Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County

DONATE
STORE
VOLUNTEER

Top 5 Reasons to Donate to Habitat’s Fall Campaign

The Top 5 Reasons to Donate to Habitat for Humanity

During this time of giving, we’d like to share why a gift to Habitat for Humanity has impacts far beyond our ability to provide simple decent shelter for a family in need.

Any monetary donation, any hour spent volunteering, and anytime you donate a gently used item to our Habitat Store, you help us fulfill our central mission — providing a way out of poverty through homeownership.

Reason #5

Dignity and Full Value

Habitat’s homeownership program is not a give-away. Paying full market value along with 500 hours of sweat equity as a down payment not only preserves dignity and self-worth but produces a homeowner who cares about every inch of the home they helped build. In other words, a hand up and not a hand out is the best formula for a successful outcome. Habitat families tend to stay in their home for the life-time of the mortgage showcasing stability and setting the scene for the transfer of intergenerational income. This is Habitat’s formula to fulfill its mission to end poverty.

Habitat’s program is an opportunity to pour your gifts into something larger than yourself and we are not necessarily talking about cash. Hundreds of volunteers, locally and from across the country, from all walks in life, come together to share their time and talents.

Stereotypes we hold about the poor and about each other melt away at the worksite when people come together to provide such a basic human need as shelter.  Today, more than ever, we, as a society, need more opportunities to work together despite our differences.

Equally important, the value of volunteer time and donated goods and services allows Habitat to produce a home that a very low-income neighbor can afford.

Reason #4

Building Community

Reason #3

Bang for Buck — Invested Not Consumed

A gift to Habitat for Humanity is invested and not consumed. For many, this is a very important consideration. Habitat creates the investment scenario in two ways:

First, by donating your gently used items to the Habitat Store, you help us subsidize overhead and program costs — such as paying the light bill, rent, staffing family services and volunteer coordination. In fact, unrestricted earned revenue is the major purpose of our Habitat Store for long-term sustainability.

Second, when cash gifts purchase construction materials and services, the full value is transferred to the cost basis of the home we are building. When the Habitat client purchases the home, either through a Habitat mortgage or conventional financing, the investment is returned in lump or monthly cash payments to help build yet another home.

A gift to Habitat is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Not only do homes need to be affordable now, they need to be affordable throughout the entire term of the mortgage. Habitat is currently building homes that exceed the aspirational energy standards of 2035. This is not as a response to the energy standard itself but as a way of making sure the family will not be forced out of their home due to market factors, such as rising energy costs, especially those driven by non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels.

Appropriate technology such as low-replacement-cost HRVs and passive construction techniques produce net-zero-ready homes with a monthly operating cost of less than $10.00. This demonstrates exemplary stewardship in two ways: There are long-term benefits for the Habitat homeowner as more family resources such as cash can be used for basic necessities — such as food, health care and education, never mind children’s needs — but it’s equally beneficial for the environment.

Reason #2

Energy Efficiency & Affordability for the Future

Reason #1

Impact on Educational and Health Outcomes

Habitat’s homeownership program is not a give-away. Paying full market value along with 500 hours of sweat equity as a down payment not only preserves dignity and self-worth but produces a homeowner who cares about every inch of the home they helped build. In other words, a hand up and not a hand out is the best formula for a successful outcome. 

Habitat families tend to stay in their home for the life-time of the mortgage showcasing stability and setting the scene for the transfer of intergenerational income.

This is Habitat’s formula to fulfill its mission to end poverty.

Donate!
Skip to content