When choosing to invest money in a bank, fund or venture, we’re willing to bet that most of us take the time to look at the long-term impact that our investment will have and the return that money will yield. How our money will be spent and the effect it will have probably weighs heavily in the decision-making process – guiding most of us to choose what makes the most sense for what we want to accomplish and our intended investment period. So why is it that when it comes to making a donation to a charity or cause — whether it be at home or abroad —we often overlook this step instead of viewing our donation dollars as a “social investment” into society?
With so many amazing causes and campaigns out there these days, we’ve all given a few dollars here and there to a neighbour, child, friend or online donation form to show our support and contribute to something greater than ourselves. But it isn’t often that we take the time to fully understand the impact our donation could make if we chose to seek out the best social return for our hard-earned dollars.
That’s where Habitat comes in.
We’re excited to introduce our Hope Builders Program — a monthly-giving initiative that treats your donation dollars as a “social investment” into our community.
What is the Hope Builders Program?
Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga’s Hope Builders Program is a team of individuals throughout the community, like you, who have chosen to give a recurring monthly donation of more than $15 (as little as 49¢ per day) in support of our build programs. When you sign up to give and become a Hope Builder, your automated “social investment” will help Habitat build more homes for more families and individuals in need. But not only will you change lives with your donation, you’ll also be investing in a better future for our community every month.
Why you should “invest” in Habitat
For the past 19 years, Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga and our incredible donors have changed the lives of more than 40 families in our community. Through building affordable, decent and safe homes all over Halton Region and the city of Mississauga, we’ve changed lives of families and individuals for generations to come.
But with the cost of rent and real-estate rising, more families in our community are forced to choose between feeding their families or keeping a roof over their heads. And with the waiting list for regional affordable housing at an all-time high, families often wait more than 10 years to be placed in a home that is geared to their income. A lot can happen in 10 years and we’re seeing that more and more parents and individuals in our community are working two or three jobs just to afford unsafe or unsanitary living conditions.
We know we need to do more — that we need to build more homes for local families. But as a nonprofit, one of the biggest challenges we face is the inconsistency of donations. With 56 per cent of our build costs on every project due before we place a shovel in the ground but a majority of donations being made during the framing and finishing stages of our projects, we struggle to build homes at the rate that we could if we had a reliable stream of funding each month.
According to a 2015 study done by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), for every $1 you give to Habitat’s build projects, your “investment” yields $4 that is returned to society — an impressive return on any investment. But what BCG also found was that on average, for every Habitat home built in our community, we generate $175,000 of benefits to society per partner family.
Based on that statistic, that means that Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga has already generated over $7,000,000 dollars in societal benefits through the 40 homes we have built in the past 19 years.
With more than 250 homes planned over the next three years, Habitat Halton-Mississauga stands to generate an additional $43,750,000 in societal benefits by 2022.
Aside from the fact that your “social investment” in Habitat yields an essential net return of 400 per cent, there are also the benefits of improving the lives of more than 26 families in 2018 alone. The same BCG study showed that once in a Habitat home, these individuals eliminate their food bank usage, are more active and healthier, are more likely to volunteer for other causes, that their careers improve and that their children are more likely to attend post-secondary education and obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher. Not only does this have an immediate effect on the lives of those family members, but it also has an effect on the generations of family members to come — ending the cycle of poverty that inadequate shelter brings.
Unlike some other local charities, when you choose to give to Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga, we guarantee that 100 per cent of your donation goes right into building homes for families in need. We are committed to maximizing your gift to us where it will make the greatest impact — in the lives of hard-working, low-income families in need. All of our administrative costs (eg. electricity bills, buying staples, etc.) are covered by the money raised through sales of donated items at our ReStores so that your dollars can build more homes in Halton and Mississauga.
How does the Hope Builders Program work?
Once you choose to sign up as a Hope Builder, your chosen donation amount will be deducted from your credit card or your account on the first day of every month. Knowing your donation will soon be on its way, the team at Habitat will be ready to put it to work right away where its needed most — on our build sites. As you continue to donate, you’ll help us finish our homes. When you sign up, you’ll also get behind-the-scenes updates and opportunities that are exclusive to members of our Hope Builders program.
Get started as a Hope Builder today!
Much like your other recurring monthly investments, choosing to start giving to the Hope Builder Program is quick and easy to set up. Simply visit habitathm.ca/buildhope today and choose which monthly amount you would like to contribute to the program. Once you’ve entered your information, including your credit card and an email address so we can send you your tax receipt information every February, the system will begin processing your donations on the first day of every month.
Want to participate in the program but prefer to write us post-dated cheques and mail them to us instead? Click here to download our sign up form. Simply fill out the information and include your post-dated cheques and send it to the mailing address listed at the top of the form.
Do you have any questions about our Hope Builders Program? Email Sarah today at sgolan@habitathm.ca.