Meredith Driscoll

Building a career in nonprofit leadership

Strengthening nonprofits for long-term impact 

After earning my bachelor’s in public policy from Duke in 2001, I spent 10 years in Washington, D.C., working in direct service and then management roles in the nonprofit sector. I loved every minute of my work and was fortunate to be a part of incredibly impactful organizations that changed lives. I also learned that good intentions and strong short-term programmatic impact can be jeopardized in the long run by weak organizational infrastructure. While I loved being on the front lines programmatically, I knew that my skills would be put to better use behind the scenes, ensuring that organizations had the appropriate financial and operational systems in place to sustain their impact over time. The desire to further develop my financial and operational skills is what led me to Fuqua.  

After Fuqua, I worked for about two years at Teach For America in their Eastern North Carolina region (where I’m originally from), raising funds from foundations and corporations. I loved being a part of an organization making an impact in my hometown and learned a lot by working within its sophisticated organizational structure. Fundraising was not something I wanted to do long-term, though.  So when the opportunity arose in 2016 to join MiracleFeet, a Chapel Hill-based startup nonprofit supporting clubfoot treatment around the world, I jumped at the chance. I haven’t looked back! I’ve been at MiracleFeet for over 9 years and have loved being a part of its growth.  

In my current role, I spend my days… 

Directing all administrative aspects of the organization–everything from finance to IT. My overall goal is to ensure that MiracleFeet’s finance, HR, IT, compliance, and governance practices are in line with the highest standards in the nonprofit sector. With such a broad portfolio, no two days are the same. One day I could be auditing part of the $4.5 million in grants we provide to local NGOs in 37 countries, the next could find me problem-solving a thorny HR challenge. MiracleFeet’s international focus means that my work takes me all over the world. In the past two years I’ve travelled to Peru, Nigeria, Tanzania, Nepal, and The Gambia, seeing MiracleFeet’s work in action by meeting our local partners. I feel very lucky to work with such a talented, diverse staff, which currently comprises individuals from 19 different countries, and from whom I learn so much.  

A recent impact highlight I am proud of

I am proud to have helped MiracleFeet grow from a $2.5M organization working in 14 countries to a $10M organization working in 37 countries (and counting!). When I joined MiracleFeet in 2016, the organization was 5 years old and still in startup mode. I was the first full-time person on our finance and operations team. Nine years later, I manage a team of eleven that includes four finance staff, three program grants staff, and two staff each for HR and operations. My team and I have created a solid organizational infrastructure that allows MiracleFeet to be a well-run organization without sacrificing the entrepreneurial spirit that carried us through our early years. We enrolled our 100,000^th child in clubfoot treatment last year, an important milestone that I am proud to have helped MiracleFeet reach. 

A mindset I have cultivated as an impact leader 

A critical mindset for impact leaders is to understand that ‘the work’ is never done—there is always more to do—and as a result, our desire to make lasting change must be sustainable. The problems that impact leaders are inspired to address are messy, complex, deeply rooted and huge. As leaders, our nature is to drive hard to make the biggest impact possible. This is admirable, but it can also lead to burnout, for us as leaders and for our teams. Taking care of ourselves and creating clear boundaries between work and the rest of our lives is critical, and yet one of the hardest parts of being a leader. I’ve found that my kids created this boundary for me without even knowing it!  

My tip for those pursuing a career in impact

For those who have never worked in nonprofits, especially small- to medium-sized nonprofits, it’s important to understand that they are very much a ‘roll up your sleeves’ environment, where nothing is off limits or below your pay grade. People who are successful in nonprofits aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, literally and figuratively. Humility is an extremely important characteristic of nonprofit leaders, and something I prioritize when hiring at MiracleFeet.