Sallianne McClelland
Director of Development, Women’s Community Shelters
Sallianne McClelland has thirty years’ experience in event management, sponsorship, and philanthropy. She is an inspirational leader who leads through imagination, motivation and compassion. She has the unique capability to create a vision, galvanise people towards a common goal and see it delivered.
Women’s Community Shelters Limited is an Australian charity who works with communities to establish new shelters, which provide short term emergency accommodation and support in a safe environment that enables homeless women to rebuild self-esteem and achieve control and fulfilment of their lives. The network includes seven existing shelters, two shelters planned for 2021 and an impressive portfolio of transitional and meanwhile-use housing. Sallianne plays a key role in sourcing the funds essential to covering the operational costs of the main office in Sydney and supporting the network of shelters and their associated programs.
Prior to this role Sallianne served for five years as the board president for the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter for five years, mobilizing a community to support and invest in their local Shelter. It is in this role she was able to utilize her extensive experience in events management and her passion for the arts to create The Apron Project. Every year, artists throughout Australia, as well as from overseas, unite to create works of art on aprons. In the last four years, over 150 artists have presented more than 200 aprons ─ raising much needed funds for the shelter and awareness about the epidemic of domestic violence. In 2020 she created Festival of Trees, a community event with over 30 decorated trees up for auction. In 2021, the Apron Project, and Festival of Trees will be joined by The Generosity Project a venture that will be focused around International Women’s Day.
“True generosity is an offering; given freely.
No strings attached. No expectations”
Sallianne is exemplary in both professional and voluntary roles as she holds a lifelong reputation for getting things done. As the fires of 2019/2020 raged through the NSW South Coast town of Mogo, Sallianne set about sourcing much needed supplies, camping gear, medications and cash. In 10 days Sallianne raised over $100,000 in cash and kind, delivering a “seven-ton truck of love” full of customized donations for each family.
Never fearing to be different or to lead with her heart, Sallianne has received several honors and recognitions. She was named the New South Wales Local Woman of the Year by community members in 2018 and received a Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2020 in recognition of her dedicated commitment to putting community first. In 2021, she will participate as a cast member in a Charity Global TV venture; Adventures All Stars, raising money for Women’s Community Shelters.
Throughout her career, Sallianne has always cared more about her clients and colleagues than any other aspect because she genuinely cares about people. She entered the workforce as a sales assistant at a retail store and went on to hold multiple management roles in the corporate world ─ running public conferences and product launches. She also worked with public by way of television and video production and staging product launches for car dealers. In 2003, Sallianne and her husband were given the opportunity to relocate to New York for 10 years. While there, she worked on events such as Macy’s Day Parade and founded one of the largest mixed media art retreats in the U.S. Eat Cake Create hosts renowned National & International artistic educators during week long experiences for 200 to 500 women, aged 20-80, who gather for an immersive artistic week-long getaway.
“Sallianne is a rock star creative and creator —
a visionary with a simply gigantic heart.” – Scott Stabile
For the past 15 years, Sallianne has focused on entwining philanthropy into her work so that each of her events includes a fundraising element. “No matter where you are or who you are, you should take your skills and what you love to do and invest them back into the community,” she says. Sallianne feels strongly about promoting the welfare of others and often speaks in public forums about ways to give back through charitable acts.
Contact:
Sallianne McClelland
Director of Development
Women’s Community Shelters Limited
web: eatcakecreate.com
Instagram: EatCakeCreate
LinkedIn: Sallianne McClelland
Download the magazine and see Sallianne's feature on page 36.