This month, our little charity celebrates 3 very special years of helping to keep best friends together.
In celebration of such an important milestone, we asked Pets of the Homeless (POTH) Founder Yvonne Hong to share her own story of what it has been like to single-handedly launch a charity of her own and tell us about the steps she has taken to grow POTH into the powerhouse that it is today.
Here is Yvonne’s story!
So POTH is 3. How do you feel?
Exhausted! *Laughing* but so very very proud of how far our little charity has come in such a short time.
Exhausted? Are you regretting it now?
No! Definitely not! Nothing worth doing is ever easy and I know that. Actually, one of my favourite quotes is from Theodore Roosevelt who said…
Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.
What was it like to set up a new charity?
It has been a huge learning curve to make sure we are set up correctly and running smoothly. Realistically, we are still in our infancy stage and we are improving and learning as we go.
Was there a lot of planning involved?
To be honest, POTH is the first thing that I’ve ever done in my whole life that I did not have a plan for – and it’s the best thing that could have happened. I think that overplanning and overthinking kills more dreams than failure ever will. With POTH, I had no plans, no vision and no goals for the future. Just bucketloads of passion.
What gave you the idea to start a charity like POTH?
I used to live in the city where I would come across this lovely gentleman and his dog on the streets. I started off by buying food for them and just doing a drop and run. It wasn’t until I had done it a few times that I struck up the courage to stop and have a chat with him. That was actually 2 years before I started POTH but that sparked something in me. It prompted me to want to do more to help.
So, I went online to see if there was such a service available and I found a small group run by 2 ladies in Sydney who were providing food and supplies to the rough sleepers in the city. I messaged them to ask if they knew of a similar group in Melbourne and they said no, so I told them that I would be interested in starting one.
But then the overthinker and overplanner in me took over and the idea was shut down as fast as I could think of it. I was running my own online business at that time and didn’t really have any spare time to give. It seemed like it would just be too much work and would need a lot of money to get it up and running. Even back then, I already had grand plans in mind – but ultimately it became too overwhelming so I decided not to go ahead with it.
Fast forward to two years later, I had reached a point where my business has plateaued and the amount of income I was earning wasn’t justifying the amount of effort that I was investing. With this in mind, I decided to shut it down and follow my dream of starting POTH. It was a terrifying leap, and although I had the time, it would mean I would now be without an income. I had a chat with my partner who was incredibly supportive of my plans and we agreed that we would make some lifestyle changes in order for me to work full time on POTH. So, using my own money, I bought some pet supplies and took to the streets to start distributing them and I’ve never looked back since!
PS. The group in Sydney has since shut down, but before they did I messaged them to let them know when I first started POTH. I said, “ Look, I did it! I kept to my promise!”
How did you get people on board with your idea?
I didn’t have to try very hard. People connected to the idea and our cause because they all love their pets and they know how it would feel if they had to give them up.
What are some of the biggest accomplishments POTH has achieved?
I would say everything we have done so far is an accomplishment. From becoming a registered charity to expanding our service from just street outreach work to now being able to distribute food and supplies to several organisations and groups in Melbourne and partnering with other social service agencies to accept client referrals for veterinary care and emergency boarding. We have grown exponentially in a short period of time and already achieved so much.
What roadblocks have you encountered and how have you overcome them?
Our biggest roadblock at the moment is that we do not have a space to call our own. Unfortunately, this means we are unable to further expand our services to assist more people – especially with pet food distribution due to the lack of storage space and also with the issue of privacy. I work out of my home, so I can’t exactly have people coming around all the time. However, we have big plans to change this and have been slowly putting away money towards a warehouse space. The POTH team have been fundraising like crazy and we’re confident that pretty soon we’ll be able to reach our goal of securing our very own warehouse space!
What are some of the misconceptions that people have about POTH?
People tend to think we are a bigger charity than what we really are. Most people (actually, all!) are surprised when they find out it’s just me doing the day to day work, running the joint. We only have a small team of fewer than 30+ volunteers, and although we have multiple email accounts to make us seem more professional, 95% of it is answered by me. We are definitely faking it until we make it! All jokes aside, I am actually really proud of that fact. It means we are doing so well and punching way above our weight.
The other common misconception is that all the people we help are rough sleepers (people sleeping on the street). That could not be further from the truth. Part of what we do here at POTH is to raise awareness and to educate the public about the different types of homelessness and how the majority of people who are experiencing homelessness are actually invisible to the public. We also help people who are at risk of homelessness so people from a low socio-economic background.
What do you like most about running POTH?
Definitely the people I get to meet, know and work with. From the people we help, to the volunteers, to the supporters – and the nerd in me would also say learning. I love to learn and there is A LOT to learn when starting a charity from the ground up.
What keeps you passionate about the work you do? What drives you?
The cause itself. There is still so much work to do and room to grow. I won’t stop until there is no longer a need for our charity to exist.
What’s next for POTH?
Oh, we have lots planned! We are in the process of launching our new foster care program soon which will enable us to provide longer-term support to those in need. In the next 12 months, we will be looking at getting that POTH warehouse to start Victoria’s (dare I say, Australia’s) very first dedicated Pet Food Bank. Once we have the Pet Food Bank set up, we can expand our services to a wider network in Victoria and the plan for the next few years would be an interstate expansion. We also have a few secret projects in the pipeline so definitely some exciting times ahead.
What advice would you give for someone interested in starting a charity of their own?
If you have an idea, just go for it. The most important thing is taking that first step. You will learn to figure it all out along the way. Lastly, fail fast and often for that is the only way you will grow and learn from your mistakes.
Written by Kellie George
No comments yet.