Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity

Who are the people you serve with your mission?

Individuals and families in Iowa's Linn & Benton counties who have barriers to traditional mortgage. Homebuyers' income falls between 30%-60% of the Area Median Income.

How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Suggestion box/email,

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

What significant change resulted from feedback?

Many of our future homeowners work multiple jobs or late hours, so we take our partner family's schedules into account when planning volunteering shifts in order to ensure success in sweat equity volunteering. Since we hold the mortgages on the homes we build, we remain in contact with our partner families for decades. The questions and feedback we receive from Habitat homeowners allow us to continuously adjust our program and communications to better serve future families.

With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

Our staff, Our board, Our funders,

How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

While keeping up with their mortgage payments, some Habitat homeowners choose to deepen this extended commitment by continuing to volunteer with Habitat, advocating and spreading the word, shopping at ReStore, attending Habitat events, and joining Habitat advisory committees. These homeowners are vital sources of insight and institutional knowledge, who take pride in giving back to the organization that gave them a hand-up. They truly become partners in our mission.

Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome,