Join radical charity founder to discuss strategic design at MODA

“Imagine a hundred acres of land that is blank and we take families that have been living in slums for years, and we build brand new communities and villages on that new land for them,” said Brett Hagler, CEO and co-founder of the home building, charity organization New Story, at the Worlds Fair Nano in 2017. Since 2014, the non-profit have been building houses for the homeless in developing worlds. 

This Thursday on April 26, Brett Hagler will join David Butler, Chief Growth Officer at Kids II in Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) in the Design Conversation series to discuss how the strategic use of design has driven the growth and impact of his radical charity organization, New Story. Sponsored by Silicon Valley, the non-profit recently teamed up with ICON, a robotics construction company in Austin, Texas and produced a prototype of a 3D printed house that was completed in under 24 hours and cost less than $4,000. New Story plans to print more houses and eventually a village in El Salvador — another step closer to their mission of ending global homelessness.

New Story was conceived after Hagler visited Haiti a few years after the devastation of the 2010 earthquake. He witnessed how homeless Haitian families lived in slums, tents and places that exposed the people to mud, winds, infections and scorching heat. He had two desires: to build homes for struggling victims who were living in survivor mode and lacked a stable safe haven to inhabit, and to donate to charities. He didn’t trust charities that lacked the transparency to tell donors where their financial aids went. That sparked off his determination to spearhead a radical charity himself.

Operations at New Story are straightforward and empathetic. The design process of realizing these houses centers around human needs and experiences. The team consults the locals, carries out surveys, plans the infrustructures, trains locals labor, sources local materials, creates houses and then evaluates. The basis of New Story’s charity model is transparency. They use 100 percent of their donations to build the homes needed. The process starts when donors decide to fund a home. They meet the incoming family through a digital family profile page and after the building is completed donors get to see a family move in through video.

Since its conception, New Story has been featured in CNN, Architectural Digest, Business Insider, Verge and was recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World.” Hagler is a 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, Y-Combinator graduate and a member of Forbes’ Nonprofit Council.

Join Brett Hagler and David Butler in MODA this Thursday to hear more how design and technology champion social good and renovate the traditional charity business model.

For more information, visit this link or call 404-979- 6455. MODA is located at 1315 Peachtree Street.

MODA hours are:

Monday Closed

Tuesday, noon-6 p.m.

Wednesday, noon-6 p.m.

Thursday, noon-8 p.m.

Friday, noon-6 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday, noon-6 p.m.