465. The Founder's Journey: Transforming a 100 Year Old Organization with an Entrepreneurial Mindset - Maya Ajmera

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Overview

Meet Maya. At 22 years old, she experienced a life-altering “moment of obligation” in India as she witnessed a teacher surrounded by students learning to read and write on a bustling train platform. That experience led her to found the Global Fund for Children which has invested over $60 million in over 1000 community-based organizations impacting more than 11 million children and youth🌎

Maya's remarkable journey also led her to bring her entrepreneurial mindset to the Society for Science, an organization with a history spanning over a century. There, she's reshaping the dynamics of donor relationships, introducing innovative programs, and ensuring that every child who aspires to be a scientist can realize that dream. But that's not all—Maya is also an award-winning children's book author with more than 20 titles to her name, including "Children from Australia to Zimbabwe," which has reached over 5 million readers worldwide 📚Join us for an inspiring conversation with this exceptional founder and leader.

💡Learn

Key lessons from founding the Global Fund for Children and her decision to step away
Strategies for infusing an entrepreneurial mindset into a long-established organization
Practical ways to combat founder fatigue

Today’s Guest

Maya Ajmera, CEO, Society for Science and Founder, Global Fund for Children

“Engage with people.”

— Maya Ajmera, CEO, Society for Science

Episode Transcript

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Episode Highlights

Maya’s story and journey to where she is today (4:00)
Core lessons learned from founding the Global Fund for Children (15:00)
Transforming a 100-year-old organization into an entrepreneurial beast (19:00)
Partnerships + Locking Arms for Impact (32:00)
Combating Founder’s Fatigue (33:00)
Two powerful moments of philanthropy in Maya’s life (36:00)
Maya’s One Good Thing: Engage with people. (43:00)

POWERFUL QUOTES

“We need to find proximate leaders who are grounded in their communities, who understand what the needs are, and back them.” -Maya

“The network that we built is about extraordinary leaders, and how we need to support them, and trust them and provide the capital that they need.” -Maya

“I said to the board, instead of me putting out my tin cup and asking people for money, I'm actually going to do an RFP. I'm going to make the corporations and philanthropists apply to us about why they want to be the title sponsor of the Science Talent Search.” -Maya

“Find something that you really enjoy doing that is not work-related.” -Maya

“Engage with people.” -Maya

“Engage and tell stories. Telling stories is how we connect with each other.” -Maya