Two years into the job, Habitat for Humanity International Chief Executive Jonathan T.M. Reckford is priming the homebuilding charity for a growth spurt. For more than three decades, Habitat has relied on a sparse, three-page document to outline its relationship with affiliates. But now it's putting the final touches on a 26-page agreement that Reckford says will protect the Habitat brand, create uniform standards and consistency among affiliates, and assure financial accountability to donors.
The document, expected to be released in final form next month, marks Habitat's first move toward formalizing its relationship with more than 1,600 domestic affiliates. But it has led some in the Habitat community to grumble that Reckford—a former Walt Disney, Circuit City Stores and Best Buy executive—could be constructing far more bureaucracy than homes in his quest to sharpen and expand the organization, which has become a marquee partner of corporate social-responsibility programs. In its 31 years, the nonprofit Christian organization has built more than 225,000 homes in 100 countries.
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