Habitat NEXT is a first-ever, one-of-a-kind virtual summit built specifically for Habitat for Humanity affiliates. Across three short afternoons, you will learn directly from Habitat leaders who exceed goals in fundraising, volunteer engagement, and operations. The format is practical, the tone is peer-to-peer, and the goal is simple: help your team do more of what works with less friction.
Quick facts
- When: Sept. 17 to 19, noon to 2:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Live, virtual
- Who: Habitat affiliates nationwide
- Why: Real playbooks from peers, plus an outside perspective that sparks new ideas
What to expect
Peer learning
Sessions feature affiliate leaders who sell out Women Build, track Sweat Equity with less friction, renew sponsors year after year, and make daily work easier for lean teams. Expect specific examples, numbers, and simple steps you can copy.
A fresh outside perspective
You will also hear a keynote from Christa Stelzmuller, CTO at charity: water. Christa brings a practical perspective on how tech, processes, and clear data enable nonprofit teams to move faster. Her lens sits outside the Habitat network, which is exactly why it is valuable. You will leave with ideas you can adapt to your affiliate without a heavy lift.
Short daily blocks
Each day runs for two compact hours. Join at lunch, take a few high-value ideas back to your team, and put them to work the same week.
Community and connection
Use the virtual lobby chat (Meet & Mingle in the navigation at the top of the page) to introduce yourself, share what you are working on, and meet peers from other affiliates. We will also host 30-minute live networking each day so you can swap lessons, ideas, and contact info.
How to prepare
Before the summit
- Register and block your calendar for all three days from noon to 2:30 p.m. ET.
- Invite your teammates from volunteers, development, and operations to learn together, align on priorities, and leave with a shared plan.
- Set two goals, for example: reduce volunteer no-shows by 25 percent or renew three Women Build sponsors.
- Star your must-see sessions on the agenda so you do not miss them.
During the summit
- Arrive at least five minutes early. Be prepared to say hello in the session chat and consider the questions you may want to ask in each session.
- Attend as many sessions as your schedule allows. With only two sessions each day, you can likely attend both!
- Use a simple note template: Tactic → Tool → First step → Owner.
- Network in the lobby chat and join the 30-minute live networking.
- Grab resources in real time as links, slides, and worksheets are shared.
After the summit
- Run a 72-hour action sprint. Meet with your teammates, pick three actions, assign owners and dates, and ship one quick win this week.
- Share a one-page recap with your ED or board liaison that lists top takeaways, the three actions you chose, and any support you need.
How the keynote fits into your plan
Christa’s talk connects strategy, technology, and the day-to-day realities of lean Habitat teams. Listen for:
- One data habit you can start this month that cuts duplicate work and improves decisions.
- One supporter touchpoint you can improve to build trust and renew sponsors.
- One way to treat technology as a strategy, not a cost center. Choose tools for fit and impact, and plan to use more of what they can do.
Tip: capture one “next week” action from each bullet, then add an owner and a date.
Bring one question to the Q&A that ties to your two goals. You will hear the rest of the conference differently once you have that lens.
Make the most of event features
- Build out your summit profile: Add information about yourself to help you connect with peers.
- Virtual lobby chat: Post your affiliate, role, and current focus. Ask who else is working on the same challenge.
- Live networking: Join the short daily meet-up. Share one success and one obstacle. Trade emails for follow-up.
- Speaker follow-up: If a playbook fits your context, send a brief thank-you and one clarifying question.
About recordings
Recordings will be available to registrants for a limited time. We encourage everyone to join live to get the full experience, including Q&A, lobby chat, and daily networking. Use the replays this week to revisit key moments or to brief your team.
Who will get the most value
- Executive directors and COOs who want smoother handoffs and clearer dashboards
- Development and marketing staff focused on year-end results and sponsor renewals
- Volunteer managers who need easier scheduling and fewer no-shows
- Operations and data leads who keep systems humming with lean capacity
What you will leave with
- Copy-ready playbooks from Habitat peers who are doing the work
- At least two or three changes you can implement this week
- A clearer plan to use technology and a simple process to lift results across fundraising, volunteers, and operations
Join us live. Register free; spots are limited. Invite a colleague, and come ready to learn with peers who share your mission. We look forward to seeing you at Habitat NEXT.
Giveffect is hosting Habitat NEXT because we believe Habitat for Humanity affiliates do their best work when they learn from one another and leave with practical next steps. Built for Habitat affiliates, Giveffect unifies CRM, online fundraising, volunteer management, and partner family workflows (including Sweat Equity and mortgage tracking) so teams reduce manual work, improve reporting, and simplify year-end fundraising and programs like Women Build and ReStore. When your systems work together, your staff can focus on strategy, volunteers, and families. If Giveffect helps you do more of what works, that is success for us.
Habitat for Humanity is a registered service mark of Habitat for Humanity International. This resource is not affiliated with or endorsed by Habitat for Humanity International.