Millions of people around the world support Habitat’s mission and continue to expand Habitat’s support base. That means more housing for more families everywhere.

Individual Donors Find Strength in Numbers

by Rebekah Daniel

Government Grants Provide a Lift

Defining Adequacy on a Global Scale

Individual partners are the backbone of Habitat for Humanity International's support base, contributing time, talents and dollars to make Habitat's work possible. Apart from volunteer labor, each year those individuals provide millions of dollars to build thousands of houses worldwide.

Yet when the focus shifts from the donation to the donors, it becomes apparent that this broad, worldwide impact grows from the humble seeds of personal convictions, improving lives and building hope.

Evelyn Locklin supports her local affiliate, Columbus (Ohio) Area Habitat for Humanity, and serves on the church relations committee. She and her husband have a method for selecting organizations to support, she says.

"We have a couple of criteria: Does it help children? Does it last? Does it give us a certain satisfaction of being involved in it?" she says. And finally, "A fourth criterion is a link."

This link, or personal connection with the cause, often is what draws donors to support Habitat's work. Whether they know a friend or family member who is building a Habitat house or have experienced tough times themselves, having a face to put on the mission is a powerful motivation. Locklin initially became involved through a friend who was participating in a fund-raiser and asked for her help, and later relationships with homeowner families sustained the feeling of "connection."

"You can take food to church and put it in a box, but you want something that connects you," Locklin says. "I stayed (with Habitat) because it meets a great need I have to make a difference. Even when we have problems and it's frustrating, in spite of that, what you cling to is the fact that this is a proven program. It works....Even those of us who are not speakers have an easy 'sell.'

Volunteers with talents ranging from carpentry skills to food preparation played a role in the successful completion of 25 houses at the 2003 Jimmy Carter Work Project site in Valdosta, Ga.

From an affiliate perspective, people who financially support Habitat are every bit as important as the construction-site volunteers who assemble houses. Lake of the Ozarks (Mo.) HFH began a Groundbreakers Club; Neosho (Mo.) Area HFH has a similar program called The Carpenters Club. Each time the affiliates break ground on a new house, a letter goes out, reminding club members of their pledges. Currently, each club funds 20 to 25 percent of the cost of the house. In addition to providing a means of participation for people who are unable to serve on a committee or volunteer on the construction site, the clubs help the affiliates "diversify" their funding sources.

"We don't want to have to rely on businesses over and over," says Larry Swift, board president of Neosho Area HFH. "They receive requests for contributions all the time, and we don't want to have to rely on one or two or half a dozen sources for the majority of our  support. ...Plus, the more people that are involved, the more likely it is to grow, and the more opportunity for exponential growth."

For some donors, it is the tangibility of their gift--a house that can be seen and touched and visited--that affirms the worthiness of their investment. But for Dr. Fenwick Huss, dean of the College of Business at Georgia State University, it was actually the idea that drew him in.

"I work in economics, so I see things from an economic point of view," Huss says. "'Venture philanthropy' is where you want to see the results of your philanthropic investment. ...Invest in people and you will receive the most return on your investment."

Huss became involved with Habitat in an ordinary way: he toted his paintbrush to a build site near his home in Atlanta to help his church finish a house. When he heard Habitat also builds houses in Russia, his ears perked up and wheels began to turn. He had first visited Russia in 1974 as a student and returned many times throughout the 1990s, developing friendships. The combination of Habitat, with its sustainability, and the people he loved moved him to support the young program financially.

In May, Huss was able to attend the dedication for the first built-from-scratch Habitat house in Russia, where a plaque on the wall marks his contribution to a new beginning for the Karpov family. However, it's not a picture of the plaque that he's proud to show off; it's the drawing of the house given to him by the 4-year-old son of the homeowner that he treasures.

"For anyone thinking about donating to Habitat for Humanity, I would suggest that they first get involved," Huss says. "Show up on a Saturday with your paintbrush. See how Habitat affects people at the core of their lives. Then you can begin to see the opportunities ... where Habitat can take you and make a choice of where to invest based on your interests."

--Additional reporting by Leanne McElroy