Meet Director of Consulting, Megan Carvajal
Photo by Carley E. Photography
At Mission Capital, we have an incredible team of knowledgeable and talented consultants who work in partnership with our social sector to strengthen organizations and multiply impact. We’ve launched our Meet the Consultants Blog Series to introduce you to the hard-working individuals behind the curtain that invest so much of their time, both personally and professionally, in the well-being of our Central Texas community. Last, but certainly not least, meet Megan Carvajal, our Director of Consulting!
What did you do before you worked at Mission Capital?
I’ve worked with the Central Texas nonprofit community for 20 years! Mostly social service nonprofits, including SAFE and Any Baby Can. I also worked at United Way for Greater Austin for nearly six years. My background is largely in fundraising, executive operations and HR.
What led you to work at MC?
They offered me the job I never knew I always wanted! The pivot in my career as Director of Consulting is the perfect culmination of what I’ve done, what I’m passionate about, and where I want to go. This role at this organization is really the secret sauce of my career: making an impact on the daily helping nonprofits + working for an organization that loves and believes in our nonprofit community as much as I do. Serving our community at a higher level with a strategic lens gives me so much purpose, and is without a doubt the best job I’ve ever had. The staff is amazing, the culture is supportive, and our CEO is a rockstar (and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life). I really feel like I won the career lottery here.
How would you describe your expertise?
“Expertise” is an interesting concept. Technically, my expertise is in nonprofit fundraising, but when I look back on the natural talents I’ve had the opportunities to flex, I really excel in areas of change management, team development, and organizational operations. I love working with teams to address challenges and opportunities, and I hope to get back to working with Austin-area businesses on CSR alignment. I love change, growth and risk-taking, which can be really scary for organizations, but I think I have a special gift for coaching and facilitating through those situations.
What do you find rewarding about your work?
Anyone who knows me knows my favorite way to describe what I do as “helping the people who help the people.” It really brings me joy to get to support nonprofits in a way that allows them to learn and grow so they can focus on achieving their mission. Rarely does a nonprofit have the time, capacity and in-house expertise to do a strategic plan, board development, team building or succession planning – but each are REALLY important to ensure mission success. I get to help them succeed. I know it’s cheesy, but I cannot believe that I get to do this stuff everyday – I love love love it.
Your favorite MC memory or accomplishment?
Well, I haven’t been here very long, but so far I’d say finding a job that’s fun, challenging and rewarding is a pretty big accomplishment. How many people can say they love coming to work every day? I feel joy every morning I drive to work.
What do you enjoy during your free time?
I’m going to tell you that I do yoga because I am trying to make time in my “spare” time to get back into it and maybe putting it in a blog will motivate me :). But otherwise, I mom so hard with two teenage daughters. When our weekends aren’t filled with school stuff, church stuff and house stuff, we venture out on hiking day trips. Our favorite is out to Enchanted Rock, and then a stop in Llano for BBQ at Coopers. My wife and I love game nights with close friends, browsing thrift shops, and exploring new restaurants.
When we have our MC potlucks, what do you bring?
I LOVE OFFICE POTLUCKS, but we haven’t had one yet since I've been here! On the menu for our future potlucks will be two of my secret recipes: spinach artichoke dip and mashed potatoes. And no, I will not tell you the secret ingredients.