Are You Among the 66% of REALTORS® Who Give Back?

Giving back to the community is crucial to your real estate business, not only for the marketing value of being a Good Samaritan but also the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of local issues and connect with neighbors. With 66 percent of REALTORS® volunteering monthly, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ Community Aid and Real Estate Report, which was released in December, real estate professionals are vital to making communities across the country better places to live and work.
Nominate yourself or a fellow REALTOR® for the Volunteering Works program.
Your charitable efforts may be on a small scale now, but if you’re looking to grow the impact of your volunteer work, you can gain insights and practical tips from other practitioners who have built influential nonprofits from the ground up. For the 10th year, NAR is honoring REALTORS® who give back through the Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Program, which connects mentors—who are members of NAR’s Good Neighbor Society—with REALTORS® who are building new community service projects.
“REALTORS® are volunteers in virtually every community around the country—bringing hope and assistance to their neighbors, one person at a time,” NAR President John Smaby said in a statement. “NAR supports those volunteers by offering guidance and mentoring assistance to ensure our members continue admirably and selflessly helping those around them.”
NAR says ideal Volunteering Works candidates have been active in a charitable project, can identify specific challenges they would like to address with the help of a mentor, and have specific goals for the future of their project. The deadline to apply to become a 2019 Volunteering Works recipient is Feb. 28, and applicants must be NAR members.
Carl Carter Jr., founder and executive director of the Beverly Carter Foundation in Little Rock, Ark., and a 2018 Volunteering Works recipient, says the program reinvigorated his passion for his charity and spawned new ideas for growth. The Beverly Carter Foundation—named after Carter’s mother, an Arkansas agent who was murdered on the job in 2014—focuses on providing real estate safety information and training. “Having access to Good Neighbors for mentoring, support, and inspiration has been life-changing,” Carter says. “Volunteering Works has taught me to dream bigger and has filled me with the confidence and conviction to pursue my mission like never before.”
Carter’s mentor was 2011 NAR President Ron Phipps, who was named a Good Neighbor in 2000 for his work with The Tomorrow Fund, which supports children with cancer. “My mentorship with Ron Phipps has stretched my vision and creativity to new places, and I’m forever grateful for his wisdom and friendship,” Carter says.
By: NAR
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