Special Area Projects Advocated As Way to Lend a Helping
Hand
Dallas Residential remodeling professionals, including kitchen
and bath specialists, can prove to be an invaluable resource to any
number of ongoing community service projects and should be
encouraged to get involved with projects that suit the business
owner’s interests, personality, resources and schedule.
So says the Washington, DC-based National Association of Home
Builders, which notes that there are several ground rules to follow
when selecting a community service project with which to become
involved. Among those ground rules are the following:
- Select a special interest (for example, youth, the environment,
the homeless, illiteracy) that is particularly meaningful to
you. - Decide whether you prefer to work alone or with a group such as
a local trade association chapter, some other local organization,
or members of your own or nearby companies. - Establish the length of your involvement for example, one-time,
part-time, occasional or ongoing. - Determine the nature and degree of your contribution: For
example, will you donate time, money, labor, products or other
company services?
Once you’ve established these parameters, there are many community
service projects with which to get involved, notes the NAHB,
suggesting that the work could serve as a source of valuable
publicity, as well as being gratifying in its own right.
Among the more novel ideas offered by the NAHB are the
following:
- Sending a donation to charity on behalf of your clients instead
of sending them a holiday present then informing them about the
donation in a special good-will holiday greeting card. - Establishing a community awards program at your place of
business. - Holding a silent auction in an effort to raise money for a
local charity. - Donating a used car or truck to charity.
- Donating money earned during house tours and home shows to a
local charity. - Participating in the building of a home and then auctioning it,
and donating the proceeds to charity. Or, simply providing your
time to help build a home or remodel a space for a disadvantaged
family. - Donating building supplies to a national charity.
- Soliciting excess new material (for example, kitchen cabinets),
issue fair-value tax receipts to builders/suppliers, and donating
the materials to a local charity for their building. - Helping to rebuild or repair houses and shelters after natural
disasters. - Retrofitting a home for a family that recently developed a
special need. - Partnering with a national organization (for example,
Ameri-corps volunteers) to refurbish community centers and other
buildings. - Sponsoring a “community repair day” each year, and spending the
day working at different job sites to repair homes. - Developing a brochure, guidebook or Web site to answer
consumers’ commonly-asked questions about remodeling, or about the
steps consumers should take when shopping for a remodeling
contractor.
Additional ideas on these types of programs can be obtained by
contacting the Home Builders Care 2000 program of the National
Association of Home Builders, 1201 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC
20005-2800; telephone: (800) 368-5242, ext. 473.