Providing support when it’s needed most

Felicia Welstead arrived at Life’s Little Treasures at the end of 2020 when COVID was in full swing. The previous CEO, Shusannah Morris, founder of the charity, had lost her battle with breast cancer six-months before and Felicia was brought in to replace her. Read on to hear Felicia’s journey to her current role.

Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position.

I started my career in Event Management and worked in the UK initially at a PR agency. When I returned to Australia I then moved into the sports industry managing events, initially at one of the national basketball teams and then at two AFL Clubs- Geelong and Hawthorn. 

I was pretty burnt out after football so I took some time off. A position came up as the National Street Soccer Manager at The Big Issue and I jumped at the change to move to the NFP sector. It really felt like a breath of fresh air, and I was hooked. Helping disadvantaged people is a huge motivator for me. Since then I’ve worked for Cystic Fibrosis Community Care, Canteen and now as CEO at Life’s Little Treasures Foundation. I love helping families and I work with a passionate and dedicated team.

Can you tell us a bit more about what the organisation is all about?

Life’s Little Treasures Foundation exits to support families who have had a premature or sick baby. Our tailored products and services provide information, practical support and connection opportunities to reduce the real issues families face when their baby is born too sick or too soon.

This year is our 20th year of supporting families – quite a milestone. To celebrate we are pushing an incubator from Sydney to Melbourne stopping in 20 locations along the way to reach 900km. We are calling this The Mighty Trek Challenge and it is an extension on our signature fundraising event Walk for Prems www.themightytrek.org.au

We want to raise awareness of what families go through to ensure better support for them in the future and to raise over a $1million to ensure we are around for parents for the next 20 years.

Take us through a typical day of work for you.

Well it certainly is varied! When you work for a smaller charity you have to be a ‘jack of all trades’. One moment I am approving payments, meeting with our current partners or approaching potential partners, then I might be working on our Strategic Plan and making sure we are hitting our targets by looking at our data. In between all that I’m answering a whole lot of emails and meeting with team members.

I do most of my thinking on the drive to and from work as I have a bit of a commute. I will often come into the office and say out loud “Team, I’ve had an idea”….which leads to a few exaggerated groans because they know something BIG is coming.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it?

I think the being a woman in the sporting world and working for three men’s professional teams in the early 2000s was quite a challenge.  I found I had to stand my ground often and ensure I was heard. Perhaps some might have thought me to be a bit ‘pushy’ and opinionated because of this but I think you need to consider aa array of opinions when making big decisions. Everyone brings a different perspective and insight to the table.

If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself 

I would tell myself not to sweat the small stuff. Sometimes it is ok to deliver at 80%. When you have limited resources you can’t always deliver events or campaigns at 100%, sometimes you need to make allowances for limited staff, funding etc. It is just how it is in the NFP space. Just do the best you can with what you have, it will still work out.

How do you unwind?

I am not really someone who sits and unwinds – I always have a project! Lately I’ve been writing comedy and after working on a set for a year I performed a 40-minute show for 250 friends and family in March. We raised some significant funds for charitable causes on the night.

What was the last thing you watched, read or listened to?

I watched a great series on Netflix called Q Department. Great characters and a gripping ‘who dun it’. I like a good British detective show and highly recommend it.