Express an Interest

Targeting:
Females, People with Disabilities, Seniors/Retired People, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, English as an additional language or dialect, LGBTQI

About Motherless Daughters Australia Motherless Daughters Australia (MDA) is a national not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting women and girls whose mums have died. We are the only organisation of our kind in the country, and our mission is to ensure that no motherless daughter navigates the profound and lifelong impact of mother loss alone.

Founded in 2013 by two young women, Danielle and Eloise, who lost their mums early in life, MDA was built from the ground up by those with lived experience. Everything we do is shaped by what we wish we’d had, and what we’ve heard from the thousands of women in our growing community of over 50,000. Find out more via our website, www.motherlessdaughters.com.au

Our work is grounded in peer support, community support events, advocacy, world first commissioned research, education, and national awareness campaigns highlighting the profound and lifelong impact of mother loss. We aim to break down the stigma around grief, influence policy, disrupt the system that perpetuates a disservice to grievers, and change how society understands and responds to mother loss, and grief in general, contributing to a more grief literate Australia.

MDA is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, governed by four volunteer Board of Directors. The Board, with the founders, sets and oversees the strategic direction, risk, policy, governance, and sustainability of the organisation. We meet six times a year via Zoom, and each board member also contributes to one committee, which meets around 6 - 8 times a year.

About the Role We’re seeking a values aligned individual to join our voluntary Board of Directors. Board members at MDA contribute to strategic decision making, governance, and oversight of our mission. A key part of this role is supporting the long term sustainability of the organisation, not just through formal decisions, but by actively opening doors, sharing your established and extensive network, and contributing to meaningful relationships that help MDA grow. You’ll help us strengthen our impact, guide our growth, and make decisions that are in the best interests of the women and girls we support.

This is a collaborative, values driven role requiring approximately 6-8 hours of your time each month, including board meetings, committee involvement, and preparation, in addition to ad hoc advice/counsel to our founders.

Who We’re Looking For We’re looking for someone who:

• Understands that grief is not a mental illness and is passionate about ensuring it shouldn’t be treated like one.
• Will always centre the voices, needs, and lived experience of our community first and foremost. Our community comes first, always.
• Is passionate about changing and disrupting systems, especially the current lack of funding for, and recognition for grief and bereavement services.
• Wants to help challenge and reimagine the way impact is traditionally measured and spoken about in the not-for-profit space, moving away from transactional metrics and towards language that honours depth, nuance, and lived experience.
• Understands the powerful role social media plays in grief connection, identification, and belonging, especially for a community that often feels invisible. MDA’s presence on social media isn’t just about awareness, it’s where thousands of women find validation, support, and a sense of “me too” at any hour of the day or night.
• Has emotional intelligence and leads with curiosity, humility, and integrity.

What You Bring You may have some (or many) of the following:

• Experience in or understanding of the not-for-profit sector (highly desirable).
• Lived experience of mother loss (highly desirable).
• Strong networks or experience in philanthropy, fundraising, or major donor engagement (highly desirable).
• A willingness and ability to support the long term sustainability of MDA by actively opening doors, sharing your established and extensive network, and contributing to meaningful relationships that help the organisation grow (highly desirable).
• Active on social media and understand how different platforms are used to connect people, build community, and provide visibility, especially for peer led organisations like MDA (highly desirable).
• Experience in financial management, fundraising, partnerships, governance, strategy, human resources, communications, marketing, research, or community development.
• Experience working in or alongside grief support services, mental and emotional health and wellbeing, health promotion, the social impact sector, or with underrepresented communities.
• A clear alignment with our values and purpose.
• A collaborative, emotionally intelligent approach.
• Commitment to social impact and collective change.

We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, LGBTQIA+ people, and people of all abilities. We are led by lived experience, and we value diversity in all its forms.

Time Commitment (6-8 hours per month)

• Attend 6 board meetings per year (online bi monthly)
• Participate in one board committee (meets approx. every 6-8 weeks)
• Ad hoc support between meetings as required (approx. 4-5 hours/month total)

Why Join the MDA Board?

• Help shape a national organisation led by women with lived experience.
• A unique opportunity to represent an underrepresented, often unseen and unheard community.
• The privilege of contributing to a first of its kind organisation led by lived experience.
• Use your voice, network, and skills to support women and girls navigating one of life’s most impactful losses.
• Contribute to real systemic and social change in how grief is seen and supported in Australia.

How to Apply: Please email a cover letter that clearly demonstrates how you meet the “Who We’re Looking For” and “What You Bring” criteria, in addition to an up to date CV that includes professional and voluntary experience.

Please address your application to Mark Woolley, MDA Director, and email it to info@motherlessdaughters.com.au by 5pm on Friday 8th August, 2025.