Megan Scherer on Managing a 501c3 Nonprofit, Worth the Wait, and Changing the Lives of Cancer Survivors

Hello Megan! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

Megan Scherer and her husband Mike turned their personal experience of young adult cancer survivorship and infertility into a charity to help others in similar situations. Worth the Wait was founded in 2021. Megan left her marketing career in 2022 to manage the 501c3 nonprofit. Megan and Mike, the parents of 5 year old Elliott, believe that parenthood is the greatest gift and cancer shouldn’t limit dreams of a family. Worth the Wait, provides grants to young adult cancer patients for fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment and infertility treatments, adoption and surrogacy post treatment. They have awarded 13 grants to men and women with a financial need in 8 states.

So Megan, what excites you about being an Entreprenista League member?

The network of women who want to help others succeed.

How did you know the wait was over to take the leap and start Worth the Wait?

We started Worth the Wait to help just a few people but as we received more grant applications and I recruited a nationwide board of advisors, I knew I had to take a risk and devote all my energy to Worth the Wait.

So Megan, what was your background prior to starting Worth the Wait?

Most of my professional experience includes health insurance marketing, but I’ve also supported small business marketing communications and worked at a marketing firm.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Despite being raised by two entrepreneurs, I didn’t think I’d take this path. But once I discovered the fulfillment of nonprofit work, I knew it was for me.

Take us back to when you first launched your business, how did you go about your marketing strategy?

My plan was grassroots and it still is. I’m amazed by the amount of friends who want to make that introduction and how it leads to so many more.

Entreprenistas are resilient. We face daily challenges. What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far?

The biggest challenge is being completely new to the world of nonprofits. However, I’m learning that not many people who start nonprofits went to college for it. Most founders are people like me who have a passion for something and build a community around it. I love reading, and I’ve been learning a lot from fundraising and nonprofit leadership books.

Megan, you have lots to celebrate! What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

My biggest accomplishment is the impact we’ve made in 18 months. Worth the Wait has awarded 13 grants to a diverse group of young adult cancer survivors pursuing parenthood.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

Yes! My son is in part time kindergarten, and we have special time carved out each week.

What’s a piece of advice you can share that you wish you’d known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?

Believe in yourself!

What have you achieved recently that you’d like to celebrate with our community?

I’ve build a robust network of oncology providers and fertility clinics who will now be referring oncology patients to Worth the Wait for grants. Some introductions came from friends but several were a result of my cold calling efforts.

What’s next for your business? Any big goals for 2023?

Our big goal in 2023 is to raise more money to support helping more young adult cancer survivors build the families of their dreams.

Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!