Episode 35: Laying the Blueprint: Your Value, Your Development & Your Joy featuring Meenakshi Menon

Meenakshi Menon is Groundswell Fund’s Chief Development Officer. The daughter of immigrants from India and Malaysia, over the last 14 years, she has worked in 30 countries across 5 continents, advancing sexual health and reproductive rights, peace and security, and racial justice.

Meenakshi began her career as a community organizer and health and human rights field researcher, working with diverse organizations and stakeholders in the US and abroad, including MassPIRG, Physicians for Human Rights, the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, and the Center for Khmer Studies. In 2011, she was appointed the Executive Director of GHETS, a US-based NGO that works to improve global health systems through grantmaking, technical support, and advocacy. Her work with GHETS involved directing the grantmaking, capacity building, and fundraising programs, as well as leading programmatic initiatives in East and Southern Africa and South and Southeast Asia in community health, sexual health and reproductive rights, food security, and water and sanitation.

As a fundraising and philanthropy professional, Meenakshi is passionate about strengthening the capacity of mission-driven organizations, and creating greater equity in philanthropy, particularly for womxn, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ communities. As the Coalition for the International Criminal Court's Director of Development, from 2015-2016 she worked with staff around the world, as well as local, national, and regional Coalition affiliates on institutional advancement initiatives, including mobilizing resources from European Governments, International Development Agencies, Foundations, and high-net worth Individuals on behalf of international justice. Most recently, Meenakshi served as the Head of Government & Foundation Relations for North America at International Crisis Group, where she managed the organization's relationships with high-level institutional donors, as well as developed, executed, and expanded the organization’s U.S. institutional giving strategy.

Meenakshi holds a BA in Anthropology from Smith College, and serves on the Leadership Council of Powerbitches. She lives in Brooklyn, and in addition to her native Malayalam, speaks English, Hindi, Khmer, and Spanish.

In this episode Meenakshi tells us her story of "someone who is pretty ordinary with the chance to do extraordinary things". With roots in India and Malaysia, Meenakshi reflects and pays homage to her familial roots, including her father's arrival to the US 50 years ago. We learn about the impact grassroots organizing had on her approach to development and philanthropy; more specifically progressive philanthropy. Meenakshi also reflects on the time she assumed the role as Executive Director early on in her career. We hear of the sacrifices she made at the helm of leadership and what she offers up for emerging leaders in the work. "A Brown woman with a Western education", Meenakshi also shares the parallels she sees between the movements for peace in India and racial justice. Pull up a chair and take in this beautifully woven cross-cultural narrative. Meenakshi's vast international work, ever-evolving reflection and activation of the personal and the political is very much affirming for our present and future.

We reflect on the blueprint of our journeys and amplify the value we bring to the sector as we share Forward 4O’s platform with this phenomenal WOC in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector.

Stay connected with Meenakshi on LinkedIn, and Twitter . Check out Groundswell Fund's latest Blueprint here. Follow the work of Groundswell Fund on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Forward 40(4tea) on IG and Twitter @forward4tea. Continue to support and nominate a guest to be on the show. You can also learn more about the host Coach Faith here.