The 2021 Real Estate Give-Back Guide

BoomTown recently wrapped up the second annual BoomTown Give Back Awards, a very special initiative designed to celebrate the real estate professionals that are paying it forward and creating positive change in their communities.

Three deserving recipients are awarded with The Walk-the-Talk Award, The Creative Changemaker Award, and The Helping Hand Award, and $1,000 each to help them continue to make an impact.

With so many incredible nominations, we're able to learn about dozens of organizations and initiatives that are near and dear to our real estate community. If you are feeling motivated to pay it forward this year and make giving back an integral part of your business, you can leverage this Give-Back Guide to get started!

GiveBack Homes

Giveback Homes is a community of real estate professionals who are committed to creating social change by helping build homes for deserving families around the globe. We work together to organize fundraising events, mobilize teams of volunteer homebuilders, and we inspire others to take action for social good.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. We believe affordable housing plays a critical role in strong and stable communities.

The Realtors Relief Foundation

The REALTORS® Relief Foundation (RRF) is a charitable organization dedicated to providing housing-related assistance to victims of disasters. Created as a REALTOR®-driven response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, RRF continues to restore and rebuild communities effected by disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes thanks to the generosity of individual REALTORS®, REALTOR® associations, and affiliated organizations. Together, through the RRF, our community has helped over 17,000 families remain in their homes.

Salvation Army's "Real Estate Wednesdays"

It began in the Spring of 2013 as many great things do, unexpectedly over a quiet lunch between friends. Super volunteer and member of the Salvation Army's National Advisory Board, Marlene Klotz-Collins, was welcoming Joseph and JoAnn Callaway to the organization's Phoenix Advisory Board. JoAnn told Marlene how dedicated she and Joseph were to the red kettles at Christmas. Marlene explained to JoAnn that Wednesdays were a challenge when getting volunteers.

"The Army actually has to hire paid workers to ring bells at many of the kettle locations," Marlene said. JoAnn immediately volunteered herself and Joseph, and by dessert she had volunteered the whole home ownership industry. After months of planning, more than 1,000 real estate agents, title company officers, lenders, and affiliates came together to ring the bells at more than 180 kettle locations throughout Maricopa County. Real Estate Wednesdays was born.

Realty Gift Fund

Realty Gift Fund is a group of nonprofit and real estate professionals who recognize the unique problem of real estate donations, and who established Realty Gift Fund to make a meaningful impact on charitable giving through gifts of real estate.

Opportunity Starts at Home

Opportunity Starts at Home is a long-term, multi-sector campaign to meet the rental housing needs of the nation's low-income people. Housing affordability is central to other national priorities, like health care, food security, education and more. Yet the gap between rents and incomes is growing, and this is compounded by unprecedented threats to federal housing assistance. Proven solutions to ending homelessness and housing instability exist – what's missing is the political will to provide resources that will put these solutions into practice in communities across the nation.

Homes for Heroes

Homes for Heroes provides heroes with more savings than any other national program. When heroes buy or sell a home using Homes for Heroes, they also help other heroes in need because Homes for Heroes, Inc. donates a portion of its earnings to the Homes for Heroes Foundation. This Circle of Giving strengthens American communities by putting more money into the hands of our American heroes, and benefits American community programs, organizations and businesses.

To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.