Meet Megan Mathis | Non-profit Entrepreneur & Steward

We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Mathis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
I have a quote from Mother Teresa that’s framed on my desk. It reads “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” Since I work in the fundraising/non-profit world, I often have supporters say to me that they don’t have much to give, and I have to remind them that it doesn’t matter how much they give, but the act of giving itself. We all have some capacity to give according to our individual situations, whether that’s $10 a month or $1000 a month. In a place like Malawi where we work, $10 goes a very long way to make an impact, and $10 can literally save a child’s life with a purchase like a mosquito net. A pastor of mine once said that “We are blessed to bless others” and I think this connects back to Mother Teresa’s quote. The world needs our generosity more than ever and I think that we all have a responsibility to give back in some capacity either with our time, talent or treasure. We must rejoice in our ability to bless others and see any act of giving as an act of love.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was never one who wanted to climb the corporate latter and I struggled throughout my 20’s trying to find my place in the working world. If I’m honest with myself, I had a bit of an authority problem in those years coming out of college and I didn’t want to be told what to do or micromanaged in a job. I knew I was capable, creative and intelligent, but I didn’t know where my skills fit in. I ended up forcing myself into a career in the music industry where unfortunately I really lost myself. I saw a lot of darkness during those years, but if it weren’t for my time in that industry I wouldn’t be doing the work I am today because it was a music festival that first brought me to Malawi in 2010. I think the lesson learned here is that you don’t always know the purpose for some of your struggles, but often you have to go through the darkness to see the light and to find your true purpose. For many of us, discovering what doesn’t work is what leads us to find out what does.

A lot of people have asked me along the way how I started a non-profit, and the answer is not that I’m some incredible entrepreneur or business person with crazy connections. I was given a community to support that touched my heart and I simply acted on it. Even though I have no educational background in fundraising or charity, I’m eager to learn and that’s been enough. Half the time I have no idea what I’m doing, and that’s when I tell myself “just keep moving forward.” I take pride in this work I’ve been given by sharing our story wherever I go, and acknowledging that our impact has been a group effort. I am just a vessel!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We live in CO so I’d have to start with the great outdoors! Since we live in Castle Pines which is about halfway from Denver to CO Springs, I would take them down to Garden of the Gods and for a stroll/lunch in the nearby town of Manitou Springs. There’s a great spa there where you can soak in outdoor wooden hot tubs filled with natural mineral water with an epic view of Pike’s Peak and the Incline.

No trip to Denver, in my opinion, is complete without a visit to Red Rocks for a show, so I’d make sure to take them up north to Morrison for a bite to eat and then some tunes at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater. As for best spot to eat/drink in the city, El Five ranks pretty high on my list with roof top panoramic views of downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am grateful in that I receive a lot of encouragement from supporters of my non-profit, especially from my board members and our legacy supporters. One book that really impacted me was Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert’s “When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…. and Yourself”(2009). It really taught me how carefully we have to approach poverty situations by acknowledging the complexities of those communities that are facing extreme poverty, and how well intentioned hand-outs can actually cause great harm. The book emphasizes fostering agency and ownership through hand-ups instead of hand-outs, and this has in turn shaped all of our strategic planning and program design in Malawi. We don’t give impoverished communities enough credit for the God given skills and abilities that they possess to make lasting change for themselves.

I’ve also been incredibly inspired by other social justice warriors working to bridge the equality gap in Malawi, namely Karen Obsorn of Kusewera who has been a personal mentor of mine as well as the incredible story of Annie Chikhwaza who founded the orphanage in Malawi that Madonna ended up adopting her daughter from (her story was chronicled in “Mother of Malawi- She Created An Oasis of Love in A Country of Orphans” on Amazon).

Finally I can’t be remiss to mention my parents who supported me from the very beginning when I was recycling bottles to raise funds for our community in Malawi, and my husband who’s always believed that this was God’s calling for my life and who is always out there advocating for this work.

Website: riseupmalawi.org

Instagram: riseup_malawi

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megpage/

Facebook: facebook.com/riseupmalawi

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDSrhOFqT1XdeDfmGFXJZqQ