising isn’t about perfect pitch decks or polished presentations. It’s about the courage to extend an invitation. Most importantly, it’s about gratitude – for every yes, every supporter, and every opportunity to do good in the world.

Meghan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

“How Can I help”

It began with an ordinary afternoon in 2011 – the kind where life’s quiet moments unexpectedly intersect with profound purpose. My young son had just drifted off to nap, and I opened my email to find an urgent message from a friend in Ethiopia: “There is a famine. The rains are late. There is no food. I am hearing that the elderly and the youngest children are dying in the countryside.”

Like anyone hearing about suffering, I asked the first and most important question that came immediately to my mind: “How can I help?”

That simple question became the foundation of Roots Ethiopia. My friend connected me with his church, which was working to feed families in crisis – something Roots Ethiopia continues to do to this day. Within just two weeks, I learned that a donation my husband and I made to the church fed 60 families. They would survive. The impact was immediate and tangible, and it sparked a thought: “I could ask my friends if they’d like to help. Together, we could feed more families.”

There was nothing extraordinary about this response – it’s what humans do. When we see others struggling, we ask, “How can I help?” I know you would do the same. After asking friends to join the effort, we provided enough support to feed about 600 families total.

The real transformation came about 15 months later when I traveled to Ethiopia. I am a cultural anthropologist by training, and I knew I wanted to talk with the Church elders. They, along with my dear friend, arranged a small gathering where local mothers shared their stories with me. I understood that in these rural areas, the Church was often the only social service provider. When times were hard, even church members struggled greatly. Yet despite limited resources, people gave what they could and helped however they could. This is a familiar story all over the world — people helping each other.

This experience stirred something deeper in me – a desire to do more. As I visited with community elders, I asked another simple but powerful question: “What do you need?” The answer was consistent across every community: “Our children need to go to school, and our people need jobs.”

These clear, fundamental needs became the blueprint for Roots Ethiopia. What began as a response to an urgent email has grown into a sustained commitment to education for children and economic opportunity for mothers in Central Ethiopia. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most significant journeys begin with the simplest questions – “How can I help?” and “What do you need?” Quite literally, these words shifted my world (although I didn’t have a clue about working in the nonprofit world. I had recently left teaching and starting a non profit was not a goal … ever).

This is how Roots Ethiopia was born – not from grand plans or complex strategies, but from basic human compassion and my desire to lend a hand.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

After almost 13 years of leading Roots Ethiopia, I’ve learned that growing our organization (which means donations from supporters, who are akin to ‘clientele) is much like tending a garden – it requires patience, consistent care, and a focus on nurturing relationships. My early experiences in Ethiopia taught me that Ethiopians understand their problems, and they know how to solve them. The ravages of social, racial, and economic injustices means that local people often don’t have the economic resources at hand to create lasting change.

This understanding fundamentally shaped how we approach our work and how we engage with our donors. We’re not here to impose solutions – we’re here to bridge the resource gap between local wisdom and lasting change. When I share this perspective with our donor community, it resonates deeply. People appreciate that we honor local knowledge and leadership. All of our team members are local people – I like to share how they are born, live, marry, send their children to school, and live as neighbors right where they are working to deliver the mission of Roots Ethiopia. It’s a powerful model. We make good on delivering “local ideas for lasting change.”

Those early conversations with church elders and mothers showed me that the answers were already there – in the communities, in the local leadership, in the dreams parents had for their children’s education, in the entrepreneurial spirit of women seeking economic opportunities. What was missing weren’t ideas or determination, but rather the financial resources to turn these visions into reality.

This is where our donor community plays such a vital role. Folks aren’t “just’ funding projects; they’re partnering with Ethiopian villagers in support of community priorities. I hope when I share this message donors connect with our mission on a deeper level. I hope everyone who is part of Roots Ethiopia feels how meaningful it is to work together for a better world.

I truly hope to move the dial for myself and others — as we strive to understand how sustainable change comes from within communities. This is why our Ethiopian team drives this organization and sets the mission and the vision that is their every day reality and their every day expertise. I really love deeply embracing one of our core beliefs of “Ethiopians for Ethiopians.” Every team member understands how their lived experience makes them the experts and the innovators and the leaders.

Mutual respect, trust, and compassion are how we grow our community. Our donors aren’t just giving money; they’re investing in the wisdom, capability, and determination that already exists in Ethiopian communities.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Are there resources I wish I knew about before my journey? YES, absolutely! As I said, I’m a teacher by training, not a tech expert, not a designer, and certainly not someone who started out knowing anything about log frames, budgets, or the complex operational layers of running an NGO. I operate more as a visionary than someone with practical organizational skills and knowledge. There are days I wish I had the latter in spades.

What makes me smile now, at 60, is realizing that what mattered most wasn’t having all those skills at the start – it was being thoughtful, resourceful, and maintaining a perpetual willingness to learn. This journey has taught me that expertise isn’t the ‘thing’ that I want to chase. I seek out help when I need it. We have a talented Board of Directors who bring their insights and skills to the table, and there are all kinds of amazing experts in the wings who can point us in the direction of resources and help we need.

Looking back, I wish I’d known earlier about:
* How to create a tech stack AND a human stack to power the US side of our work
* Tools and platforms that could have streamlined our operations sooner
* How to build paid expertise into the US side of managing all the layers of fundraising and management
* Passion projects are compelling AND need paid staff to go the distance (we still don’t have paid staff in the US – and this is our next big goal)

But here’s what I’ve learned that’s even more valuable: at any age, whether you’re 30 or 60, you can build something meaningful if you’re willing to:
* Ask questions and admit what you don’t know
* Surround yourself with people who complement your skills
* Embrace learning as a continuous journey
* Trust in your ability to grow and adapt

I may not be a “techie” or a financial expert, but I am a connector. I love being a work in progress and a curious observer of resources and needs. My journey with Roots Ethiopia has taught me that authentic leadership isn’t about knowing everything; it’s about being willing to learn and being curious every single day (unless it involves building a website or creating a super beautiful spreadsheet — those are my kryptonite).

And perhaps that’s the most important resource of all – the understanding that your willingness to learn, grow, and adapt is more valuable than any specific skill set you might wish you had at the start. At 60, I’m still learning, still growing, and still amazed by the world, with special love and care for the beautiful families in Ethiopia.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootsethiopia.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsethiopia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsethiopia/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-walsh-24013277/