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How Clare rebuilt trust and transformed engagement in a federated nonprofit
Sharon Brine
February 21, 2025 • Read time: 9 minutes
Did you miss the chance to get to know Clare yesterday? Catch up on her story here 👉 Meet Clare.
Just over a year ago, Clare walked into her new role as the CEO of MND Australia. When she took over, member engagement was… let’s just say ‘minimal’. If that relationship were a fire, they were down to the last embers.
Federated structures get a bad rap for being dysfunctional. And sure, sometimes they are. Everyone has their own priorities, it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time, and alignment? Hmmm… A nice idea, but rarely the reality.
That was Clare’s starting point.
But instead of just firing off an introductory email or setting up a few Zoom calls, she did something simple but different.
She visited member organisations in person. She listened to CEOs, board members, and frontline staff—the people who knew the challenges firsthand. And she had real conversations about what was working, what wasn’t, and what they actually needed from the national body.
That changed everything.
Clare’s relationship-first approach:
🤝 Invest in relationships early because trust-building takes time.
☕ Expand your relationships strategically beyond just internal stakeholders.
🚀 Turn consultation into action by filtering feedback and prioritising effectively.
And now, the story behind how this worked. 👇
Rebuilding trust from the ground up
There’s a saying: You don’t want to meet your neighbour when your house is on fire. Relationships should be built before they become a necessity, before urgency forces people to engage.
When Clare started, she had two choices: do the usual, stay behind the desk, send emails, and set up formal meetings, or get out there and start rebuilding trust now.
She chose the latter.
Because trust isn’t built from behind a desk.
Instead of keeping things formal and distant, Clare simply showed up.
She visited every member organisation in person, listened to their frustrations, and, crucially, didn’t pretend to have all the answers.
I’m still learning to understand their businesses, to see what they’re doing. To be honest, I knew nothing about aged care and disability service provision, or the community services they provide. So I spent time with them, asked questions, and was open about what I didn’t know.
That last part mattered. Clare didn’t walk into the room as a new leader and start prescribing solutions before she had taken the time to understand the problem.
She did the opposite. She admitted what she didn’t know, asked questions, and took the time to genuinely learn about the issues her members were facing.
And then something interesting happened.
People started engaging again.
The shift wasn’t instant, but it was real.
Members who had once felt disconnected from the national body started leaning in. They’re now keen to catch up fortnightly. Instead of waiting to be asked, they’re actively contributing their own ideas.
Although we don’t always agree, we have good rapport. There’s a shared vision and unity that has made all the difference to our ability to act in unison and shape the policy change we want from the Federal Government.
Expanding the circle of influence
It’s one thing to say relationships matter. It’s another to build them in a way that actually leads to influence.
Clare had a plan.
She started with the people who mattered most:
The board—her direct line of accountability.
The members—the owners, so to speak, of MND Australia’s work.
Her internal team—the people executing the vision.
People living with MND—who they’re all working for.
Once those foundational relationships were strengthened, she looked outward:
Fundraising organisations—to strengthen sustainable funding.
MND researchers—because their work fuels the case for better treatment and care.
Smaller charities and advocacy groups—because working together strengthens the sector’s collective voice.
Influence isn’t just about knowing people—it’s about knowing the right people at the right time.
Trying to engage everyone at once is treating relationships as a numbers game. Clare knew that real influence comes from prioritising strategically.
She also knew that some of the most valuable relationships weren’t always the obvious ones.
There are also all the affiliated organisations—palliative care, carers, and others—doing incredibly important, complementary work. So I made it a priority to meet with them too. You start with a coffee, get to know what they’re working on, and look at how we can support each other’s advocacy.
And these relationships aren’t just about collaboration when it suits. They’ve become a system of mutual support.
I don’t know everyone, and I possibly never will. But I know that when something comes up, I can just pick up the phone and call ‘Bob’ or ‘Jane’. And they know they can do the same. That means we can solve things before they actually become problems or get the support we need faster.
Now, when MND Australia pushes for policy change, it has a coalition of aligned voices behind it. When challenges arise, Clare doesn't have to scramble to find the right people to talk to. She already has them on speed dial.
She can move quickly, act decisively and drive real change.
Turning consultation into action
Listening is important.
But the more people you consult, the more ideas you get. And not all of them will be practical or politically feasible. The real challenge is in synthesising, filtering and making decisions that lead to meaningful change.
So Clare applied a structured decision-making lens to every new idea and request:
Impact – Would this decision create tangible change for people with MND?
Feasibility – Is this within MND Australia’s remit, or does it belong to another level of government or organisation?
Strategic fit – Does this align with the organisation’s long-term goals?
Instead of taking on every request, Clare focused on what was actionable, high-impact, and within the organisation’s influence.
We get lots of good ideas from people with MND, for example, but some of them are actually state government issues. In those cases, it’s not about dismissing the concern, it’s about being honest. I’ll say, ‘That’s an issue for local government, but I’ll flag it with the right person and make sure it’s on their radar’.
This ensured stakeholders still felt heard, even if MND Australia wasn’t the organisation to solve their particular issue.
Clare’s story proves that when relationships come first, impact follows. So here’s your next move.
Strengthen your organisation’s influence with these 3 steps:
🗺️ Map your key relationships. Identify your inner circle (board, team, members) and outer network (funders, researchers, sector partners). Who should you build trust with first?
⚖️ Prioritise strategic conversations. Don’t try to talk to everyone at once. Sequence your outreach and start where engagement is weakest or most critical.
👂 Listen, but with a filter. Not every piece of feedback requires action. Use Clare’s Impact-Feasibility-Strategic fit lens to decide what moves forward.
Reflection: What’s one relationship you can start strengthening this week before you need it?
P.S. What did you think of this issue?We’d love to hear your thoughts—your feedback helps us improve! |
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