From closing financial knowledge gaps to raising over $100,000 for grassroots projects, Evelyn Clark, the founder of EverLend, is proof that anyone – regardless of their role or industry – can step up and lead change.
Ms Clark’s early days in mortgage broking quickly showed her an opportunity beyond just helping clients secure home loans, she said in a recent episode of Broker Bulletin.
The financial knowledge gap
“I realised that there was a bit of a financial knowledge gap in the industry between what we knew as brokers and what consumers knew. I really saw that as my opportunity to be able to educate people,” she explained. This passion for education became the eventual foundation of EverLend, a business built on empowering people through knowledge.
Her impact hasn’t stopped at finance. In 2020, on the brink of launching EverLend, Ms Clark organised a small networking event to bring women in business together for International Women’s Day, stating “I really just wanted to take it as an opportunity to celebrate and share with everyone.”
An event for good
But a chance meeting with a charity sparked an idea; what if this event could also raise funds for meaningful causes? That decision set off a ripple effect. What started as a casual gathering grew into a major fundraising initiative. “From raising $2,500 at the first event, we raised $28,000 at our most recent event in February 2025. We’ve just ticked over $100,000 in five years, which is super exciting.”
Last year, she travelled to Bangladesh to see the results of a sanitation project EverLend and her charity lunch had helped fund.
“Heading back to Bangladesh and seeing that was really powerful,” she shared. The project built eight toilet blocks and shower facilities for a slum community where, prior to that, people had no safe sanitation. “Not only did they not have toilets, they don’t have roads, they barely even have doors in their homes.”
The visit left a lasting impression. Ms Clark met a woman who, after seeing the transformation in her community, realised more change was possible. “She connected that if they could all of a sudden have a lockable toilet, then maybe they could have clean running water. And if they could have clean running water, then maybe they could start looking at roads, which means maybe they could have doors.”
Small steps towards big changes
Impact doesn’t necessarily require grand gestures, Ms Clark said. “If you know that you want to have an impact in some way, you have to take that step and do something about it,” she said.
For anyone unsure where to begin, she suggested starting small, stressing change doesn’t have to be perfect.
▪️Stay educated: Learn about charities and causes that align with one’s values.
▪️Volunteer: Offering time can be just as valuable as donating money.
▪️Leverage skills: Use individual expertise – whether in finance, marketing, or another field – to support initiatives.
A balancing act
While giving back is important, Ms Clark acknowledges the challenge of balancing charity work with running a business. “As the event has grown, I probably underestimated the amount of time that it actually took out of business,” she admitted. “But I think just the impact that the event has, that’s something I’ve always been willing to sacrifice.”
This year, Ms Clark is taking her charity work to Kenya in July to visit a fully funded project supporting women in the community, with plans to also support a Malawi-based initiative, which EverLend has committed $245 per month towards to help new mothers and babies.
And as Ms Clark continues to educate, empower, and lead change, she hopes to inspire others to do the same, pointing out: “It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if you don’t start, then you’re never actually going to create that impact.”
Listen to the full episode here: This broker turned her business into a platform for change – here’s how.
