A Synergistic Model for Community Organizations
As members of human communities, individuals seek to contribute their time and energy in ways that synergistically benefit both the individuals and other community members. Organizations that facilitate this type of exchange in a sustainable, growth-oriented manner can be held up as examples for other organizations to use as guides. One such successful group is Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit, non-denominational Christian home-building project made famous by the involvement of former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter (ôHabitatàHistoryö).
Contrary to a popular myth, Habitat for Humanity was founded not by the Carters but by another couple, Millard and who wanted to give back to their community through their Christian faith (ôHabitatàHistoryö). Leaving their former business life, they moved to an interracial Christian farming community, the Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia, in 1965. There the Fullers initiated a concept called ôpartnership housing,ö in which individuals in need of homes work side-by-side with volunteers to build those homes. Once the homes are completed, people purchase the homes with low down payments and make home payments on no-interest loans. The supplies and land are furnished by money from a revolving fund made up of donations, no-interest loans, money from fundraising activities, and house payments from new homebuyers. The Fullers were successful in using this concept locally to build homes in their area. They then moved to Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1973, to test their concept abroad. After three years, they were able to reach the goal of housing 2,000 people in Zaire. Upon returning to the United States in 1976, the Fullers founded Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) to spread their concept throughout the world. The first eight years of HFHI, documented in Millard Fuller's book Love in the Mo...