Giving to Habitat for Humanity

Donor Bill of Rights

PHILANTHROPY - is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
I. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their inteded purposes.
II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgement in its stewardship responsibilities.
III. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
VI. To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Building Houses Without Hammers

People power behind the scenes and at construction sites is important, but equally important as volunteer support is financial support to intensify Habitat's work. Habitat for Humanity relies on cash donations to purchase such necessary components as land and building materials and to cover administrative costs necessary to continue the actual construction work.

Habitat SHR relies on a wide variety of funding sources, from the individual donor to the largest corporation--and places a premium on each and every gift.

Before tools clang on a construction site, there's much else that needs to happen first, not the least of which is dollars raised and allocated for ultimately the same outcome: more housing built with more families around South Hampton Roads.

Giving to Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads:

Your donation can do so much:

• $25 will provide a porchlight to light the way
• $30 will provide a faucet to draw a hot bath
• $50 will provide a front door where guests arrive
• $75 will provide a cabinet where bread and cookies could be kept
• $100 will provide a window to watch the seasons change
• $250 will provide insulation to help keep a family warm
• $500 will provide lumber for a child's room to play, study and rest
• $1000 will provide a roof to sleep soundly under
• $5000 will provide wiring and fixtures to light up the dark

Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads (Habitat SHR) has built 160 homes in South Hampton Roads since 1988 with families in need. Several of the homes that we have planned for 2009 are partially funded and need additional material and financial resources for completion. Your financial gifts to HFHSHR can help families get out of a cycle of poverty and into safe, decent, affordable housing.

These homes are not giveaways: needy families earn their homes by working with Habitat volunteers to learn about financial management and homeownership, spending 250 to 400 hours working on Habitat projects including 150 hours building their own home, and paying a 30-year, zero interest mortgage.

Your donation to Habitat SHR can do so much to build a brighter future for a family right here in South Hampton Roads...

You may make a donation to support Habitat SHR right now by clicking on:

DONATE NOW

• When you get to the Habitat International Donate web page, look at the top left side of the page where it says "More Ways to Donate."
• Be sure to select "Affiliate Named Below" and type 'South Hampton Roads" in the block provided to be sure your gift comes to South Hampton Roads.
• Your gift will be used where needed most. If you want to direct your gift to a particular project or city in South Hampton Roads, please follow up your donation with an email to our develeopment director specifying the date and amount of the gift, the name of the giver, and the project or city that you would like it to go to.
• You may also donate using a Master Card or VISA by calling 757-640-0590 or send a check to:

               Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads,

               900 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23504.

"Lots of Love"

Like other local builders, we are having an increasingly difficult time finding land for our homes and families in SHR. We have major corporate donors with an interest in sponsoring Habitat homes in some of our cities - where we just can't afford to buy.

HFHSHR relies upon the donations of no-cost or low-cost "lots" within South Hampton Roads to build new Habitat homes. Donations of land to the "LOTS OF LOVE" campaign enables HFHSHR to build homes and allocate more financial resources to actual construction of new homes.

We need your help to identify and acquire land for our families and volunteers to build. We are working to notify people in related fields of our need for donations and affordably priced land for builds. Donations of real estate to Habitat SHR are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law, but you should consult your tax advisor for specific, professional advice.

Habitat SHR has played a major role in revitalizing distressed communities such as Park Place in Norfolk and Campostella Square (formerly Foundation Park) in Chesapeake - a donation of some land in such a community to Habitat can result in significant increase in the value of other property down the road. And donations to Habitat are tax-deductible and may be useful in reducing capital gains taxes.

If you have land or financial resources to donate, please contact us at 757-640-0590 or Sherran Denkler.

Give a Gift from the Heart

With the holidays around the corner and birthdays always in season, instead of a bouquet that will wither, or a necktie that may never be worn, why not consider a gift that keeps on giving - a Gift from the Heart?

Your tax-deductible gift to Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads will be both unique and heartwarming. And the building materials, supplies and support it provides help make the dream of a decent housing a reality for a family in need here in South Hampton Roads.

We will send your honorees a colorful card notifying them that a donation has been made in their names.

Here are a few examples of what your gift can help buy:

• $25 for a 50 lb. box of nails
• $50 for an interior door
• $100 for a bedroom window
• $250 for a front door with locks
• $500 or more toward a foundation or a roof

To send a Gift from the Heart, call 757-640-0590 or send the name, address, and occasion of the honoree and a check to Habitat SHR, 900 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23504.

United Way

Combined Federal Campaign

Combined Virginia Campaign

You can help Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads build more houses for needy families right here in South Hampton Roads through United Way and other employee-giving programs including the CFC and CVC programs.

SHR Habitat’s designation numbers are:

 

 

Contribute to Habitat SHR through one of the United Way Campaigns if it is available at your workplace and let your family, friends and neighbors know that Habitat SHR can be supported through the United Way.

Don’t forget to match your gift through your place of business! If you work for a company that matches gifts to eligible 501(c)3 charitable organizations, you can double or even triple the impact of your generosity. Simply follow your company’s matching gift guidelines, and we will do the rest to make sure your money goes even further towards eliminating poverty housing.

12 Reasons Why You Should Invest in
Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that builds, renovates and sells houses to low-income families on a no-profit, no-interest basis. Relying on a unique partnership of individual volunteers, skilled craftsmen, churches, businesses, and homeowners themselves, Habitat for Humanity constructs single-family homes and then finances them over a 20-year period. Those payments, in turn, go to producing additional housing.

• Purely and simply, it works. Despite skepticism about its no-profit, no-interest basis, Habitat record speaks for itself -- over 225,000 homes worldwide built since 1976 and 160 houses constructed here in South Hampton Roads since 1988.
• It is practical, simple, and straightforward: Habitat raises money, builds houses, and sells them. The method and mission remain constant.
• No government funds are involved in construction of houses nor are any bureaucratic strings attached.
• Habitat for Humanity offers a permanent solution to the housing crisis. When it gains widespread community support, it endures and perpetuates itself as mortgage payments are recycled into housing.
• Habitat for Humanity is not a band-aid approach. Its program is founded on people helping people, on partnerships which cross ideological, political, and theological lines.
• Overhead costs are low. At Habitat sites, house costs reflect all costs, including overhead. Only volunteer labor is omitted from the price structure.
• Foreclosures are extraordinarily rare. Nationally, the record of responsible payments and maintenance of homes is extremely good. Locally, our foreclosure rate is less than 2%.
• Habitat for Humanity builds affordable and quality housing while keeping designs simple and efficient.
• Habitat for Humanity's work is both tangible and highly visible in the community. From the volunteers' perspective, it is the epitome of a "hands-on" experience.
• By selling houses to people who were - in most cases - formerly renters, Habitat for Humanity adds to the tax base of the area. Wealth is created.
• Habitat for Humanity promotes responsible citizenship and pride in the community. Home ownership builds self-esteem and hope.
• If you donate "in-kind" product, it gives you visibility and good public relations to the many volunteers working on our sites - many of whom will be doing work in the future on their own homes!

Email Sherran Denkler or call 757-640-0590 to find out more about how you can invest in Building Hope and Homes in South Hampton Roads.