How your company can get involved with Habitat

In your own life, you might look for ways to give to charity, such as making a monetary donation. But have you considered getting your workplace involved so that you can donate on an even larger scale? Here at Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga, we are proud to have amazing corporate partners whose generous support allows us to continue the important work we do in our local communities.

If your company or organization is looking for a way to get involved with a nonprofit, improve your corporate social responsibility or simply give back to the community, Habitat has a plethora of opportunities for you. Read on to learn more about the experiences we offer, and the benefits of partnering with Habitat for Humanity.

What can my company do with Habitat?

Team build with Habitat

One of the most exciting ways you can get involved with Habitat is to sign up for one of our team building experiences. These team build activities are not only a great way for your co-workers to bond and grow, but also offer a unique way to make a direct impact on Habitat’s mission. We offer three distinct team building experiences, each suited for a different number of people and varied monetary donation.

One of our team build experiences is on our build sites. We currently have two active build sites, one in Burlington and one in Mississauga. We have a variety of dates and projects available, with sample daily projects including the prefabrication of window frames, door frames, stairs and more. This experience allows your team to contribute to the construction of a home for a local family, and it also gives you the chance to learn new skills on the site.

We also offer team building experiences in our Mississauga ReVive Centre. ReVive is our exclusive upcycling centre which recycles and transforms donated products and materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Your team can construct, design and add a DIY touch to items that will then be sold in one of our ReStores. This experience lets your team unleash their creative talents and work together to create a project in a day.

Our third team building experience is to spend a half or full day working in one of our ReStores. Sample daily projects might include organizing inventory or building new display areas. When your team spends a day in the ReStore, you join our amazing community of staff and volunteers who keep our operations running smoothly. Your team will get to work together for a common goal, and learn more about Habitat’s unique social enterprise in the process.

For more information about all of Habitat’s team build days, visit our team build experience website.

Make a donation

If you’d rather donate without taking part in a team building day, we have several options so that you can donate in the way that makes the most sense for your organization. Like other charities, we welcome financial donations; but unlike some other charities, we’re proud to say that 100 per cent of your monetary donation goes directly into our build projects. Your team can organize a fundraiser for Habitat, and set a goal for the total amount you’d like to donate. Check out Habitat’s blog post about fundraising tips so you can make the most of your experience. To get started, fill out the workplace giving form on our website.

Habitat also welcomes Gift-In-Kind donations of supplies or services. These items might include wood, brick, flooring, cabinetry, appliances, paint, plumbing, electrical, HVAC or drywall. Your organization could also choose to donate tools, hard hats, safety shoes, safety glasses, gloves or even food for our volunteer teams on site every day. If your business involves skilled trades, you can also get involved through donating your expertise and services to one of our builds. Visit our website to learn more.

Your company can also donate overstock to Habitat. Overstock donations might include products that have been mis-packaged, damaged, returned, discontinued or items which are end-of-the-line. You can donate items like kitchens, cabinetry, sinks, toilets, hardware, tools, unused flooring or tile, new and like-new windows, interior and exterior doors, office supplies and furniture, scrap metal, new building supplies, new paint and new lighting and electrical supplies. A full list of accepted donation items is available on Habitat’s website.

Why should you choose to partner with Habitat?

Donor recognition

Our donors and corporate partners are a valued part of our Habitat community. We offer a myriad of opportunities for brand recognition including social media posts, videos, newsletter features, signage, media releases and more. We’re also happy to welcome our donors to Habitat events, including our dedication ceremonies, where we hand over the keys to a family as we celebrate the completed construction of their brand new house. Check out this blog post to learn more about Habitat Halton-Mississauga’s approach to donor recognition, and why it’s so important to us.

Corporate social responsibility

When you partner with Habitat, or donate to our organization, you’re showing your customers and community that you care about the pressing issue of the lack of affordable housing in the GTA. You’re demonstrating corporate social responsibility in a great way through partnering with a nonprofit that has a reputation as being a hardworking organization in its community. Visit this blog post to learn more about how Habitat can help your corporate social responsibility and to learn more of the benefits of partnering with our organization.

Make a real difference

When you get involved with Habitat, your contribution makes a tangible difference in our ability to do the work that we do. When you donate money, 100 per cent of your donation goes towards one of our build projects so that we can continue to build safe, decent and affordable housing units for local families in need of a place to call home.

When you donate other items to a build site you’re also allowing us to keep our build costs low so that when a partner family pays back their mortgage, it can go right into our revolving cycle to purchase more land to build another home for another deserving family. When you donate overstock to a Habitat ReStore, you’re helping us to have products to sell so that we can raise additional funds for our home building projects.

No matter how your company chooses to get involved, you can be positive that your contribution is valued, appreciated and going towards a great cause. Why wait? Sign up to team build, fundraise or donate today. Visit Habitat Halton-Mississauga’s website to learn more about our organization. We can’t wait to partner with you!

By Sherina Harris