Team-Building Opportunities

Thank you for your interest in team volunteering and building a partnership with Fox Valley Habitat. Team Build Days are a great opportunity to involve your employees or fellow group members in a positive team-building activity. Your group will work alongside our construction team and partner families to help construct a home for a hardworking family in need of a safe and permanent place to live. Volunteer groups are asked to make a tax-deductible donation to help cover construction costs of preparation and materials to make sure that your build day is a success.

In today’s competitive job market more and more businesses are seeing the short and long-term benefits to engaging their employees in volunteer work. Research has shown that employees prefer to work for companies invested in charitable causes in the communities in which they work and live and volunteering is a terrific way to facilitate that need at a relatively low cost. Team building opportunities can be beneficial to any group looking to strengthen and grow, while making an investment in their community.

Why team build with Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity?

• Learn about your employees on a more personal level.
• Assist in projects that provide a better future for other individuals and create a more stable environment for those in need.
• Provide a deeper connection to the community around you.
• Invest time in your employees with meaningful work that will have an impact on them and the people they help.
• Share an experience that you can take back to the office. Employees return to the workplace motivated, connected, and inspired.

Whether you are seasoned pros or have never lifted a tool, Fox Valley Habitat provides a fun, easy, hands-on team building opportunity. Strengthen your team on our construction sites as we challenge them to communicate and work together to help build a tangible outcome: a home for a family in need of decent and affordable housing. We provide the tools, materials, and training to make your day enjoyable and safe- you just provide a tax-deductible donation and the helping hands!

How to Schedule a Team Build Day

• A team leader must be selected from among the team members to handle all communication with our Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Clark. Once the team leader’s contact information is received, Julie will provide available dates and work with them to schedule a build day. After confirming a date, details on how to register and sign up for the build day will be shared with the team leader to distribute to the rest of the team. All team members must register/sign e-waiver in order to participate- no exceptions.
• Build days are typically scheduled Tuesday through Saturday, starting at 7:45am and lasting between 4-6 hours, with one shift per day. 
• Throughout the various construction phases, the team may work on projects such as installing/building exterior walls (BuildBlock Building System), installing siding, interior framing, installing drywall, interior painting, landscaping, and other related tasks. No prior construction experience is required to participate. Our construction team will instruct and guide everyone through each step and no one will be expected to participate in any activity they are not comfortable doing. 
• Each team is required to contribute a tax-deductible donation of $2,500 per build day. The financial contribution helps to offset the construction costs of preparation and materials the team will need for a successful build day. 
• A maximum of 8 people can be accommodated on each construction site (home) per day. (Per our insurance policy, we are unable to make any exceptions to this rule. Ensuring the safety of our staff and volunteers is our top priority!)
  • If more than 8 individuals are interested in participating, additional or consecutive build days can be arranged, with each day also requiring $2,500. Please Note: If multiple homes are under construction at the same time, and if there are enough projects available to work on at the time of your build day, it may be possible to arrange for more than one group to work per day, with the contribution for each group remaining the same. Our Construction Supervisor must review and approve this option before we can confirm any build dates.
  • We ask that donations are sent to us no later than two weeks prior to the build day(s)

On Your Build Day

• Every team member will receive a Fox Valley Habitat volunteer t-shirt- we love capturing photos while everyone is wearing their shirts!
• Your team will be warmly welcomed by our construction team, and after a safety briefing and instructions on the work planned for the day, a group photo will be taken and then it’s time to dive in! Our experienced construction crew will guide your team throughout the day.
• We like to end our day by capturing photos, fondly referred to as “sweaty selfies”, to commemorate the team’s hard work in making the dream of homeownership one step closer for a local family.

• All groups (companies/organizations etc.) will receive a shout-out across all FVHH social media platforms along with photos of the team taken during the build day.

• Your company/organization logo will be featured in the dedication program for the home you worked on. Everyone is invited to attend the dedication ceremony to celebrate the completion of the home, alongside the homeowners and fellow volunteers who participated in building it!

Scheduling Work for Build Sites: Preparing for the Unexpected

When it comes to scheduling for build sites, it’s important to prepare for the unexpected circumstances. Delays can occur due to several factors, including city permits, inspections, contract work, and the ever-changing weather in the Midwest. While we make every effort to avoid cancellations, they may occasionally happen. Should this occur, we’ll communicate changes to team leaders as soon as possible, however, some situations may require short notice and are beyond our control.

When registering on our volunteer website, we ask all team members to provide their cell phone numbers and adjust their email settings to receive notifications from our volunteer website and emails from our Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Clark. This will ensure everyone stays informed about any new updates.

If you need further information, have questions, or are ready to initiate the process of scheduling a build day, please reach out to Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Clark, at j.clark@foxvalleyhabitat.org