Beginning in January 2010 I implemented a $150 donation to charity with every closing.
Following the successful closing of 3603 Maroon Lane, Bowie MD I am happy to report that the following donations will be made:
My Choice:
- $50 to the Interfaith Community Against Domestic Violence - The purpose of this organization is to educate, train, and support faith communities in responding to and preventing domestic abuse. The organization encourages faith and secular communities to work together to:
- Eliminate intimate partner abuse;
- Protect victims and children;
- Support the healing of victims, children, and abusers.
The Buyers' Choice:
- $100 to Angie Houtz Memorial Fund - This fund provides scholarships to Maryland college students who have shown a committment to both academics and community service. This fund honors my best friend Angie who died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Everyone who knows me knows that this charity is very dear to me and it was an honor to have the buyers select it as the recipient of the donation.
This charitable donation is rapidly becoming one of my favorite pats of the real estate transaction. I am excited to be able to make these donations and I look forward to making many more donations in the coming months (and years).
If you or someone you know would like information about buying, selling, or renting a home in Prince George's, Montgomery, Charles, Anne Arundel, Howard, and/or Baltimore Counties please contact Dr. Stacey-Ann Baugh of EOP Real Estate, LLC.
Donations made to charity with every successful closing!
Dr. Stacey-Ann Baugh
EOP Real Estate, LLC
staceyannbaugh@gmail.com
240-481-3565 (C)
240-206-7283 (O)
FINALLY! A DOCTOR WHO MAKES HOUSE-CALLS!
Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed!
That's awesome! I love that you found a way to give back to the world while helping buyers find their new home!
Nice! I've thought of doing this as well. Do you provide a list of suggestions for places to donate or do you just leave it up to the buyers?
I forgot to say that I am sorry about your friend Angie, that must have been devastating. It's nice that she is being remembered with her memorial fund.
Great job Stacey Ann. It's nice to see you are not only helping a new buyer or seller but you are reaching out and helping others as well. A great way to have a 'feel good' closing. :0)
Stacey - That is fantastic, keep up the good work!
Regards,
Stanley Barsch
Stacey Ann, good for you! You're setting a wonderful example for the rest of us.
Phly - it defintely feels good to give back
Cynthia - I give them a list of my favorites but they are free to choose any 5013C charity for $100, I choose the remaining $50. It was devastating to lose Angie but the fund has been helpful in the healing process
Martha - The clients really do seem to feel good knowing that the closing is helping charities
Stan - Thanks
Patricia - It was a local broker in Olney who did it that inspired me
Hi Stacey Ann, I'm betting your selfless contributions will set an example for many here. I have thought of doing the same but hadn't seen the option to have the client choose the charity ! Well done !
That's awesome!
I've been thinking of a charity to support myself.
Stacey that is wonderful - Good for You! What an inspiration and example for others to follow! Thanks for sharing - Paige
Stacey-Ann,
Awesome post- great idea and I love that you pick one and so does the buyer!
Way to share:-)
All the best, Michelle
Congrats on the closing, Stacey-Ann! I really like the idea of involving your client in how the donation is distributed.
Yay. A closing is always great. I love this business plan Stacey, keep it up.
That is a wonderful inspiring thing to do. I love when people give a donation rather that a gift for hoildays and events, after all who needs another picture frame.
Great idea, but don't sellers ever say, "How about letting me keep it instead?"
Great idea Stacey-Ann. I was wondering how you handle it when it comes to you paying your income tax?
Wonderful idea & something I've been considering for a while ...
Excellent idea, congratulations on coming up and implementing it successfully!
Good for you! This is one of my favorite parts of being in real estate, giving back to the community. I regularly give to Children's Miracle Network, Susan G Komen and Sentinels of Freedom. The latter charity is for returning vets from the war. It's a great feeling knowing that someone else benefits. Great post!
Stacey-Ann, that is a wonderful idea. Congratulations for implementing it.
Our company provides a small donation to a charity for every closed deal from the corporate portion, but I love that your clients are involved this closely. This is a great way to give back to our community.
So sorry about your friend.
LOVE IT! What an amazing way to involve your clients and give back to those in need!
Besides our company-wide donation program, I also have personally made it my practice to ask my clients if they would be fine with me making a donation to a local charity in lieu of a conventional closing gift. For Sellers who are selling a second home or lot, it makes more sense to them than a dinner or something for their home! For Buyers, it is a way to get them connected with the community through discussing the options and picking a suitable organization. And because I do it in the client's name, of course our local charities and projects have a new sponsor!
What an awesome practice! I actually agree with tithing in churches to a certain extent. This is kind of along those lines and I do believe that it certainly lines up your karma (I can't think of a better word right now - it's Monday!) to continue to receive prosperity. Thank you for sharing!
I have been thinking about doing something along these lines locally and in fact will post on it this week.
Excellent job! What a great idea to work in the community and give back!
Who says that REALTORS are a greedy, selfish bunch? Not me after reading this amazing blog! What a great way to make money, help your buyers and help people that need it! You go girl! I think, if you don't mind, that I will implement the same idea in all of my closings. Arizona needs a boost in the arm and you gave me the idea on how to do it! Thanks---
Thanks for all the responses. I have felt really good implementing this. A few people have asked how I do this. The clients choose who gets $100 and I choose who gets the remaining $50. They must be a 5013C charity. The donations are made in my name, in honor of the client. This just simplifies my taxes.
I am honored that so many people have talked about implementing similar programs. I look forward to reading about them.
Strange thing is that I offered to do something similar for my daughters school a few years ago and they were not interested.
I hope you donate a lot of money this year.
Good post. Interesting to see how you handled the taxes.
Very generous of you considering the economy. Have a great year!
Stacey: Love, love, love this idea. Carrie
Hi Dr Stacy, we use Facebook Causes to collect money for the charities close to our hearts.
Here is Frederick Maryland is the HQ for a free health care clinic that operates in 4 states: MD, PA, TX and AZ.
A Mission of Mercy
I make people who want my services donate: You want to get on my waiting list? Put $50 in the kitty. (if you don't twist arms or push just one notch shy of being obnoxious the charity will never see a dime, everyone says "yeah, sure I'll donate... then forget about it)
Everyone needs me a lot more than I need them (we do local SEO and manage company Facebook pages for small businesses/ ghost write content for company Facebook pages)
http://www.causes.com/causes/114020
Facebook handles all the money, I think they take out a tiny percentage, A Mission of Mercy gets a check from Facebook. All I had to do was set it up and use my SEO skills to drive traffic to the Causes page. Facebook will allow ANY 501c3 federally designated charity to have a Causes page
Want me to set up your Facebook Causes site for your charity? Become a fan of us on Facebook, leave a comment and I'll set yours up for free:
http://www.facebook.com/itservicesfrederickmaryland
This is tremendous work filled with the spirit of giving back. Even though I just started with AR, my blog is dedicated to this type of activity, and I find your post inspirational. Keep up the good deeds...