JO KADLECEK speaks to Scott Walters about his role with Opportunity International, Australians’ response to global poverty and some hopeful things happening in the world of overseas development…
Scott Walters has long been interested in the business of financial generosity. Before serving non-profits on boards and in leadership roles (including Bible Society Australia), he worked in financial services such as Yellow Brick Road Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch HSBC and Deutsche Bank.
Scott Walters on a trip to India in 2023. PICTURE: Courtesy of Opportunity International Australia.
Three years ago, Walters was appointed CEO for Opportunity International Australia, a microfinancing Christian organisation that began over 50 years ago, where he draws daily from his faith and experiences in working to eliminate global poverty.
How would you describe the mission of Opportunity International Australia and what does an average day look like for you?
“First, there’s no such thing as an average day for me; the variety is one of the things I love about my job. Someone asked me recently how I split my time and it’s different every day. I spend about 40 per cent of my time working on strategy, and about 40 per cent helping with people issues both here and in our overseas offices. (We have an office of 12 people in Delhi.) The other 20 per cent is doing what every CEO in a charity should be doing: fundraising. Some donors like to speak to the CEO and I enjoy that because many are happy to give. They know our mission, in its simplest form, is worth supporting because we’re about poverty alleviation. That’s not by way of a handout but through the power of microfinance, which is the principle on which our organisation was founded, that we still focus on in places like India, Asia, South Asia, Sub Saharan Africa – where poverty exists and needs microfinance or health initiatives.
“What is micro-financing? It means we provide small loans – about $200 Aussie dollars – to women in otherwise hopeless areas to help them set up a small business. If they can build a little business, the profits help feed their family, get their kids to school and grow the business so that one day they don’t need to benefit from microfinance anymore. Our aspirational goal is to end poverty. We may not achieve this while I’m this side of the grass, but our aim is to end poverty in the areas where we operate. We provide an alternative for them from other money lenders who charge unreasonable interest rates that could see their life circumstances deteriorate rather than improve.
“And we’re broader than microfinance, including health initiatives or education finance to get kids to school. We also offer agricultural financing, where we’re helping small farmers in places like Malawi build agricultural businesses to get their families out of poverty.”
Tell us about a few of the stops along the way that shaped you for your current role.
“Certainly, I can see God’s hand in leveraging almost four decades in financial services, bringing me to a charity built on a model that involves understanding of microfinance, funding, balance sheets, impact funds, that sort of thing. Some of my colleagues from financial service industries tell me they’d want to leave their current job and jump into the not-for-profit sector’, as if it happened like that.
“I really went on a journey, which started 20 years ago when I joined a few boards as a volunteer. I did a leadership program under the auspices of the Benevolent Society called Sydney Leadership and gradually got more involved in not-for-profits until 2011 when I left financial services and took an executive role at a not-for-profit. That was after years of volunteering for charities like the Red Cross. People think you just wake up one day and decide to go into the not-for-profit sector. I say they have to be willing to halve their salary and double their hours. I think it’s right and proper that some people not go into non-profits, but I’d love to think they had a heart to support people who do.
“So, I can see how those experiences shaped and prepared me. I see God’s hand in it, and when I talk with others about this work, I can honestly say that my salary has gone down but my job satisfaction has actually gone up. I still have three kids at home to support, but I’m very happy in this path.”
PICTURE: Courtesy of Opportunity International Australia.
IN SHORT – SCOTT WALTERS
Books by your bed?…”The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, Leanne Moriarity’s latest novel, and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.”
Verses you come back to?…”Proverbs 19:17 – ‘Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and he will reward them for what they have done’ and Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
Best and worst leadership advice?…”I think it’s modelled behaviour more than advice. I once had a boss tell me my only purpose was to make him money! And another who said that our profits would always be to support various causes, because that’s the right thing to do. Everyone’s role is important – no-one is ‘just’ a gardener or a farmer or a leader because we’re all made in God’s image. There are still 660 million women and families living below the poverty line and our job is far from done. Everyone is important to that.”
What are some current challenges you think Christians – Australian Christians, in particular – face about global poverty?
“Can I be a bit controversial and say it’s not just Australian Christians but Aussies generally, sadly – and the statistics bear it out – who show we are not a generous people? We do not give to philanthropic causes anywhere near the level of our OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] equivalence. We need a new campaign to encourage Australians to give – like the old exercise campaign, Life. Be in it – that engenders a spirit of philanthropic giving. I don’t think anyone has an excuse not to know what poverty is. It’s writ large in social media, TV, newspapers.
“So when we bring real stories of real people to Aussies, they resonate. They see that the women we serve want what we do: health, a roof, food for their kids and the chance to send them to school. It’s pretty simple and something all Australians can relate to. We all want the best for our kids, and hate it when they’re sick. For a woman living in poverty, her greatest asset is her health so she can work. I don’t want to downplay this, but unlike emergency bushfires or floods or disaster relief, poverty is a crisis every day of the week. Women wake up every day and wonder, how am I going to feed and clothe my kids, keep them healthy? I’d like to think the Christian community is more generous than others, but I feel we could, and probably should, give more to the charities we support.”
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What are some surprising or hopeful things happening in development ministry overseas?
“We’ve been a part of an initiative called A Safer World for All, asking the Federal Government to increase its spending from .68 per cent to 1 per cent. That sounds tiny but it would help millions around the world, regardless of the development agencies. I’m encouraged that many governments in other countries, with agencies like ours operating there, are still free to work under certain guidelines. Though Christianity underpins everything we do, with the parable of the Good Samaritan as our cornerstone, we are not overtly trying to convert people. Yet working in countries that are primarily Muslim or Hindu is a reflection that they see the value done by international agencies like ours. I’m encouraged by that.”
What would you say to your younger self?”
“Be bold and trust God’s perfect plan, though I think it’s easier to trust God now than when I was young. But I know young people want to be successful or popular, and who will likely have bad bosses. I wish I’d stood up to them more instead of towing the party line, afraid I’d lose my job. God has a perfect plan, so don’t sweat the small stuff.”
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Corrections: The amount of microfinance loans has been corrected to $200. The same quote has been corrected.
