Insights and inspiration for project professionals

This summer, Homeless Entrepreneur delivered its most ambitious project yet: The Great Walk, a journey of more than one million steps for over one million homeless people in Europe. The impact went beyond metrics fostering cross-border collaboration, strengthening community capacity, and establishing a scalable, replicable governance model.

Stakeholder and Governance Context

Primary stakeholders included beneficiaries (people experiencing homelessness), volunteers, and 11 PMI chapters worldwide, with PMI Belgium proud to be among the supporting chapters. More than 100 stakeholders contributed to making this initiative a success.

A lightweight governance backbone, including a steering group, weekly meetings (in person and online), and a shared collaboration toolkit (WhatsApp, email, Google Docs), enabled fast decision-making, transparent progress tracking, and proactive risk mitigation.

A stakeholder map helped balance the voices of beneficiaries, sponsor expectations, and volunteer engagement across multiple countries.

Qualitative Outcomes and Beneficiary Voices

Beyond the milestone of one million steps, the journey delivered outcomes that reflect real-world benefits, stronger community capability, and expanded social capital:

• Beneficiaries and communities described a renewed sense of belonging and purpose: “The Great Walk reminded me how important human contact and connectivity is.”
• Volunteers reported enhanced cross-cultural collaboration and leadership development: “Weekly meetings and the shared docs transformed volunteer energy into coordinated momentum.”
• PMI chapter partners valued the learning loop: “We saw real gains in stakeholder engagement and rapid adaptation to changing conditions.”

Continuing the Story

PMI Belgium has been proud to support and report on The Great Walk throughout its journey. From its launch in June, through the updates we shared in July and September, our community has followed and amplified the initiative’s progress. This final article closes the loop by reflecting on lessons and impact, while pointing toward the future.

Lessons Learned and Risk Management

Key lessons emerged through a structured risk and leadership lens:

• Governance and decision rights enabled timely pivots when weather and logistics posed challenges, reducing rework and keeping momentum
• Communication channels (WhatsApp, email, Google Docs) supported multi-time-zone collaboration yet revealed the need for a clearer escalation path and a central issue tracker.
• Community engagement required flexibility with beneficiaries. In some cases, additional time for trust-building yielded deeper participation and sustainability, even when it delayed arrival times.

Benefits Realization

The non-monetary benefits were substantial:

• Capacity building: Local chapters demonstrated enhanced capabilities in resource mobilization and volunteer coordination for future projects.
• Social capital: Networks among volunteers, beneficiaries, and partners grew stronger, enabling long-term collaboration.
• Brand and mission alignment: Homeless Entrepreneur and PMI chapters strengthened their alignment, fueling advocacy and program expansion.

Next Steps and Call to Action

The Great Walk is just the beginning. Your support through donations, volunteering, and network access helps scale not just the logistics of a walk, but the empowerment and connection it creates.

If you would like to contribute stories, case studies, or interview-ready material, please reach out.

Voices from the Journey

• Beneficiary: “Receiving a hug was like getting Christmas and birthday presents for the next 10 years.”
• Volunteer reflection: “Planning events in Germany helped connect us with new stakeholders while strengthening our relationship and creating future volunteering and fundraising opportunities.” — Andrew Funk, Founder and President, Homeless Entrepreneur

 

Andrew Funk
President and Founder, Homeless Entrepreneur