How to start an organisation that benefits your community

What cause could be better than saving shelter puppies?

Emily Martin is the founder and owner of Dundies, a community benefiting organisation that provides incontinent dogs held in shelters and homes with a solution that saves their lives. Emily, a young woman from Ipswich, Queensland, saw a need in the community for saving the lives of more than 200,000 dogs that are euthanaised in Australia each year.

When Emily was told that her own dog, Rosie, needed to be put down because Rosie was incontinent, Emily found a solution. Dundies was founded on the idea that no pet should be euthanatised due to incontinence, a very common problem for dogs.

Since then, her organisation has gone from strength to strength. Launched from her lounge room in 2019, Dundies now supplies dog nappies across Australia and New Zealand. The company turned over $1 million in sales in the last three years. Dundies is also a philanthropic organisation providing nappies to dogs for free around the country.

Here, we share Emily’s top tips for creating an organisation that benefits a community need.

Find a universal need

What you are doing must serve a need and be helpful to the community. In her case, it was saving the lives of dogs.

“It was about finding the problem and identifying what needs to be solved. For me, it was trying to create a product that helps dog owners like myself and also other owners to care for their pets that were incontinent,” Emily explains.

Emily’s heart was always in adopting, and it gave her the drive to continue. “I still foster through rescue organisations. This is a big part of who I am and my values to give back to the community in ways that I can,” she shares.

Find your mentors

Second, find the partnerships and mentors that will transform your idea into a successful venture.

“Collaborating and working with people who are hoping to realise the goal that you’re trying to achieve is so important. For me, that was working in collaboration with vets and other pet health professionals. As our company has grown, we have worked with different people along the way,” Emily says. “Learning and collaborating with people that are experienced in digital marketing means we can help reach even more pet owners to let them know that incontinence doesn’t have to be a death sentence for your pet.”

Find your people

Thirdly, find your community of people who will eventually become your staff and will help scale your organisation, especially if it is a philanthropic organisation.

“Growing a great supportive team and finding the right people that you can work with that are aligned with your values and goals as an organisation or company is very important,” says Emily.

With passionate drive and commitment, Emily took her community-benefiting organisation idea to the market and created a philanthropic business that helped others. It helped Emily make a living from what she loved and did the world of good for our cuddly community pets.

Emily, we thank you for your incredible work in the community. It is stories like yours that inspire The WellBeing Women of the Year Awards. The WellBeing Women of the Year Awards aim to give women in business and women in the community a platform of acknowledgment and celebration.