Empowering Affordable Housing Through Skills-Based Volunteering
When your organization is focused on creating brighter futures - like Partners for Better Housing (PBH) - you rarely pause to reflect on your progress. That’s where skills-based volunteering makes a difference. PBH partnered with Nielsen volunteers through Common Impact’s skills-based volunteer program to tackle a vital yet often overlooked challenge: demonstrating the true impact of their efforts.
They sought support in evaluating data from their Freddie Mac CreditSmart (FMCS) workshops to determine whether participants were truly gaining confidence and knowledge about the homeownership process. The verdict? They were—and now PBH has the data to prove it.
We had the opportunity to speak with Tenisha Gist, CEO of PBH, about how this collaboration helped refine their evaluation methods, strengthened their storytelling to funders, and reminded them that they don’t have to face every challenge alone.
“It was refreshing and energizing to have clear next steps, instead of continuing to tackle these issues in isolation,” said Tenisha Gist.
Can you tell us more about PBH’s mission and how it addresses housing affordability in Northwest Arkansas?
Our mission centers around creating partnerships that promote housing opportunities and upward mobility for individuals with modest and moderate incomes. The affordable housing issue is far too complex to solve in isolation—it requires a united effort across many sectors. Whether it’s property owners, agents, architects, or even neighbors, everyone has a role in shaping more inclusive communities.
We focus on narrowing housing affordability gaps through collaboration and education, empowering individuals to succeed. Over the years, we’ve guided people toward financial stability, introduced steps to pursue homeownership, and offered direct support - such as down payment assistance - for those ready to buy. Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity has allowed us to offer discounted lots, making homeownership more accessible. We also provide individualized financial coaching on budgeting, saving, and investing to support long-term financial wellness.
What specific challenge did you present to the skills-based volunteers?
We wanted to improve the pre- and post-assessment tools used in our FMCS workshops. Though we had created them internally, we weren’t sure they were effectively measuring the workshops’ impact.
Through Common Impact’s facilitation and the support of Nielsen volunteers on their annual Global Impact Day, we took a closer look at our evaluation surveys to better understand what participants were learning. Our goal was to redesign our assessments to yield insights that both reflect program effectiveness and resonate with funders—helping to secure additional resources and grow our reach.
While not every participant goes on to buy a home, that doesn’t diminish the program’s value. We wanted to measure increases in confidence and knowledge, not just homeownership outcomes. The volunteers helped us fine-tune our surveys so we could gather meaningful data without overwhelming respondents.
What was the collaboration process like, and what did you take away from it?
The project was structured thoughtfully by Common Impact. It began with a discovery session where we introduced our challenge, followed by a collaborative workshop (or “incubation tank”) where volunteers brainstormed solutions. We wrapped up with a final session to review recommendations and finalize action steps.
The Nielsen volunteers helped us distill complex information we had been working with for some time. Their insights were practical and easy to implement. Getting real-time feedback and solutions was incredibly valuable. Rather than continuing to tackle things on our own, we came away with a focused plan and renewed energy.
When you’re immersed in the day-to-day, it’s easy to overlook areas for improvement. The fresh perspective allowed us to see things differently and make smarter decisions—like asking more targeted, useful questions in our assessments rather than trying to collect everything at once. We learned how to ask questions that better serve both our team and the communities we support.
Why would you recommend skills-based volunteering to other nonprofits?
Collaborations like these help organizations tap into expertise they may not otherwise afford, especially when resources are stretched thin. In just eight hours, we gained insights that greatly enhanced our capacity.
Beyond that, we built lasting relationships with individuals who now understand our mission and are personally invested in our success. That type of connection creates momentum. It reinforces the idea that positive change is a shared effort.
Nonprofits often don’t realize how much they can gain from working with external partners until they experience it firsthand. Skills-based volunteering can be transformative—enabling you to invest a small amount of time for a long-term return.
They sought support in evaluating data from their Freddie Mac CreditSmart (FMCS) workshops to determine whether participants were truly gaining confidence and knowledge about the homeownership process. The verdict? They were—and now PBH has the data to prove it.
We had the opportunity to speak with Tenisha Gist, CEO of PBH, about how this collaboration helped refine their evaluation methods, strengthened their storytelling to funders, and reminded them that they don’t have to face every challenge alone.
“It was refreshing and energizing to have clear next steps, instead of continuing to tackle these issues in isolation,” said Tenisha Gist.
Can you tell us more about PBH’s mission and how it addresses housing affordability in Northwest Arkansas?
Our mission centers around creating partnerships that promote housing opportunities and upward mobility for individuals with modest and moderate incomes. The affordable housing issue is far too complex to solve in isolation—it requires a united effort across many sectors. Whether it’s property owners, agents, architects, or even neighbors, everyone has a role in shaping more inclusive communities.
We focus on narrowing housing affordability gaps through collaboration and education, empowering individuals to succeed. Over the years, we’ve guided people toward financial stability, introduced steps to pursue homeownership, and offered direct support - such as down payment assistance - for those ready to buy. Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity has allowed us to offer discounted lots, making homeownership more accessible. We also provide individualized financial coaching on budgeting, saving, and investing to support long-term financial wellness.
What specific challenge did you present to the skills-based volunteers?
We wanted to improve the pre- and post-assessment tools used in our FMCS workshops. Though we had created them internally, we weren’t sure they were effectively measuring the workshops’ impact.
Through Common Impact’s facilitation and the support of Nielsen volunteers on their annual Global Impact Day, we took a closer look at our evaluation surveys to better understand what participants were learning. Our goal was to redesign our assessments to yield insights that both reflect program effectiveness and resonate with funders—helping to secure additional resources and grow our reach.
While not every participant goes on to buy a home, that doesn’t diminish the program’s value. We wanted to measure increases in confidence and knowledge, not just homeownership outcomes. The volunteers helped us fine-tune our surveys so we could gather meaningful data without overwhelming respondents.
What was the collaboration process like, and what did you take away from it?
The project was structured thoughtfully by Common Impact. It began with a discovery session where we introduced our challenge, followed by a collaborative workshop (or “incubation tank”) where volunteers brainstormed solutions. We wrapped up with a final session to review recommendations and finalize action steps.
The Nielsen volunteers helped us distill complex information we had been working with for some time. Their insights were practical and easy to implement. Getting real-time feedback and solutions was incredibly valuable. Rather than continuing to tackle things on our own, we came away with a focused plan and renewed energy.
When you’re immersed in the day-to-day, it’s easy to overlook areas for improvement. The fresh perspective allowed us to see things differently and make smarter decisions—like asking more targeted, useful questions in our assessments rather than trying to collect everything at once. We learned how to ask questions that better serve both our team and the communities we support.
Why would you recommend skills-based volunteering to other nonprofits?
Collaborations like these help organizations tap into expertise they may not otherwise afford, especially when resources are stretched thin. In just eight hours, we gained insights that greatly enhanced our capacity.
Beyond that, we built lasting relationships with individuals who now understand our mission and are personally invested in our success. That type of connection creates momentum. It reinforces the idea that positive change is a shared effort.
Nonprofits often don’t realize how much they can gain from working with external partners until they experience it firsthand. Skills-based volunteering can be transformative—enabling you to invest a small amount of time for a long-term return.
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