VISTA Project Goal

You will increase HFH Lakeside’s capacity to build and repair homes by researching and applying for grants, increasing the number of donors, and managing the volunteer program.

Project Objectives

GRANTS: Research, apply, and administer grants to support HFH Lakeside and its efforts to build and repair homes in Sheboygan County. 

• Review the organization’s grant history, including grants both received and denied. Follow up with grantors as appropriate for feedback.

• Collect/update quantitative and qualitative data (eg housing production numbers and homeowner stories) and create narrative pieces that can be used to complete grant applications with minimal editing. 

• Apply for grants according to the calendar and track progress. Gather feedback when possible. For grants received, note funding restrictions, reporting requirements, deadlines, etc. 

DONOR STEWARDSHIP: Assist with the creation and implementation of a stewardship plan to increase the number of donors and donation amounts to support the organization’s mission.

• Review the organization’s donor history. Research best practices for engaging with prospective donors and soliciting support. 

• Create donor stewardship materials for both print and digital solicitation (using data collected for grants), focusing on making flexible templates that can be easily updated with fresh data, photos, etc. 

• Update/create process for identifying and tracking donor stewardship efforts. Identify who will be responsible for stewardship after the VISTA’s term has ended.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT: Recruit and manage volunteers – both groups and individuals – to support Habitat Lakeside’s efforts to build and repair homes. These efforts may be focused on construction, ReStore, and other organizational needs. 

• Review Lakeside’s volunteer program. Identify its strengths and areas for improvement, surveying staff and volunteers for their perspectives. Research best practices.

• Working with stakeholders (construction, ReStore, etc) identify volunteer needs and update volunteer scheduling calendar. 

• Identify potential sources for volunteers (including past volunteers) and create a recruitment plan. Create/update materials. Update onboarding and orientation procedures and documents as needed. 

• Implement recruitment plant and coordinate management of volunteers (this may be the VISTA or in coordination with construction or ReStore staff). 

Apply today! Start as soon as June 1. VISTA positions are filled on a rolling basis.

About HFH Lakeside

Since 1993, Habitat for Humanity Lakeside has been providing the Sheboygan County community with affordable housing opportunities. They operate on a sustainable and community-driven funding model that blends philanthropy, volunteer labor, and affordable homeownership to create long-term housing solutions. Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope, envisioning a world where everyone has a decent plan to live. Read more about Habitat for Humanity Lakeside’s goals in their five-year strategic plan.

Serving the whole county, HFH Lakeside’s main office and Habitat ReStore are located in the bustling town of Sheboygan. Known as “The Spirit on the Lake”, Sheboygan is also the surfing capital of Lake Michigan! Sheboygan is conveniently situated an hour north of Milwaukee and an hour south of Green Bay and not too far from Harrington Beach State Park and Kohler-Andrew State Park, where you can walk on the floating boardwalk over the sand dunes.

Benefits

In addition to the standard VISTA benefits, HFH Lakeside offers free housing (a furnished apartment).