A West Texas affiliate’s conference session offered a practical way to think about growth: land, money, and people.
How does a Habitat for Humanity affiliate grow from building five homes a year to 30 without expanding its staff at the same rate?
At the 2026 Habitat for Humanity International Affiliate Conference in Atlanta, a leader from the affiliate serving Midland and Odessa, Texas, shared how the organization approached that challenge.
According to figures shared in the session, annual home production grew from five homes in 2018 to 30 last fiscal year, while the budget increased from approximately $1.5 million to $5 million.
The speaker kept returning to three constraints: land, money, and people.
That simple framework gave the audience a useful way to examine what stands between an affiliate’s current capacity and its next stage of growth.
1. Build a Land Pipeline Before the Next Project Depends on It
The affiliate began with little land inventory and no reliable pipeline. That made it hard to plan for future construction, even when other pieces of a project might be in place.
The team started looking for opportunities through property listings, tax sales, wholesalers, and direct outreach to landowners.
Not every tactic paid off. Tax sales, for instance, could bring competition from investors and complications involving property liens.
One direct-mail effort, according to the session, led to an opportunity involving seven adjoining lots held by an estate with numerous heirs. Larger opportunities emerged through relationships with companies and community partners.
The lesson is less about any single tactic than about treating land acquisition as ongoing work.
A healthy pipeline takes time to develop, and waiting until a project is ready to start can leave an affiliate with too few options.
2. Match Funding Approaches to the Work Ahead
More land creates more opportunity, but it also raises the question of how to pay for infrastructure, construction, and the work required between those stages.
The West Texas affiliate described using philanthropy, corporate sponsorships, and different development approaches depending on the project.
It also discussed an H2 housing model learned from Habitat for Humanity of Fort Worth, in which homes serving a different income range can help support traditional Habitat construction.
There is no reason to assume the same financing approach would work in every market.
The useful takeaway is to examine how a development’s funding pieces fit together before scaling production.
More homes require more than a larger fundraising goal.
3. Make Relationships Part of the Growth Strategy
Some of the session’s most revealing examples were about people rather than property.
Major land opportunities often involved an advocate inside a company or community organization who understood Habitat’s mission and helped move a conversation forward.
The affiliate also repeatedly communicated its need for land, money, and people. That gave supporters more ways to recognize where they might be able to help.
A volunteer may have a connection to a potential sponsor. A board member may know someone with land. A longtime donor may be able to introduce the affiliate to a new partner.
Those relationships rarely fit neatly into one category.
For affiliates, understanding how supporters are connected to the organization can be valuable far beyond a single donation or build day.
4. Plan Staffing Around Capacity, Not Just Headcount
The affiliate increased home production with a relatively lean staff by making deliberate choices about responsibilities.
Regular volunteers helped assemble panelized walls, sponsor groups participated in early construction, and staff and subcontractors handled other phases.
The discussion also turned to hiring: work backward from the construction pipeline, define what a new role needs to accomplish, and watch for early signs that existing staff are stretched too thin.
There is a difference between running lean and asking a team to absorb unlimited complexity.
The goal is not necessarily the fewest employees. It’s enough clarity, coordination, and capacity to keep the work moving without burning people out.
5. Recognize When It’s Time to Hold Steady
After reaching 30 homes annually, the affiliate planned to maintain that production level for a period rather than immediately push higher.
The team had navigated a demanding stretch that included completing several homes near fiscal year-end, relocating its ReStore, and remodeling a building.
The pause was intentional.
With additional development opportunities ahead, the organization wanted time for its people and internal processes to catch up.
That may be the most useful lesson for affiliates already experiencing rapid growth.
A strong pipeline is encouraging, but sustainable progress also depends on the systems and people responsible for delivering it.
What Should Other Habitat Affiliates Take Away?
The West Texas experience is not a ready-made formula.
Land markets, construction costs, funding sources, and volunteer capacity differ from one community to another.
But the questions behind the approach travel well:
Is land availability the constraint? Is the funding model ready for the next phase? Are community relationships being developed consistently? Does the team have the capacity to deliver what is planned?
One of the best reasons to gather at the Affiliate Conference is to hear how peers are working through challenges that feel familiar.
You may not copy their approach. You may leave with a better question to ask at your own affiliate.