Who are the organizations, individuals and communities that have the greatest impact on your organization’s success?
Do you believe that you should consider and reflect the views of your stakeholders but don’t have the time to take this on or know where to begin?
Are you curious to truly understand what’s going on below the surface – from employees, to board members, to customers and suppliers – what are your stakeholders really thinking?
Do you need help figuring out what to say, who to say it to and the best way to connect with and involve your stakeholders?
“One way to understand the importance of stakeholder engagement is to look at what can happen when it is not done.”
Why Stakeholder Engagement Matters
Understanding who your key stakeholders are and how they can impact your organization is absolutely critical. Without stakeholder engagement, customers see your organization as unresponsive to their needs, employees feel unappreciated, suppliers trust your organization less, communities dig in their heels and investors get nervous.
Stakeholders are more apt to share their honest views when asked by an experienced and trusted third party facilitator. Curious and careful in my approach, I’m respectful and tuned into ethical issues and privacy matters. Envisioning stakeholders as part of the solution, I will tactfully get to the heart of the matter ensuring that stakeholders feel heard, respected and valued.
Very effective at engaging stakeholders in complex tasks
“Over the years, Mary-Ellen has impressed me with her work ethic, coaching skills and willingness and ability to step into leadership roles as needed. She has great capacity for listening and hence is very effective at engaging diverse stakeholders in complex tasks.”
Brenda Zimmerman, PhD
Director, Health Industry Management Program (In Memory)
Schulich School of Business
How I make a difference
Identify and prioritize your stakeholders visually with stakeholder mapping.
Liaise with respect and sensitivity to relationships, change process and impact.
Tap into views and ideas from diverse stakeholders in a clear and memorable way.
Ask thought-provoking powerful questions to get to the root cause of problems and shift perspectives.
Incorporate participatory decision-making to support ownership versus buy-in of projects and plans.
Create a focused stakeholder engagement and communication plan including guidance to reflect stakeholder views for optimal transparency.
Let’s work together 
Client Case Study
Multi-Program Assessment
Spearheaded six-month in depth research and assessment of membership, board member fundraising, youth and sponsorship programs. Created discussion guide and conducted interviews with food industry / other stakeholders, ultimately making recommendations to meet community outreach and growth targets. Food Allergy Canada (formerly Anaphylaxis Canada) educates, supports and advocates for the needs of people living with food allergies and the risk of anaphylaxis.
Mary-Ellen is a sharp listener
“Mary-Ellen was wonderful to work with on our project for an important health organization. She is a keen communicator and sharp listener who picks up on the unspoken meanings between the lines.”
Cora Waters, CMRP
Project Manager
Leger Marketing
Stakeholder engagement builds social capital, reduces risk and fuels innovation.
Other Ways to Work Together
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