A Covenant Partner’s (CP’s) Service Area is defined as the agreed upon geographic area where the CP’s will focus its mission to build, repair and renovate housing with people in need.

 

The Fuller Center is a grass-roots organization.  The work that we do—building and renovating houses, selecting and nurturing homeowner partner, raising funds and engaging volunteers is all done best at the local level.  Defining the area that you will serve is an important part of the application process.

 

Fuller Center Covenant Partners should not attempt to build outside their approved geographical service area.

 

 

The enthusiasm of starting a new Fuller Center Covenant Partnership sometimes leads to the temptation of trying to cover too large an area.  It is difficult to service an entire city much less multiple counties or larger regions.  The Fuller Center will concur with a service area that can be effectively serviced from a family selection and support perspective.  It is preferred that CP’s have a large impact in a concentrated area or neighborhood instead of having a minimally effective presence over a large territory.  Prospective CP’s should work closely with the Fuller Center Director of Partner Development to study a proposed service area.

 

 

The CP should first look to its geographical service area to raise money and in-kind materials as well as to solicit volunteers.  Local support is the key to a successful housing ministry.

 

Soliciting support from visiting work teams, businesses, churches or academic organizations located outside the service area is permissible.  CP’s are encouraged to build ongoing relationships with work teams outside their service area.

 

Requests for help from multiple CP’s and the Fuller Center’s international office in Americus can lead to donor confusion and frustration.  The following guidelines will govern our collective marketing and resource development efforts.

 

• CP’s should be able to solicit donations and build relationships without concern about interference or competition from other Fuller Center CP’s.
• If a CP wants to solicit funds from a community where another CP already exists, that effort must be coordinated with the resident CP.  For example, if a rural or suburban Fuller Center CP wants to tap into a common media market that is based in an urban area, good communication and collaboration with the urban CP is essential so campaigns are not overlapping. 
• Marketing and solicitations must clearly state the full name of the CP that will be the recipient(s) of the donation and not the generic name “Fuller Center for Housing.” 
• Statewide and national marketing campaigns are permissible, but must be coordinated with other regional CPs or Americus to assure that donors are not being subjected to multiple or competing solicitations.. 
• From time to time conflicts may occur. Resolution should be done through mediation with the FCH headquarters as final arbitrator only after localized resolution efforts have been fully exhausted. 

 

Cooperative Resource Development Policies

To minimize fundraising conflict between local CPs and FCH-Americus the Board of Directors has established the following Cooperative Resource Development Policies.

PREFACE

As Fuller Center-Americus resource development activities grow we will find occasions where our efforts overlap with those of our covenant partners, providing opportunities for collaboration.  These situations will occur when soliciting donors, grantors and businesses that reside in or have principal offices within the service area of a covenant partner.  In the interest of clarity, the follow policies have been adopted:

DONOR DESIGNATED GIFTS

For all gifts, solicited and unsolicited, the donor’s designation governs distribution.  Such gifts will be allocated as the donor directs.

FCH-AMERICUS ORIGINATED/SOLICITED GIFTS

In cases where gifts from within the service area of a covenant partner originate with and are nurtured and closed by FCH-Americus staff  FCH-Americus will coordinate with the local CP to assure that the solicitation does not interfere with any local initiative.  FCH-Americus and the CP will work together to maximize the proceeds and share them, to the extent the donor permits, according to a pre-agreed formula.

EXISTING DONORS

The history of donors who have given to FCH-Americus or to the local covenant partner will govern the relationship with the donor.   FCH Americus will not solicit existing CP donors without their collaboration and will invite the CPs participation in any solicitation. CPs should likewise collaborate with FCH-Americus when soliciting existing FCH-Americus donors.