Sometimes the most rewarding part of corporate culture goes beyond helping customers and involves giving back to your local community. If your company is looking for a way to demonstrate corporate social responsibility on a local level in the GTA, look no further. Here’s a rundown of how Habitat can help your company do good in the community.
Make a donation
There are a variety of ways your company can make a donation to Habitat. You can make a financial donation, and depending on the amount of your donation your team may be eligible for sponsoring a home with Habitat or participating in a team building experience. Sponsoring a home with Habitat is a way for your company to leave a legacy in your community. Check out this blog post about home sponsorship to learn more.
You might be wondering how your financial donation helps Habitat. It makes a huge difference in our Affordable HomeOwnership program. When you donate, you help us cover the upfront costs of purchasing land and construction materials and services. Other items and services are donated, and our partner families volunteer 500 hours throughout the construction process.
Because the costs have been covered when the home is built, the family’s mortgage payments — which are tailored to no more than 30 per cent of their overall income — go back into Habitat’s revolving fund, helping us build more homes for more families. As you can see, your donation plays a crucial role in the construction stage of our projects.
One way your company can donate is through taking part in a workplace giving program with Habitat. You can organize a fundraiser, or approach your suppliers to see if they are interested in donating. We’re happy to work with you to figure out a unique way for your company to raise money for a great cause,while having fun in the process.
Habitat also accepts Gift-In-Kind donations of supplies and services for our build projects. Examples of accepted Gift-In-Kind donations include wood, brick, flooring, cabinetry, appliances, paint, plumbing, HVAC, drywalling and more. Your corporation can also donate overstock, returned or imperfect items to a Habitat ReStore (a full list of accepted items is available on our website). You’ll receive a charitable tax receipt for both donated items and monetary donations.
Team build with Habitat
Want to get involved with Habitat and strengthen your team at the same time? Habitat offers numerous team building experiences which are perfect for companies in the GTA. One of our exciting experiences involves working on a build site. This Adopt-A-Day team building experience can accommodate up to 20 people. Safety equipment and lunch are provided, and your team will have plenty of direction in working on the construction site.
We also offer team building experiences in our new Mississauga ReVive Centre. This unique experience can accommodate up to 25 people. Your team will have the opportunity to upcycle products to be sold in our ReStores. It’s a chance to flex your creative muscles and get your DIY on, while working in an upbeat, team-oriented atmosphere. Edgewell Personal Care came out to build doghouses at the ReVive Centre, as pictured in the photo at the top of the post. You can check out an album of photos from their ReVive day on our Facebook page.
Habitat also offers team building experiences in our ReStores. Our Burlington and Mississauga ReStores are suitable for up to 15 people, and our Milton ReStore is suitable for up to five people. Teams in the ReStore will be able to merchandise product, assembling items and interacting with our friendly staff, volunteers and customers.
To learn more about any of these team building experiences, contact our Team Experiences Lead, Melissa Foley at mfoley@habitathm.ca or by calling (905) 637-4446 ext. 231. You can also visit our team building programs website to learn more!
The benefits of working with Habitat
There are lots of benefits to working with Habitat. We offer unparalleled brand recognition opportunities. Depending on the amount you donate, your company could be featured in a Habitat newsletter, on our blog or on our website. We also offer recognition through our various social media channels, including albums of Facebook photos and individual posts, to our audiences of thousands of local community members. We also offer certain opportunities for signage, media releases, videos and more.
Your company will also be invited to a Habitat dedication ceremony. Our dedication ceremonies are where the keys are handed over to the family or families who will be moving into their brand new home. Community partners, Habitat staff, volunteers and other members of the community are all present at our dedication ceremonies. They’re a great way to interact with local community members and share the work that your company contributed towards the creation of a Habitat home!
Beyond the specific brand recognition that comes from your experience with Habitat, partnering with Habitat means you are working with an organization which is active online. We are constantly updating our website and social platforms with all of the great work we are doing, and we’re happy to engage with your company online to demonstrate your social footprint beyond your initial team build or donation experience.
All of these are great reasons why your company should work with Habitat — it can help improve your image in the community through in-person and online interactions. In addition to this, working with Habitat is a chance for your company to make a real, tangible impact. Whether you’re helping by making a monetary donation or by spending a day on a build site, you are helping Habitat to work towards achieving our vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.
Habitat has several exciting upcoming build projects, which you can learn more about on our build website. These are concrete examples of the work we are doing in our community to provide affordable housing to local families. We’re excited about where Habitat is headed, and we’re proud to offer a range of opportunities that allow your organization to get involved and demonstrate corporate social responsibility while making a difference in the lives of families who live right here in your local community.