Happy New Year! The Habitat for Humanity Michigan team has hit the ground running and we are so excited for our unified mission work in the year to come. This year, we have a rejuvenated focus on families and I want to toss out a challenge. I challenge all of us to really think about the word “transformational.” We all joined Habitat to transform lives, including our own. The word means a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. What is our dramatic change in 2016?
The seventh annual HOMES Green Building Summit will be held January 26-28, 2016 at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in Roscommon, Michigan. The Summit seeks to inspire transformational leadership in high performance affordable housing through education, training, and peer-to-peer networking. Experts will share best practices in energy and resource-efficient construction and renovation, sustainable design, health and safety, building science principles, accessibility, and more.
I wanted to make you aware of a resource available to the Habitat network through Habitat for Humanity of Michigan’s organizational charter with NeighborWorks. BoardSource has become the go-to resource for funders, partners, and nonprofit leaders who want to magnify their impact within their community through exceptional governance practices.
Habitat for Humanity of Michigan: 618 S. Creyts Road, Suite C, Lansing MI 48917
Whether you are a new Habitat staff person or a new board member, familiarizing yourself with the mission of Habitat is essential to making your time as an affiliate leader more effective and successful. This orientation serves to complement your current knowledge of Habitat for Humanity and increase your understanding of a variety of elements.
“The Habitat FlexCAP team is excited to announce that the new and improved FlexCAP is ready to launch, and we have 50 million reasons to give it a second look!!! We have secured a $50 million dollar pool of funding to lend out over the next 2 years, and this funding comes with 2 key changes:
On Demand Funding – FlexCAP is now available when affiliates need it, not just twice per year. The FlexCAP team has set a goal of closing loans in as few as 60 days from when you apply.
Congratulations to the 2014-2015 members of AmeriCorps! So far this year, the members of this year’s program have served over 1000 people by helping them move into new homes, repairing the homes where they lived, or making their homes safer and more energy efficient. Additionally, they also recruited and supervised over 3000 volunteers to serve with Habitat affiliates across the state.
Dear Affiliate Leaders: The Habitat for Humanity of Michigan “Learning Communities” for Fund Development were launched at the end of June to prepare us for our September 2015 Readiness Files submission. These affiliate led workshops, as facilitated by the SSO, were (and still are) available as four separate meeting dates held in downstate locations.
The U.S. Senate has proposed a whopping 93% cut to the HOME Investment Partnerships Program. Such a severe cut in funding would mean the end of a program that is helping Habitat affiliates across the country reach partner families most in need of support. I need your help to mobilize around this important program. Below you’ll find HOME information, advocacy tips and resources that will help you do just that.
In 2013, Online giving grew by 13.5%, while overall charitable giving grew by 4.9%.
33.6% of all charitable giving occurs in Q4. 35% of online giving occurs during the same timeframe.
STAY IN TOUCH
If a person gets to your online donation form, pulls out their credit card and decides to give you money, it’s likely they’d be open to hearing from you again. It might also be the last real opportunity you have in which the person is this eager to interact with your nonprofit.
The Readiness File for 2015 has been released, and you will notice a change in the process. In an effort to take Habitat for Humanity to the next level in Michigan, HFHM has established an assessment process to promote goals around strategic planning, fund development, and fiscal responsibility. This new uniform review system is based on evaluating an affiliate’s health, risk, performance and capacity.
Habitat for Humanity of Michigan is dedicated to providing opportunities for affiliates to cultivate your current donors and corporate partners. It is our goal to provide a platform for you to express your sincere gratitude to the donors, corporate partners, and future supporters. The Summer Party is an extension of these efforts.
Upon review of the applications, many of the application sets that the State Tax Commission received were found to be incomplete and did not include the requirements listed on the application form, such as; the additional required documentation and/or the proper number of copies.
The following information is listed on the application form and is required to be submitted in order for an application to be officially received and processed:
1. The application form must be fully completed and include an original signature from the company officer.
The Habitat for Humanity of Michigan “Learning Communities” will launch at the end of this month. This is in preparation of the Readiness Files submission. These will be affiliate led workshops facilitated by the SSO. Affiliates will be in groups and work together, brainstorm, and create strategies to help them succeed in each individual subject area. At the conclusion of each workshop, affiliates will leave with an outline and better understanding of how each other are approaching fund development.
Many of you have inquired about how to apply for exemption from taxes after the passing of HB5182 last year.
The form is now available for your download here.
The SpartanNash Foundation will kick off a program through SpartanNash’s corporate owned D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, VG’s and ValuLand stores throughout Michigan on March 1, 2015. The program will run through March 14, 2015. Store guests will have the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10 at checkout to support home building in the communities where the dollars are raised.
HFHI is inviting comments on three proposed policy revisions to the U.S. Affiliated Organization Policy Handbook.
Proposed policy revisions include:
Policy 22 – Sale of the Housing Unit. If approved, this proposed policy will replace the existing Policy 22: Closing and Servicing and the substance of existing Policy 23: House Pricing Policy.
Policy 23 – Mortgage Origination. If approved, this proposed policy will replace the existing Policy 23: House Pricing and the substance of existing Policy 24: Mortgage.
The State Farm® Youth Advisory Board (YAB) has made its 2015 service-learning grant application available. Four million dollars will be granted to quality, youth-led service-learning initiatives throughout the United States.
Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000, and Request for Proposals (RFP) must be submitted online by Friday, May 1 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Complete details and contact information are available at www.sfyab.com
The Prison Build program, a partnership between Habitat for Humanity of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), provides Habitat partner families with affordable products built with high quality craftsmanship while also supporting the education of prisoners for their reentry into society. This program is generously subsidized through a grant provided by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).
The Home Depot Foundation (THDF) is seeking opportunities to support veteran housing projects around the country to further its mission to ensure every veteran has a safe place to call home. The Veteran Housing Grants Program provides grants to nonprofits to fund the development and repair of housing for veterans. Projects may be new construction or rehab and must be either in progress or about to commence within the next 12 months. Awards typically range from $100,000 to $500,000. The deadline for proposal is February 24.
