A pivotal lesson that has guided my professional career was one I learned during my freshman year at Harvard University. Professor Thomas O'Connor shared a story about a politician basking in the praise of a neighbor. He thanked her for voting for him, only to be shocked when she replied, "I didn't vote for you."

Confused, he asked her why. Her response was simple: "You didn't ask me."

From then on, the politician made it a point to ask everybody he met to vote for him. This story stuck with me because it underscored an essential truth: People usually don't act unless you ask them. Whether it's asking someone to vote, support a cause, contribute to a mission, support a YouTube channel, you can't assume people with their own busy lives will act on their own for you.

As a member of the Young Executive Board of the Washington Scholarship Fund from 1999 to 2004, I asked everyone I met to donate to help provide scholarships for low-income children in Washington. As an executive with the organization Fight For Children from 2004-2005, I was in a position where I helped distribute funds, but that didn't stop me from also encouraging others to donate. When I joined the board of directors of the Black Alliance for Educational Options from 2004 to 2010, I attempted to fundraise while also donating. Here in South Korea, before I co-founded Freedom Speakers International (FSI), I was the volunteer International Cooperation Advisor from 2012 at the Mulmangcho School (for North Korean refugee adolescents) recruiting volunteers. I also set up fundraising events.

It was only after co-founding FSI with Eunkoo Lee that I began to face criticism for my fundraising efforts. Most of the negative feedback has come from a handful of North Korean refugee haters who seemingly criticize everyone and everything.

In some ways, it comes with the territory of being the only American executive to co-found an organization in South Korea empowering North Korean refugees. I was advised in our early days not to be public because I would get attacked, and I have ignored that advice as a public speaker, event organizer, moderator, columnist, blogger, mentor, editor, author, educator, advocate, policy advisor and fundraiser. I knew my mission so I brushed off the accusations.

A friend of mine recently shared his experience in an emergency room that brought clarity to the accusations. While he was panicking and feeling the urgency of his medical situation, the doctors and nurses went about their work. He said, "The emergency room needs to be renamed as 'The Emergency Room for You.' Because it wasn't an emergency to the staffers."

This analogy perfectly captures my experience with FSI. Ensuring the survival of the organization has always been an emergency for me. From the moment Eun-koo and I decided to formalize FSI after almost four years of volunteering, the need for funding was urgent. We had more North Korean refugees coming to us, we needed resources and staffers to support them and to build a viable organization. But to outsiders — especially critics — it didn't seem urgent.

I've made it a point to ask everyone I meet for their support. In the early days, we relied on online fundraising from Americans because funding streams for North Korean refugee organizations weren't available to us (my co-founder is South Korean). We now receive more support from South Koreans (individuals, organizations, businesses and government), and for the first time, we have some financial stability.

Today, FSI is strong enough to support our core mission of mentoring North Korean refugees in public speaking and also to expand our impact in new ways. For example, we now have a fundraiser dedicated to supporting future education expenses of children of North Korean refugee single moms. I was inspired to set it up after recognizing the disconnect between people wanting to send gifts to the children of North Korean refugee single moms while the moms were focused on saving for spending on education in the future. Years ago, when we didn't have money, status, or the capacity to think beyond our immediate needs, this kind of initiative wouldn't have been possible.

But the fact that we can now organize such a fundraiser is proof that I did the right thing by constantly asking for support. Critics haven't stopped me from doing what's necessary to sustain FSI. When I hear their complaints about me engaging in fundraising, it reminds me to continue asking everyone I know to support our work.

The results speak for themselves: FSI has survived because I've embraced the philosophy of asking everyone I know to support our work. Speaking of which, have you supported Freedom Speakers International's mission of empowering North Korean refugees to engage in public speaking? My email is in the bio line of this column.

Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo; and co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter's Search for Her Mother and Herself."