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Director of Philanthropy Operations

Virtua Health

At Virtua Health, the Office of Philanthropy (AKA the Virtua Health Foundation) has been on a rapid journey of modernization and transformation. This effort is being spearheaded by the team's directors, AVP, and SVP, but would not be possible without the remarkable leadership of our Director of Philanthropy Operations, Meghan Walsh.

As we shepherd Virtua Health to a deeper understanding and adoption of the changing nature or healthcare philanthropy and the dynamic expectations of our donors, Meg is playing a key role. Less than a decade ago, the philanthropy program at Virtua Health was sorely underperforming. It did nothing substantive to further the goals and strategies of the health system and was out of touch and isolated. In 2019, that story began to change rapidly. With new leadership, Virtua's philanthropy program is on a laser-focused journey to become high-performing. Meg is an essential factor in this evolution.

Meg joined the philanthropy team at Virtua Health in 2020 and was an immediate breath of fresh air.  She had no experience in healthcare philanthropy operations, but her skills leant themselves to the role and she took to it like a duck to water.  Not only has she acclimated to a complex organization, she has done so with humor and a perspective that strengthens Virtua's inclusive culture and our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Very quickly, and with tremendous help from AHP's trove of resources and attendance at the Madison Institute, Meg immersed herself in healthcare philanthropy operations. She learned systems and introduced new technologies for prospect research, data management, and operations.  She led us toward best practices and spurred us to greater efficiencies. Meg diagnosed shortcomings, adopted solutions, and built an operation that would make any fundraising shop proud. She can hold her own in a roomful of peers and has established herself as a reliable resource for others who are finding their way in this field. After nearly three years in healthcare operations, she has a great story to tell and much to give back to our profession.

I have always worked in the nonprofit sector, although my career started in the performing arts. While working for a Philadelphia-based food access organization, my eyes were opened to community health work and health inequity. At the same time, I obtained my Master's in Nonprofit Administration to sharpen my business skills. When the opportunity arose in healthcare philanthropy, it felt like a perfect collision of my skills and my passions—working in community health, reducing health disparities, supporting the healthcare workers I get to call colleagues, and being able to apply my operation and innovation mindset to that end.

The privilege of going to work every day with the overarching goal of stewarding the generosity of others into a direct impact on people's lives—whether it's my colleagues, our patients, or our greater community members in need. Does it get any better than that?

Landing at Virtua at the moment that I did, under the current leadership, with the current initiatives underway, was a pivotal point in my career. I've been able to get directly involved in bringing about positive change not only in the philanthropy team but for staff and patients thru the formation of our employee resource group OUT @ Virtua. For an organization of its size, it's remarkable to see Virtua continue to set the example for how to bring about change and grow in a healthy way. I believe that's directly connected to the people who make up the organization, of which I am fortunate to be a part.

My greatest passion is connection with other people. I genuinely enjoy meeting people from all walks of life, discovering our commonalities, learning from each other, and laughing with each other, and I love creating opportunities for people to do that with each other.

Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo. Foster an environment where new ideas are always welcome. If a new process doesn't work, that's OK, try another. Oh, and always make friends with the IT team at your organization.

Fun Fact

In college, I entered a stand-up comedy competition called "Washington DC's Funniest College Student" despite never having performed stand-up. Shockingly, I made it to the finals and performed at the DC Improv, where many comedy greats had previously performed. It was one of the most terrifying and exhilarating experiences of my life!

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