Habitat for Humanity: Understanding Community Readiness Group 1

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This report, prepared by students in MSCH-R 348 Public Relations Planning and Research, explores strategies to strengthen Orange County Habitat for Humanity’s outreach and engagement. Using qualitative interviews with partner families and a quantitative survey of local residents, the study identifies key challenges such as misconceptions about Habitat’s mission, limited online presence, and barriers to volunteer recruitment. Findings show that word of mouth and local newspapers are primary information channels, while Facebook offers growth potential for reaching younger audiences. Recommendations include creating an online application process, implementing a biweekly Facebook posting schedule, leveraging partnerships with local businesses and churches, and increasing visibility at community events to enhance donor, volunteer, and applicant engagement. This project was completed as a collaboration between the students in MSCH-R 348 Public Relations Planning and Research and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County as part of the 2018–19 Indiana University Sustaining Hoosier Communities (IUSHC) initiative. IUSHC is a program within the IU Center for Rural Engagement (CRE). This report represents original student work and recommendations proposed by the students in MSCH-R 348 Public Relations Planning and Research for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. The contents of this report represent the views of the students and do not reflect those of IUSHC, CRE, Indiana University, or Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.

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Habitat for Humanity, Public relations, Community engagement, Volunteer engagement, Sustaining Hoosier Communities, Orange County

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