Please welcome our new volunteer, Martha! Martha has volunteered with Pets of the Homeless (POTH) since February this year, helping out with fundraising and strategy, when in October she became the fifth member of our Board.
Using advocacy, campaigns and communications in her quest for doing good, Martha has zeroed in on building the capacity Pets of the Homeless has for helping more people and their pets.
What compelled you to get involved with POTH?
After six years in animal welfare, I saw first hand how those without very much usually made the best pet owners. I had seen them give everything they had for the benefit of their companion so it broke my heart to watch people just trying to get in tough circumstances day by day together with their pet. On my way into work at a new job in Melbourne’s CBD, I noticed so many vulnerable people with their pets. I purposefully looked for a genuine charity that looked out for those that had another little mouth to feed.
I searched for one that truly made a difference and I found everything good I wished to see in the world in the work that POTH did.
What’s your aim as a Board Member for POTH?
Raising money means POTH can grow, be sustainable and be independent. Building governance structures is critical in guaranteeing the stability and longevity of POTH. I change hats quite regularly but my easiest favourite is telling the stories of the work we do that inspires people to also get involved or give.
What’s the best thing about being involved with POTH?
It’s inspiring to see how the passion, goodwill and ambition of a few can make such a difference. I love the range of volunteering POTH offers, while we make some incredibly momentous decisions at Board level, we’re also given the opportunity to get back to basics and help at the grass roots.
What do you think are the best things you bring to POTH’s Board?
I’ve worked with Boards in the charity sector for over fourteen years and knew quite early on that once I had honed my specialist skills, it would be something I’d also do. Observing what good governance actually looked like in both theory and practice in a variety of fields has set me up with the tools to get out there and contribute meaningfully.
My most recent experience at the Supreme Court of Victoria in communications has built up a working knowledge of process, procedures and problem solving that I think balances out the creative in me. And both elements are vital in providing advice in communications and governance on POTH’s Board.
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