(Photo Courtesy of Habitat For Humanity)
Nonprofit leaders reacted to the death James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th president of the United States and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, with sadness and fond memories of his tireless work for people around the world.
Carter, 100, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was longest-lived president in U.S. history. He is most remembered in the nonprofit sector for his work with Habitat for Humanity International and for founding the Carter Center.
“Habitat for Humanity joins the world in mourning the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. A champion for affordable and decent housing, he and Rosalynn Carter donated their time and leadership each year to build and improve homes with Habitat around the world,” was the official statement from Habitat For Humanity International, based in Atlanta.
“We are deeply saddened by President Carter’s passing, and our prayers are with the Carter family,” Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, said via a statement. “President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing. We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example.”
The Carter Center released a statement from Chip Carter, the former president’s son. “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” he said via the statement. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
The connection to Habitat for Humanity started in September 1984, when Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who died in 2023, went to New York City and helped restore a six-story apartment building. The Carters helped build 19 units and returned the following year to finish the building.
The work sparked an annual tradition for the Carters to spend one week volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in a different location around the world in what became known as the Carter Work Projects. Carter worked with Habitat For Humanity in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,331 homes, according to data from the organization.
Reaction to the news of his death was swift across the nonprofit sector.
Michelle Nunn, president and CEO of Atlanta-based CARE, has affectionate memories of Carter. “From shared Delta flights where President Carter greeted every passenger, to Sunday School in Plains, to the campaign trail, I was lucky to see his brilliance and generosity of spirit up close,” she told The NonProfit Times. “He was relentlessly focused on the big picture — global rights and equality for all, and at the same time, he was a community-builder dedicated to Plains and Georgia and small acts of generosity,” she said. “I think he was absolutely at his most powerful, in small groups, where his authenticity and intellect were on powerful display.”
Nunn called Carter “a transformational figure for the nonprofit community.”
Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, said that he met Carter in 2004. “We were both giving keynote addresses at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, held at St. Olaf that year. The event began with lunch with college students, and I was struck by how closely President Carter listened to the questions students asked him, and the humble, homespun wisdom he offered in response,” said Patel.
“Backstage, before the speeches, I had the opportunity to ask my own question: why had he gotten so involved in Habitat for Humanity, an organization that had served as a model for the nonprofit I was building (now called Interfaith America, then called Interfaith Youth Core),” said Patel. “I remember his answer to this day: Habitat for Humanity was about bringing people together to serve others in an active, hands-on way. It allowed him to put his faith into practice, and be inspired by the faiths of the people he was working alongside. I told President Carter that my fledgling organization had partnered with Habitat for Humanity in Hyderabad, India to organize an interfaith build, and his eyes brightened as he told me that the emergence of interfaith builds was one of his favorite innovations at Habitat. I will always remember those moments with President Carter, a man who embodied faith as a source of inspiration and a bridge of cooperation.”
American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown remembered Carter. “In both his political and personal life, President Carter’s commitment to serving others was foundational to his impact – an ideal that all of us in the nonprofit environment hold close,” Brown told The NonProfit Times.
The AHA posted a statement from Brown: “My heartfelt condolences to President Carter’s family and everyone who knew and loved him. He represented a lifelong commitment to service, philanthropy and advancing health throughout the U.S. and worldwide.”
Angela F. Williams, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, remembered Carter as a “monumental figure” in the nation’s history. She told The NonProfit Times, “He was a towering symbol of the many ways that we all can do good in our communities, whether that be from behind the Resolute Desk or helping to build homes for our neighbors. So much of United Way’s work to mobilize communities is a reflection of President Carter’s values. His leadership will be deeply missed and his spirit will continue to embolden and inspire a new generation of leadership, built upon the principles that he stood for.”
Williams added: “Born and raised in Georgia, a place like home for me, he regularly saw that racism and bigotry existed. And yet, he learned from his mother, a private nurse, who defied community norms and thoughtfully attended to the town’s Black patients, that everyone deserves to be treated with decency and respect. … President Carter embodied the spirit of leadership – courage, empathy, humility, and a relentless commitment to justice.”
Akilah Watkins, president and CEO of Independent Sector, extolled Carter’s legacy. “Jimmy Carter’s extraordinary legacy stands as a testament to his unwavering dedication to peace, humanitarianism, and service to others. Through his transformative work with Habitat for Humanity and his tireless advocacy for global health and human rights, he has inspired countless individuals to put service above self,” she told The NonProfit Times. “In the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, President Carter’s profound commitment to social justice and community empowerment leaves an indelible mark, inspiring efforts to build a more just and compassionate world for generations to come.”
Steve Preston, president & CEO of Goodwill Industries International, cited a quote from Carter. “My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have, to try to make a difference.”
Said Preston: “This clear minded statement of purpose is profound and one I aspire to emulate. As we mourn the passing of Jimmy Carter, we are grateful for his remarkable impact on humanity and reflect on the example he set for all of us. Jimmy Carter embodied the Goodwill mission of working to enhance the quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities and helping people in need.”
Carter’s “faith, character and convictions, combined with his lifelong perseverance, inspire people around the world seeking to improve the lives of others,” Preston said.
The Carter Center announced that there will be public observances in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., followed by a private interment in Plains, Georgia.
