5 Ways Your Team Building Day Impacts Habitat

If you spend most of your days behind a desk, a day out of the office might sound like a nice change of pace. It can be much more than a break from the keyboard, though. You can spend that time making a real difference in your community, in a way that gives a whole lot back to you and your colleagues.

Corporate social responsibility is more than a buzzword. It has a real impact, both within and outside a company. According to a recent article from the Forbes Human Resources Council, “Customers and employees alike want to know that the businesses they patronize and work stand for something, and they have no qualms about walking away if a company’s values don’t align with their own.”

Many corporations who value corporate social responsibility practice what they preach by partnering with Habitat East Bay/Silicon Valley for a Team Building day. Team Building days give businesses and their employees the opportunity to make a difference in the communities where they live and work. What kind of difference does a company make? Glad you asked. Here are five ways your Team Building day will impact Habitat’s mission to build homes, communities, and hope while also improving your bottom line.

1. You get things done!

Did you know that 80% of Habitat homes are built by volunteer labor? This means that we cannot build homes without you! When your group comes out to volunteer on the construction site, you have strength in numbers. By collaborating and learning new skills together, you will see a concrete difference at the end of the day. While you’re building bonds with your teammates, you’re also literally building a community – nail by nail, piece by piece – and that work is what makes Habitat’s work possible.

2. When you empower your neighbor, you empower yourself.

At Habitat, we pride ourselves on being a “hand up, not a hand out” for families. When you spend a day volunteering, you empower families working hard for the strong, stable foundation they need to transform their lives. “Every time I come to site, I get teared up because people are doing this for my family,” says a Habitat Homeowner in Martinez . “They are doing it for other families and they are doing it for Habitat. They are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts.” 

You will walk away from a unique Team Building experience knowing that you did something powerful and profound. You extended your hand to your neighbor. Because of your action, families and communities can change the courses of their futures.

3. You build memories for families to cherish.

There’s nothing like seeing joy light up a child’s face at the end of a Team Building day with our Playhouse Program. Playhouse is an innovative program that gives your team a chance to get hands-on and creative with pint-sized construction while providing critical funding for housing solutions through Habitat. What’s more, completed playhouses are donated to children through nonprofit partners like Blue Star Moms. By building with our Playhouse team you not only boost employee morale, but you build something a child will treasure and a moment their family won’t forget.

Check out this video of some of our adorable Playhouse recipients.

4. You inspire others.

Corporate social responsibility makes a real impact, and it’s not just the general community reaping the benefits. When you partner with Habitat, it makes a statement. It puts you forward as an example in the business community – a leader in good corporate citizenship – and encourages your peers to step up and create change. It also senses a clear and public message: your company values the community you work in, and the people you call neighbors.