Introduction
Habitat for Humanity’s vision is of a world in which everyone has a decent place to live. The organization has been in Brazil since 1992 and has refurbished thousands of households in São Paulo and the northeastern city of Recife to ensure basic living conditions for families and promote dignity and hope. In addition, Habitat constructs water wells for those without access to clean water in the state of Pernambuco, one of Brazil’s driest regions, and provides training for their proper use.
Closing the social housing gap in Brazil is an enormous challenge: More than 20 million Brazilian families do not have access to decent housing. In this scenario, the sustainability of Habitat Brazil’s funding strategy is essential to finance our programs and our mission in the country. Oliver Wyman has contributed greatly by analyzing aspects of our funding strategy and by proposing improvement and innovation points. The team involved in the work brought us a new vision of business and a professional and passionate look for the cause. We felt that we were one team working together to increase our impact in Brazil. Thank you so much Gabriela, Rafael, Mariana, and Ana Carla!Carla da Nóbrega and Mario Vieira, Habitat for Humanity
Working on a project for such a serious and important NGO as Habitat For Humanity was a real pleasure. Their cause is admirable, and all the people who work there are very committed to it. During the time I spent there, I learnt a lot about the impact of inadequate housing conditions and how serious the problem can be in a poor country as Brazil. The experience was extremely valuable, and I feel grateful for the chance we had to help the institution achieve greater results and reach even more peopleMariana Scarpari, Consultant
Scope
Habitat Brazil was looking into improving its funding model so that it becomes less reliable in external funds. Initially, Habitat was mainly interested in developing a major donors strategy as it already had a face-to-face strategy focused on small donors. Oliver Wyman was also tasked with providing a three-year business plan.
Habitat is a prestigious NGO with high-impact work in Brazil. Supporting them in this project signals our commitment with the Brazilian social developmentAna Carla Abrao, Partner
Impact
Oliver Wyman developed a list of initiatives to improve donor attraction, retention, and the organization’s overall sustainability. These initiatives included:
• Rethinking Habitat’s current structure and funding model
• Development of a framework for attracting, retaining and developing the donor base, including the identification and prioritization of key donor types
• The growth and retention strategies of the current donor base and identifying points of improvement
It is extraordinary to see the impact Habitat has on people’s lives. They say that they simply refurbish houses, but this couldn’t be farthest from the truth. Putting homes into minimum living conditions is a life-changerGabriela Bertol, Engagement Manager
I was happy to be enrolled in this project because it was the very first pro bono project at the São Paulo’s office. We all ended up learning a lot from this new experience! Not only did we get come into contact with a worldwide NGO, but we were also able to feel how impactful our engagement was to themRafael Thosi, Consultant