Search This Blog

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Woo Habitat

I was excited to look at Habitat for Humanity this week through the lens of someone studying non-profits, which is different in some ways than the viewpoint of a volunteer. I agree with what was written about the reasons that Habitat has become a high-impact organization and found what was written to have been the truth when I led a church trip to Paterson, New Jersey in 2010, where we worked with Habitat. In addition to their ability to change people's thinking about low-income housing, engage volunteers in a meaningful way, and use celebrity evangelists, there is one other element of Habitat that I think adds to their impact. I was suprised and happy to find that all of the staff builders that my group worked with during our trip were totally subscribed to the ideas behind the organization they worked for. Each one was proud to contribute his skills in a way that engaged volunteers, created a safer community, and provided housing to families in need. During the trip, staff members at varying levels of that chapter shared their stories with us and talked about what working for Habitat meant for them. While celebrity evangelists can have powerful leverage for organizations, I think staff evangelists can do just as much. This piece, coupled with each of the other elements discussed in Forces for Good, created an experience that informed and changed the thinking of many in my group, who were ages 14-50+.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.