Category Archives: Blog Posts

Putting our money where your heart is: A story of incalculable impact

Don’t get me wrong, for every client there is an amazing story to tell about how or why they connected to the nonprofit they chose. This is Gwen’s story – a story about a client who discovered a father making a $20 monthly payment on the funeral costs for his little girl  – and her decision to help.

Any Baby Can donation Gwen S. sold and purchased a home using Give Realty last year.  She is one of the most amazing, funny, independent and beautifully spirited people I know. She’s no stranger to doing good – she’s been part of the nonprofit world for years, both as an employee and a volunteer.

When we started talking about where the $2,100 would be donated from her home sale and purchase, she told me she wanted to start a fund for Funeral Services and Bereavement Counseling through her employer, Any Baby Can, a nonprofit which provides case management for families with children who have serious illnesses.  As Gwen was doing her administrative work one day, she noticed a father had put a $20 down payment on his little girl’s  $2000 funeral costs  – a funeral the family had to finance because they didn’t have  insurance or the money to pay for it.  Imagine…writing a check every month for the indefinite future to pay for the burial of your child.  Sadly, Gwen found there were two more clients nearing the end of life and decided her Give Realty donation would be a darn good start for a fund that could help provide services for these families.

This is really what it’s all about. People (who sell real estate) helping people (buy and sell their homes) help people (who are in need). I’m also pleased to report, after hearing Gwen’s story, another Give Realty client designated their $1,600 to help these families too.

It’s my wish that none of us will ever have to experience the need for funeral assistance for a child, but I’m sure glad there are people like Gwen in the world who are doing what they can to help make a difference.  And I am extremely proud, yet amazingly humbled, to have founded a company that makes this possible.

If you would like to donate specifically to the funeral and bereavement fund,  visit www.anybabycan.org donate and note funeral and bereavement costs in the comments section.

Grand to Give 2013

This contest is closed. Thank you for all your submissions! We will announce the winner in February, 2014!

Guess how much Give Realty will donate in 2013 and we will award $1,000 to the closest guess, donatable to the non-profit you choose!

Grand To Give Give Realty is all about helping people help people. Everytime we represent a client in a home sale or purchase, we give them the opportunity to donate 25%  of our commission to the local or national nonprofit of their choice. The ripple effect of this giving spirit has been astounding. Since we were first founded in 2008, our clients have donated to over 70 non-profit organizations and seen the reach of their generosity expand exponentially.
This year we once again offer you the opportunity to give to the non-profit of your choice without purchasing a home! Guess how much Give Realty will donate in 2013 and we will award $1,000 to the closest guess, donatable to the non-profit you choose!

Our donation total in 2012 was $77,586.90. The Grand to Give winner was Cassie Gillock with her guess of $75,126 – she donated $1,000 to Austin-area nonprofit Love-A-Bull!

Check up on our Facebook and Twitter pages for clues to help you estimate our projected donation total for the year! Grand to Give submissions will close on February 28th.

MAKE YOUR GUESS NOW!

 

 

Enter for a chance to donate $150.00 to the nonprofit of YOUR choice!

We want to give you the opportunity to give back to something you feel passionate about in an easy way. We are giving away $150 to the nonprofit of your choice if you’re the random winner, compliments of Give Realty!

Entering is SIMPLE: Like us on Facebook and fill in the contact info so we know how to get in touch with you. To get an extra entry, follow us on Twitter  and spread the love! You must do this through our app below so we can be sure you’re entered! Already a fan on Facebook? That’s okay, you still can enter below! The last day to enter is 12/18/2012.

Please tell a friend or share on Facebook/Twitter so we can give lots of people the opportunity to give!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can enough ripples create a tsunami?

I often think of the Give Realty business model and the fact that it has inspired not only other real estate agents, but other businesses to create a giving component in their business too. It’s very gratifying to know our decision to give back has helped create all these little ripples. There is a real sense of pride when I realize the impact our little company has made on the community.

Give Realty is more than a real estate brokerage. Our goal is for the check presentation to be a stepping stone on a long path of philanthropy for our clients. It is always wonderful to hear that a client has decided to give time/money/treasure on a regular basis to the organization they donated to. I’ve even watched a client write a personal check that matched the Give Realty donation amount!

This impact is what I consider to be “community return on investment”. The effect of each client’s transaction creates a ripple that will continue to impact the community long after all the boxes are emptied and the move is complete. Every time a buyer or seller uses Give Realty, it also allows Give Realty to grow. This in turn allows us to make more donations to the causes our clients are passionate about, creating more ripples that make our community stronger.

The inaugural ripple was created with our first donation of $1050 back in 2008. In 49 months the impact of that donation has caused a ripple effect of over $175,000. Our first client, that was not a referral and came to us strictly because of the business model in November of 2009, has had a $130,000 community return on investment. We even have a “client who saved Give Realty” whose purchase on April 1, 2011 has returned an additional $90,000 in donations to the community.
Without each and every one of these clients, Give Realty could not continue to give.

Simply put, TOGETHER we are creating a tsunami of good in our own backyard.

Laurie

How to Give Back

We are lucky to live in such a GREAT city, but it will take more than luck to make sure Austin continues to thrive as it continues to grow.  The Austin Metro Area is home to over 5500 nonprofit organizations. There are more nonprofits than restaurants and gas stations combined.  It’s easy to make a judgment call that we have too many nonprofits, but before you do, take a look at WHAT you can do to help.  The Austin MSA is regularly ranked in the top 10 of just about everything, but we don’t rank well in volunteering and charitable contributions, in fact we rank very low and are 41st and 48th respectively. There are huge needs in our community and from my experience volunteering, supporting and being engaged in the nonprofit world, I can say with confidence it’s an integral part of the foundation on which our city builds its greatness and the NPO’s need our support to keep it that way.

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How it Works

When you buy or sell a home, 25% of Give Realty’s commission is donated to the 501(c)3 nonprofit of the client’s choice. That’s right – YOU choose the recipient. Learn More

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