Responsibilities of Operations Consultant/Development Sponsor  
Prospective Homeowners Association      

Message from Gary R. Cook, Founder

This organization is still in "start up" mode. From January 2004-2005 alone, I put about 3,000 unpaid hours into research and development of this project (which includes the other two organizations that comprise the total idea: Competitively Priced Residences & Homes for the Rest of Us). This labor is the only "donation" this organization has requested of anyone to-date. If a price were put on this labor, its value would equate to more than $43,000. I've been working up a schedule for fund-raising that would identify ways for others in the community to share in this commitment, especially those business entities that want to partner with us. I am looking to offer associates an opportunity to be paid for their work, as well as donating time and expertise, based on the demands of different parts of the projects we will start.

Personally, I enjoy the stimulation of the task and communication with peers in the community of Santa Barbara, which is my home town and has been for 5 generations of my family. This has been and continues to be a full-time occupation for me, while as yet I have not striven to create a personal income from it, to reimburse me for time and resources of my own that I have spent. The reason for this is because it has only been a theoretical organization, and there are more parts of the theories to prove before I'll seek to fund-raise; in this case by the methods outlined on our financial pages.

My part has been to function as the concept person - to come up with original solutions that can work with community participation. Now that I have fully established the idea however, I am going into the community again to reintroduce the complete ideas to those who only heard and supported the partial idea as it was beginning. As I reintroduce it to these persons, or introduce it for the first time, I will be working to do fund-raising. (Click here to see reasons for fund-raising). 

While I am the lynchpin that’s pulling these ideas together, I originated it and shaped it, but I interviewed hundreds of community members to get the facts on what people need and want. I am trying to change the way business is done normally, in order to organize these disparate ideas into a common thread. All of these ideas have been done before, they’ve just not been organized in this manner, for this purpose. I’m orchestrating the various parts that wouldn’t normally coalesce around such an idea, in this manner, so that it will happen. 

But this is not about me, which is why I have organized the development company, Competitively Priced Residences to be a sub-corporation 905 (IRS designation) of the non-profit (not applied for yet) 501(c)(3) Homes for the Rest of Us and have directed in the business plan for the profits of CPR to return to the non-profit HRU for development of homes for lower income persons. This is about the community, about pulling the skills and knowledge of the community together for the common good. This is my part, what is yours?

I have been dedicated to finding a resolution to this problem, and have worked sincerely towards that end. I hope others will continue to join with me in this effort. There are groups that are in the for-profit sector which do building, and groups in the non-profit sector that do so as well. Ours is the first group locally which combines for-profit and non-profit together under the same umbrella. This is known as Social Entrepreneurism. I believe only by combining the goals of both the non-profit and for-profit communities can we accomplish our goals of providing decent housing at a fair price.

It is to this end that we are dedicated and have applied creative solutions to the problems of housing for the Middle and lesser income Classes in Southern California. I hope you will join us. Thank you for your interest in our goals. Please bring your talent, skills and funds to this development.

Sincerely,
Gary R. Cook
(626) 940-7422 Contact
(Letter of reference)

Letter to the Editor about this work

Comparable Experience of Gary Cook

Fund-Raising & Non-profit Concept Development

Public Service

Development Aspects of Responsibilities 

Fund-raising

Communications

Negotiations 

Planning & Management