Habitat for Humanity Africa/Middle East New Staff
Orientation Workbook
1
How to Use this Manual
As an equal partner in your professional development, you are expected to take ownership of and
actively participate in your initial orientation program. This workbook has been developed to help
you to be that active partner. Those organizing and taking part in your orientation have an
orientation guide that follows your workbook closely so are aware of the tasks you are to complete
and the questions you are to reflect on and discuss.
This workbook is divided into color-coded weekly sections for each of the three weeks of this
orientation program.
Each week’s section begins with an overview page which describes the overall goals for the week,
specific objectives, topics that will be covered and resources you will need. These resources should
be provided but be sure to ask if there is something that you need that is missing.
The overview page is followed by specific modules for the week, each with objectives, tasks to
complete, questions to reflect on and discuss with those you are meeting with.
Some limited space for notes has been provided in this workbook. You are encouraged to keep a
notebook or journal as you work through the sections of this workbook so that you have ample space
to take notes and record thoughts and questions.
2
OVERVIEW: Week One
OVERALL GOAL: You become familiar with your workplace and work colleagues, take care of
immediate admin/HR needs, begin to learn about the organization and your area, are introduced to
your job responsibilities and work team and begin to explore how you and your department interact
with, support and receive support from the various departments within your organization.
OBJECTIVES:
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



Know who is who within your office
Know how to ‘operate’ within your office….telephone, workspace, supplies, access to
information, etc
Complete necessary HR paperwork and understand key HR policies
Have a general understanding of your written job description
Understand how HFHI is structured, how the various main entities interact and how you and
your department fit into the structure
Have a general understanding of where HFHI, the area and your specific
organization/department have come from (history) and is going ( vision, mission, strategies)
Begin to understand how you interact with, support and are supported by various
departments
ONE: Settling In - Session 1
Welcome, staff introductions and introduction to workspace and to orientation program
Tour of office and General AO info
Completion of immediate Admin/HR paperwork
Overview of public folders, HFHI websites, Partnernet, InSite and email
TWO: Where did HFHI come from and where are we going?
Beginnings of HFHI ecourse – individual study with workbook
Vision and Mission ecourse– individual study with workbook
Overview of org. history and future directions
Time for discussion and Q&A regarding org history, vision and mission
THREE: Orientation to Structure and to Department
Structure of HFHI ecourse– individual study with workbook
Time to explore electronic resources/sites
Overview of new staff person’s department, time for discussion and Q&A and individual time with each
team member
Overview of Job Description & Responsibilities
FOUR: Settling In –Session 2
Departmental Meeting with HR and Review of policies
Debrief of Week One
Review of plan for Week Two
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Office directory, handout on accessing HFHI sites, HR paperwork, policies and procedures,
Foundations of Habitat for Humanity courses online or on CD-ROM, job description, suggested
questions for departmental meetings, suggested questions for debriefing, HFHI and AME strategic
plans, org chart
3
WEEK ONE: Settling In
Objectives:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of
this section, you will be able to:



Demonstrate an understanding of key organizational policies
Focus your attention on learning by getting logistical matters taken care of early on
Understand what information resources are available to you at the Area Office and at
headquarters.
These are the things that should be accomplished & ready for you upon arrival on your first day or
accomplished by the end of your first day:
Work station with computer and basic supplies
Telephone with assigned extension
Email account with address
Access to Shared Folders and InSite (if appropriate) secured
Key/card for accessing office
Registration with HFH University and Partnernet
Mail slot assigned
Business cards ordered
Necessary H.R. paperwork completed
Resources needed:
 Access to computer to register for and explore HFHU, HFHI website, Partnernet and InSite (if
applicable)
Self study:

Investigate HFHI resources available to you via the internet by registering for and
exploring Habitat for Humanity University (www.hfhu.org) and Partnernet, HFHI’s internet
(http://partnernet.habitat.org/). Also explore what information and resources are available
at HFHI’s website (www.habitat.org). Finally, if you are HFHI staff, you should also explore
the information available on InSite (http://insite.habitat.org)
Notes:
4
WEEK ONE: Where did HFHI come from and where are we going?
Objectives:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of
this section, you will be able to:

Describe the part that Koinonia Farm and Clarence Jordan played in the founding of Habitat for
Humanity.

Articulate some key events that led to the founding of Habitat for Humanity and to the start of
HFH operations in your area.

Understand how the history of HFH has influenced your HFH organization and its staff.

State and share the vision statement of Habitat for Humanity.

Describe three key themes of the Habitat for Humanity mission statement.

Apply these key concepts to your understanding of the Habitat for Humanity movement.

Name key components of the the Habitat for Humanity International strategic plan through the
year 2011.
•
Identify ways that your work relates to HFHI and Area strategic goals.
Resources Needed:
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E-courses “Beginnings of Habitat for Humanity” and “Vision and Mission of HFHI” online or on
CD-ROM
Documentation of history of area or National Office or access to someone who can share this
history story.
HFHI Mission Focus
HFHI Strategic Plan Discussion Document for 2007-2011
Strategic plan for new staff member’s organization (Area Office or specific N.O.)
Annual plan for new staff member’s organization (Area Office or specific N.O.)
Self Study:

Complete the Foundations of HFHI e-course “Beginnings of Habitat for Humanity”

Complete the Foundations of HFHI e-course “Vision and Mission of Habitat for
Humanity”

Review HFHI’s mission statement with at least two staff members or volunteers who
have been with Habitat for Humanity for a year or more. Ask and record what parts of the
mission are most important for them personally. What did you discover in this exercise? How
do their reactions differ from yours? Why? Ask them how the mission statement influences
their work with Habitat for Humanity.

Review HFHI’s strategic plan and your organization-specific strategic plan.

Compare the HFHI strategic plan and your area/national strategic plan. Where do you see
areas of overlap between the two plans? Where does one plan support the other?

Identify where HFHI and area/national strategic plans relate to your work activities.

Record any questions that you have after completing the ecourses and document review
for use during discussions with your supervisor.
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_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Reflect on the following questions:

Besides dates and facts, what might the history of an organization tell you?

What surprised you when learning about the history of HFH? Why?

What will have to happen to realize the vision of everyone having a decent place to live in an
entire country? What do you think it would take for Habitat for Humanity—more importantly,
humankind—to realize the vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live?

What do you think it means in practical terms to be in partnership with God? What does it
mean for you? What does it mean for interested volunteers, donors or other potential
partners who are not Christians?

Randall Wallace, filmmaker, said: "Habitat for Humanity is a perpetual motion miracle:
everyone who receives, gives—and everyone who gives, receives. If you want to live
complacent and uninspired, stay away from Habitat; come close to Habitat and it will change
you, and make you part of something that changes the world." What specific reasons led you
to work with Habitat for Humanity? What parts of your work do you think have the potential
to “change you”? Why?

Why do you think these four areas were chosen by the international board of directors as the
focus of the HFHI strategic plan? Why do you think leaders in your HFH program chose the
strategic focus areas that they chose?

What surprises you about the HFHI strategic plan? Your area/national organization plan?
Where are you confused or unclear?
Notes:
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Meet with the head of your organization:
The head of your organization will provide you with an overview of the history of HFH in your area.
Discuss your key learnings and questions and ask him/her the following:

How did individuals and the context at the time of HFHI’s founding influence the shape of
Habitat today? How did individuals and the context at the time of the founding of HFH in
your area/country influence the shape of your HFH organization today?

How do the key events in HFH history and the Mission Statement impact your work
today?

The Mission Statement reads in part: “…to develop communities with people in need by
building and renovating houses.” What if the sentence read “…to build and renovate
houses with people in need by developing communities”? The words reflect a common
tension in the work at the affiliate and national organization levels. Ask the head of your
organization how he/she sees Habitat for Humanity addressing community development
without losing its focus on building and renovating houses.
The head of your organization will give you an overview of the HFHI and area strategic plans and
explain their significance to the direction of the organization, to your area and to your department.
Discuss the following:

How do you see my work relating to and supporting the implementation of the strategic plan
of HFHI and of my area/national office?

Where does the new HFHI strategic plan present a new direction for HFH compared with
strategies and operations in the past?

What critical capacity issues do you think our area/national office faces in trying to
accomplish its strategic goals and support the strategic goals of HFHI?
Notes:
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Final reflection:
How can you use the information and insights from this inquiry into the history, vision, mission and
strategic directions of Habitat for Humanity in your partnership with the organization?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Learn More: If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the history of Habitat for Humanity
and its influence on HFH today, here are some learning activities that your supervisor may assign:
Watch the video, “Briars in the Cotton Patch”, to gain an understanding of Koinonia,
which played a key role in the founding of HFH.
Read “Bokotola” to hear the story of the beginnings of HFH from the founder himself.
Visit the following websites to learn more about the history of HFHI and Koinonia Farm:
-http://www.habitat.org/history/65-76.html
-http://www.koinoniapartners.org/History/history.html
Ask other staff within your office how the history of Habitat for Humanity impacts their
work and the shape of the organization today.
Investigate what other groups are working with issues of poverty housing in your
area or country. Look for organizations that are involved with capacity building, producing
building materials, organizing meetings or advocacy. Note which of these organizations are
working in the same countries or communities that your HFH national programmes and
affiliates are working in.
Investigate the size of the housing deficit as well as affordable housing statistics for
your area or country. See World Bank and United Nations Commission for Human
Settlements (UNCHS) web sites for information and links to other sites. Compare the deficit
with the number of houses HFH has built in your area or country. How do the two numbers
compare?
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WEEK ONE: Orientation to Structure and to Department
Objectives:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of
this section, you will be able to:

Identify the entities that make up the movement, including volunteers, affiliates, national and
regional offices, the headquarters in the United States, and the international board of
directors.

Understand generally where you, your area office and your department fit in the
organizational structure.

Understand generally how you and your department relate to HFHI and to the national
organizations.
•
Understand your main job responsibilities as outlined in your job description.
Resources Needed:
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
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E-course “Organizational Structure of HFH” online or on CD-ROM
Organizational chart for your organization (Area Office or specific N.O.)
Staff Directory for your office
Staff Directory for AME Area Office (if different from above)
AME N.O. Directory
Complete the following tasks:

Complete the Foundations of HFHI e-course “Organizational Structure of Habitat for
Humanity”

Look at the organizational chart for your area (and the organizational chart for your
national program). Note where you fit into the big picture.

Record any questions that you have after completing the above tasks for use during
discussions with your supervisor and work team.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Reflect on the following question:
Why do you think a tree was used to depict the organizational structure of HFHI? What parallels
can be drawn between a tree and the HFHI organizational structure? Why do you think HFHI’s
headquarters and field offices see their role as one of support to affiliates rather than one of
control?
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Meet with your supervisor and work team
Discuss your key learnings and questions and discuss with them the following questions:

Discuss where you fit in the organizational chart. Ask your supervisor and work team how
they see you and your department contributing to the mission of HFH.

Why does HFHI not provide all of its services out of its headquarters? Why do we have an area
office? What specific value does the Area Office add to the overall mission of Habitat?

The e-course states: “Field offices are the connecting link between affiliates and the
headquarters. They serve as a conduit for the flow of information between them. The pulse
of Habitat’s work is strongest when these relationships are nurtured and valued.” What is
the relationship between our department and headquarters? Between our department and
national programs? What are the benefits and challenges of these relationships and how
HFH is structured?

Who are the key headquarters and N.O. staff you will interact with as part of your job? Who
at HQ and in your area/national office would be good resources for you in your work with
HFH? Write down their names and contact information and send them an e-mail introducing
yourself and explaining your role with HFH. Ask your supervisor which of these people you
should set up meetings with and arrange for these meetings to happen within the next 2
weeks (preferably in week 3) in person or by phone.
___________________________________________________________________________ __
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Final reflection:
How can you use the information and insights from this inquiry into the organizational structure of
Habitat for Humanity in your partnership with the organization?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
10
WEEK ONE: Interview Guide – Departmental Meeting
During the meeting with your department and with the H.R. department, discover and take
notes on the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this department?
Who are the people that make up this department and what role do each play?
How does this department interact with HQ? (AO)
How does this department’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this department interact with NO’s/branches/partners?
How will I support this department’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what can/must it do for me, where important dept. docs/files/folders can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department face in carrying out their work in AME?
WEEK ONE: Interview Guide – H.R. Department
During the meeting with your department and with the H.R. department, discover and take
notes on the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this department?
Who are the people that make up this department and what role do each play?
How does this department interact with HQ? (AO)
How does this department’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this department interact with NO’s/branches/partners?
How will I support this department’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what can/must it do for me, where important dept. docs/files/folders can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department face in carrying out their work in AME?
11
WEEK ONE: Debriefing
At the end of each week during your initial orientation, you will meet with your supervisor and your H.R.
Director. Your supervisor will go over the agenda for Week Two of your orientation program and will ask
for your feedback on Week One. During the meeting, be prepared to answer the following:
What were my 5 key learnings this week?
What part/parts of the Week 1 orientation went well? Were most helpful?
What part/parts of the Week 1 orientation did not go well or left me confused or were unhelpful?
What questions do I still have regarding the things I learned this week?
What do I most want to learn about next?
What suggestions do I have for the first week of orientation for future new hires?
NOTES:
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OVERVIEW: Week Two
OVERALL GOAL: You will complete your understanding of HFH Basics, deepen your understanding
of department and job by continuing to explore interactions with others, put a ‘face’ to organizational
culture, mission and principles through a visit to an affiliate and a national office and deepen your
understanding of area operations.
OBJECTIVES:


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
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Build your vocabulary of HFH lingo and acronyms
Understand how you interact with, support and are supported by various departments
Understand HFH principles and experience the mission and principles in action through a visit
to an affiliate
Gain general understanding of various programmatic models and initiatives being implemented
in area
Gain general understanding of business cycle/calendar at area level
ONE: Program/Operations
Ecourse Applying the Mission Principles – individual self study
Glossary of HFH lingo and acronyms
Departmental meeting - Program
Area Overview – various operating models and key area-wide programmatic initiatives
TWO: Area Overview-Accountability
Blue Egg Model
Business Cycle (key events and deadlines, PME cycle, etc)
Accountability – Reports: what reports AO gets, when they get them, where they are kept, what info
can be gleaned from them
Accountability – SOE, MOU’s, covenants, ATC
Departmental meeting – Program Development
Departmental meeting – Finance
THREE: Program Visits
Affiliate visit
N.O. visit
Debrief of visits
FOUR: Debrief and Prep for Week 3
Debrief of Week 2 and Overview of Week 3
Check in with H.R.
RESOURCES NEEDED:
Acronym Glossary, FHFH, Overview of programmatic models and initiatives, affiliate and NO visit
guides, Blue Egg handout, AO business cycle handout, sample reports, MOU, covenant, SOE docs, ATC
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WEEK TWO: Program/Operations
Objectives:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of
this section, you will be able to:

List the six mission principles, explain their significance and give examples of how HFH puts
these principles into action.
• Comfortably discuss the guiding principles with others both inside and outside Habitat for
Humanity.

Use the mission principles as guideposts for your involvement with HFH.
Resources Needed:


E-course “Applying the Mission Principles of HFH” online or on CD-ROM
HFHI Mission Focus document
Complete the following tasks:

Review the glossary of HFH acronyms as you will most likely be hearing some of them
during your session with the Program Department. Which have you already heard?

Complete the Foundations of HFH e-course “Applying the Mission Principles of Habitat
for Humanity”

Below is a simple diagram that depicts the ideal, a “house for a house.” List the benefits of
the revolving fund. How does this revolving fund expand the role of the homeowner in the
entire Habitat for Humanity program?

Record any questions that you have after completing the above tasks for use during
discussions with the Program Department.
______________________________________________________ _________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
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Reflect on the following questions:

Review the six mission principles found in the Mission Focus document. Which of these is
most important to you personally? Why? Which one really attracts you to this ministry? Why?
Which do you think relates most closely to your own day-to-day work in Habitat for
Humanity’s ministry? Why? Which one might be the most difficult to uphold in your work?
Why?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Meet with program staff:
Program staff will provide you with an interview of the various operating models and programmatic
initiatives in your area. Discuss your key learnings/questions from this presentation and from your
self study of the HFH principles and discuss with them the following questions:

What are the challenges and opportunities of each of the operating models? Why not just
one model?

Describe how the revolving fund in your program or in your area’s programs approaches the
ideal depicted in the diagram on the previous page. Is HFH achieving it? Why or why not?
What elements are affecting the revolving fund in your program’s affiliates?

What are the most common root causes of poverty in the areas we serve?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Final reflection:
How can you use the information and insights from this inquiry into the mission principles of Habitat
for Humanity in your partnership with the organization?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Learn More:
If you want to gain a deeper understanding of how the mission principles of Habitat for Humanity are
applied, here are some learning activities your supervisor might assign:
Find out more about sweat equity. What are the sweat equity/mutual help requirements in
your area or country? How is sweat equity tracked? What is different about sweat equity in a
rural context and in an urban context? How does sweat equity promote community development?
Learn more about family selection by investigating specific family selection criteria in your
area or country.
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WEEK TWO: Interview Guide – Program Department
During the meeting with Program, discover and take notes on the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this department?
Who are the people that make up this department and what role do each play?
How does this department interact with HQ? (AO)
How does this department’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this department interact with NO’s/branches/partners?
How will I support this department’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what can/must it do for me, where important dept. docs/files/folders can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department face in carrying out their work in AME?
Notes:
16
WEEK TWO: Area Overview - Accountability
You will be provided with an overview of accountability systems in your area and talking with the
people and departments most involved with designing and carrying out these systems. Be sure to
have your Glossary of Acronyms with you as you are likely to hear more of them during this session!
Discuss your key learnings, ask questions and take notes as needed.
Blue Egg
Covenant
MOU
SOE
Audits
Reviews
ATC
Evals
Reports
Notes:
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WEEK TWO: Interview Guide – Program Development Department
During the meeting with Program Development, discover and take notes on the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this department?
Who are the people that make up this department and what role do each play?
How does this department interact with HQ? (AO)
How does this department’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this department interact with NO’s/branches/partners?
How will I support this department’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what can/must it do for me, where important dept. docs/files/folders can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department face in carrying out their work in AME?
WEEK TWO: Interview Guide – Finance Department
During the meeting with Finance, discover and take notes on the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this department?
Who are the people that make up this department and what role do each play?
How does this department interact with HQ? (AO)
How does this department’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this department interact with NO’s/branches/partners?
How will I support this department’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what can/must it do for me, where important dept. docs/files/folders can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department face in carrying out their work in AME?
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WEEK TWO: Affiliate Visit
Objective:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of this
section, you will be able to experience how HFH mission and principles are put into action in the field.
Resources needed:
Assistance with organizing logistics (transport, lodging, food, etc) for visit to HFH worksite
During the affiliate visit, you are tasked with discovering the following about affiliate staff &
operations:
Who does what at the affiliate? (staff/volunteer roles, committee responsibilities)
How are families selected? (selection criteria, application process)
How does the affiliate interact with the N.O.? What support do they receive? What support don’t
they receive that they wish they did?
What challenges does this affiliate face?
What successes are they most proud of?
What is built and how does the building process work?
Record your observations and questions about your time with the affiliate staff:
How knowledgeable do they seem about HFH mission and principles?
How clear does the staff seem about their role at the affiliate?
What is the relationship between affiliate and NO?
What is the relationship between committee and staff?
During the affiliate visit, the new staff person is tasked with discovering the following from the
committee:
Why they are volunteering with HFH?
What do they see as their role with HFH?
What challenges do they face in carrying out this role?
What successes are they most proud of?
How do they interact with the N.O.? What support do they receive?
Who makes up the committee and how are committee members selected?
Record your observations and questions about your time with the committee:
How knowledgeable do they seem about HFH mission and principles?
How clear does the committee seem about their role at the affiliate?
How active is the committee in the running of the affiliate?
What is the relationship between committee and staff?
During the affiliate visit, the new staff person is tasked with discovering the following about homeowner
families:
How well do homeowner families understand what HFH is all about?
What do homeowner families think about their HFH house? How does it compare to previous living
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conditions?
How has the house impacted their lives?
What did they have to do to get their HFH house? (sweat equity, mutual help, application process)
How did fulfilling their sweat equity requirements impact their daily routine?
What benefits did they gain from doing sweat equity?
Record your observations and questions about your time on the construction site:
How is quality of construction monitored?
How was the homeowner family involved in the construction process?
What impact does sweat equity have on quality of construction. What benefits does Habitat gain
from sweat equity?
What challenges are faced during house construction?
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WEEK TWO: National Office Visit
During the N.O. the new staff person is tasked with discovering the following about N.O. staff &
operations:
Who does what at the national organization? (staff/volunteer roles, committee responsibilities)
How does the N.O. interact with the Area Office? What support do they receive?
How does the N.O. interact with its affiliates? What support do they give affiliates? What info do
they receive?
What challenges does this N.O. face?
What successes are they most proud of?
Who will you most interact with at this NO and how?
Notes:
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WEEK TWO: Affiliate and National Office Visit Debriefing
During affiliate & N.O. visit debriefing with hiring manager and program dept. representative, the new
staff person is tasked with providing honest and open feedback on the following:
What were my key learnings during these visits?
What part/parts of the visits went well? Were most helpful?
What part/parts of the visits did not go well or left me confused or were unhelpful?
What questions do I still have regarding the things I learned at the affiliate? At the N.O.?
What suggestions do I have for the affiliate & N.O. visit for future new hires?
WEEK TWO: Debriefing
At the end of each week during your initial orientation, you will meet with your supervisor and your H.R.
Director. During the meeting, be prepared to give feedback on the week’s orientation:
What were my 5 key learnings this week?
What part/parts of the Week 2 orientation went well? Were most helpful?
What part/parts of the Week 2 orientation did not go well or left me confused or were unhelpful?
What questions do I still have regarding the things I learned this week?
What do I most want to learn about next?
What suggestions do I have for the second week of orientation for future new hires?
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OVERVIEW: Week Three
OVERALL GOAL: You will complete your basic understanding of area, department and job by
completing initial meetings with those you interact with, map out your continued orientation and
training over the next 6 months and become clear on your 6-month job plan.
OBJECTIVES



Understand how you interact with, support and are supported by HQ and NO’s
Have clear plan for continued orientation and training over the next 6-months
Know exactly what is expected of you on the job over next 6 months
ONE: Area Overview-Communication
Regular Meetings-schedule, purpose, expectations
Communication protocol (“cc” and “to” rules, following up on phone conversations, etc.) and
underlying principles
Trip reports
Expectations for filing in Shared Folders
Email protocol: zipping, archiving, storage rules/tips, remote access
Departmental meeting – RD&C Dept.
TWO: Area Overview – Culture & Values
Organizational Values: HFHI Values course, AME values doc
Culture: how decisions are made, preferred method of communication, dress code, work hours,
lunchtime practices and other unspoken ‘rules’
THREE: Interactions with AO/NO
Phone meetings with key staff at HQ
Phone meetings with key staff at NO’s
FOUR: Plans
Review and come to agreement on job plan with hiring manager
Complete self assessment
With Hiring Manager, review self assessment and feedback from AO staff and develop
orientation/training plan
FIVE: Wrap Up
Debrief with HR Director and Hiring Manager
RESOURCES:
Trip Report Form, HFHI and AME Values docs, communications and email protocol handouts
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WEEK THREE: Area Overview – Communications
You will be provided with an overview of communications processes in your area and talking with the
people and departments most involved with these processes. Again, be sure to have your Glossary of
Acronyms with you. Discuss your key learnings, ask questions and take notes as needed.
Email
protocol
Communications
Protocol
Regular
Meetings
Conferences
Shared Folders
Trip Reports
Notes:
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WEEK THREE: Interview Guide – RD & C Department
During the meeting with RD&C, discover and take notes on the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this department?
Who are the people that make up this department and what role do each play?
How does this department interact with HQ? (AO)
How does this department’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this department interact with NO’s/branches/partners?
How will I support this department’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what can/must it do for me, where important dept. docs/files/folders can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department face in carrying out their work in AME?
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WEEK THREE: Area Overview – Culture and Values
Objectives:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of
this section, you will be able to:

Recognize and understand HFHI’s and AME’s values;

Explain how the values support HFHI’s mission and vision;

Understand how and why HFHI values are integrated into a variety of required HFH
processes and metrics;

Identify additional ways to integrate HFHI values into your daily work;

Understand various aspects of the organizational culture of HFH and of your office.
Resources Needed:


E-course “HFHI Values at Work” online
AME Values document
Complete the following tasks:

Complete the e-course “HFHI Values at Work”

Look at the AME Values document. Compare the HFHI Values document and the AME
Values document and note where there is overlap and where there are differences.

Reflect on what you have learned so far….from presentations, from
observation…..about your organization’s culture….the official values, policies, rules, and
expectations for behavior as well as the unspoken, ‘unofficial’ ones. Asking yourself the
following questions will help you to analyze your organization’s culture:
- How are decisions made? Who makes them?
- What seems to be most closely paid attention to, measured, controlled?
- When resources are scarce, what are they allocated to? What are they no longer allocated
to?
- What are the unspoken ‘rules’…..expectations for dress, work hours, lunchtime and breaks,
greetings in the morning, parking, etc, etc?
- What seems to be the preferred method of communication?
- What do people brag about? (an important clue to what they really value)
- What stories do they tell?
- What is the climate in the office?
- What does the way the office is organized tell you?
- What behaviors seem to be most rewarded? Discouraged?
- What office rituals have you observed?

Record any questions that you have after completing the above tasks for use during
discussions with your supervisor.
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Reflect on the following:

What role do you see yourself playing in demonstrating HFHI and AME values? How can you
act out these values in your daily work?

Which of these values do you believe most closely reflects your own life values?

One of the dangers of a set of official values is that values can be misused to judge and
exclude rather than to support and include others. How can we avoid this as individuals and
as an organization?
Meet with your supervisor:
Discuss your key learnings and your thoughts on organizational culture and discuss with him/her any
questions you have about culture and values.
Notes:
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WEEK THREE: Interactions with HQ and N.O.’s
Complete the following tasks:
In week one, you will have set up phone meetings with key staff you will interact with at HFHI headquarters and
at the national offices. During each of these meetings, you are tasked with discovering the following:
What are the main responsibilities of this person?
At HQ, what department does this person work for? What is the role of this department?
How does this person interact with the Area Office? How does this person interact with the Area Office?
How does this department’s/N.O.’s work support/align with the HFHI SP? AME SP?
How does this N.O. interact with affiliates?
How will I support this department’s/N.O.’s work and how will it support mine? (what must/can I do for this
Department, what must/can it do for me, where important HQ departmental docs/resources can be found, etc.)
What challenges does this department/NO face in carrying out their work?
Record any questions that you have after completing your meetings for use during discussions
with your supervisor.
Notes:
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WEEK THREE: Plans
Complete the following task:
After you have completed the New Staff Orientation, take some time to go through the
responsibilities listed in your job description and the tasks outlined in your job plan. Reflect on
whether you feel you have the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out these responsibilities and
tasks. Reflect on where you need more information, orientation or training in order to carry out
these tasks. Use the matrix below to record where you feel confident and where you feel you need
more development in order to be successful in carrying out these tasks/responsibilities. Bring this
self assessment to your meeting with your super visor to develop an orientation and training plan for
the next 6 months.
JOB
I HAVE WHAT
RESPONSIBILITY/TASK
I NEED
I STILL NEED:
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Meet with your supervisor
Bring your self assessment, your departmental priorities and your supervisor’s expectations to the
meeting. Together, spend time discussing your strengths, your developmental needs and what
opportunities might be available in the next 6 months to address your needs. While the focus of the
meeting is more on the dialogue between you and your supervisor, be sure to record any specific
plans that are agreed upon during this meeting. The matrix below is a simple example of how you
could capture this information for reference over the next 6 months.
NEED:
HOW THIS WILL BE ADDRESSED:
WHEN THIS WILL BE
ADDRESSED:
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WEEK THREE: Wrap Up & Debriefing
Objectives:
Through thoughtful study and conversations about the ideas, questions and suggested activities of
this section, you will be able to synthesize learnings from previous sections into solid basic
understanding of Habitat for Humanity.
Resources needed:
Access to key staff representatives in order to have meaningful discussion around scenarios.
Complete the following tasks:

Below are two scenarios. Read them as if they came from an affiliate you are responsible for
and you have to make a recommendation to your board for approval. Try not to make a
quick judgment.

Give 3 or 4 reasons why you would recommend the approval of the proposal using the text
of the mission focus as your primary resource on which to base your responses. Then give 34 reasons why you would not approve it also using the mission focus. It doesn’t matter which
argument you prefer to defend, present a convincing argument based on the principles for
each side, for each scenario.
Scenario 1: Loan for a house improvement
An affiliate which works with many rural communities has presented the following proposal to
invite work in the community of Mtembi. Instead of building a traditional house, they want to
offer the option of small loans to buy materials to make house improvements.
The loans would be used to purchase plastic sheeting for the roof (to reduce rain drops from
entering and improve the straw roof), sheeting for the roof to replace the straw roofs,
concrete for the floors, widows and doors and a toilet. In some cases the loan would be used
to cover the skilled labor needed although the most work would be done by the families after
training.
The amount of the loans would be between $10 and $200 depending on the type of
improvements the families wanted and their ability to pay. The loan period would be from
one to three years. The families who paid their loan would be eligible for another loan.
The people in the affiliate have only worked with building traditional houses until now. They
said that this new product they want to offer is a better option for the poor people of the
community to repay. They also feel that this is the best way to enable the people in the
community to meet their housing needs.
Scenario 2: Negotiating with a church
Achitlán has been building at a ratio f 30 houses per year for the last four years. They always
ask for money to build 50 houses per year, but always end the year building fewer houses
than their estimate. They say the problem is not their capacity to build, but that the families
do not have land on which to build. The majority of the families who qualify for the houses
do not have access or title to land.
The proposal: Recently the church of the Living God presented a proposal that would greatly
increase our capacity to build. The church has land available to build 25 houses. There are
also many families in their congregation that meet our criteria for the need for decent
housing. The church is open to donating the 25 lots to Habitat to build houses for their
congregation members.
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There are people within the church membership who qualify for a Habitat house. And the
church has committed to accept the Habitat criteria for the selection of families and they are
agreed that the families have to take the training and follow all the requirements of Habitat.
The only requirement is that they will only donate the lots if the families selected are
members of the church of the Living God.

Record any questions that you have after completing the above tasks for use during
discussions with your supervisor.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Reflect on the following:
When preparing arguments for/against the proposals in the 2 scenarios, where did you struggle
most? Which arguments were most easy to prepare?
Meet with your supervisor:


Discuss the 2 scenarios and your arguments for and against the proposals.
Give feedback on Week Three and the orientation program overall
What were my 5 key learnings this week?
What part/parts of the Week 3 orientation went well? Were most helpful?
What part/parts of the Week 3 orientation did not go well or left me confused or were unhelpful?
What questions do I still have regarding the things I learned this week?
What do I most want to learn about next? How ready am I to start implementing my job plan?
What suggestions do I have for the third week of orientation for future new hires?
What were the most helpful parts of the last three weeks? The least helpful?
What suggestions do I have for the overall 3-week orientation program?
Other comments:
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