We are a grass-roots nonprofit … and we always will be
We are a grass-roots nonprofit … and we always will be
Editor’s note: “How we build a better world” is a regular series of articles featuring a closer look at the methods and principles of enlightened charity that make our affordable housing ministry work so effectively.
When Millard and Linda Fuller were ousted by Habitat for Humanity in early 2005, they were devastated. In typical Fuller fashion, however, they dusted themselves off quickly and studied how they could flip the setback on its head and turn it into an opportunity.
They joined with long-time associates David Snell and Ken Henson to start a new affordable housing ministry—but one with some old, tried-and-true principles that first guided their movement decades earlier at Koinonia Farm.
At Koinonia Farm, Millard Fuller was inspired with the principles of partnership housing by theologian Clarence Jordan in the 1960s. So, it seemed fitting that the first board meeting of The Fuller Center for Housing should take place on the farm in April of 2005.
There, they doubled down on their original ministry principles. The primary one was that The Fuller Center would be unashamedly Christian and enthusiastically ecumenical. Another important principle was that The Fuller Center would be a grass-roots ministry.
Knowing that the real work of building homes would be handled by local covenant partners in communities across the nation and around the world, a bulky, overseeing bureaucracy would not be needed. The job of headquarters would be to facilitate, network, encourage, and spread awareness—none of which would require a massive headquarters office, staff, and overhead.
Our covenant partners select their partner families, raise the bulk of their money, and decide the best ways to serve their communities. In some areas, there is a more pressing need to repair existing homes through our Greater Blessing program. In other communities, new homes might be the priority. Others may serve their communities through both programs as needed.
Fuller Center covenant partners have very few reporting requirements and strict rules to follow from headquarters. They are asked to abide by our founding principles. While they are not required to pay any fees to Fuller Center headquarters, they are encouraged to willingly tithe a portion of their undesignated funds to help other covenant partners, especially international ones, who may have more trouble securing funds for their work.
By remaining true to these grass-roots principles, The Fuller Center is able to maximize its support of the work in the mission field while also not creating unnecessary burdens and obstacles.
It also means more of our donors’ generous gifts go directly to work in the field rather than supporting bureaucracy and unnecessary overhead. The most recent independent audit shows that 94 percent of donations go to program work—far exceeding the nonprofit standard of at least 67 percent going to program work.
Millard Fuller passed away unexpectedly in 2009, but The Fuller Center remains as committed to our grass-roots philosophy as much today as we were on the day we were founded.
Linda Fuller has stated that Millard’s four years at the helm of this reborn ministry were some of the happiest years of his life. He always had a special place in his heart for the local groups doing the work of building and repairing homes, and it delighted him to see them being uplifted and inspired.
The Fuller Center remains a grass-roots organization today, not out of reverence for Millard Fuller’s inspired concepts of Christian charity, but because our grass-roots philosophy maximizes your generosity and ultimately helps more families have simple, decent places to live.
We'd love to hear your comments!