ShareThe Volunteering Works grant and mentoring program matches REALTORS® who would like to expand their community service outreach with mentors who are already successful volunteer leaders.
Five Volunteering Works applicants will be selected to receive a year of one-on-one mentoring from a member of the Good Neighbor Society and a $1,000 grant as seed money to help implement improvements to their community program.
“REALTORS® value community and service,” says NAR 2011 President Ron Phipps. “The Volunteering Works program is just another example of how REALTORS® strive to strengthen and support their communities. It’s also a chance for REALTORS® to work together to find new ways to support those in need and expand their volunteer work.” Phipps is broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., and was a 2001 recipient of the Good Neighbor Awards honorable mention for his work ensuring that children in his community were using bike helmets.
Recipients are selected based on their dedication to the community through volunteer work and the potential for their charitable work to be expanded or improved with the help of an expert mentor. Ideal candidates have been active in charity work, can identify specific challenges they would like to address, and have specific goals for the future of their community service project.
Mentors are members of the Good Neighbor Society — the more than 130 past recipients of REALTOR®Magazine's Good Neighbor Award or Good Neighbor Award honorable mention. Mentors on average spend more than 20 hours a week on volunteer work and have built and led some of the most effective charitable organizations in the country.
“Mentors help the Volunteering Works recipients face the challenges of starting up a volunteer project—and help them avoid the pitfalls—because the mentor has been there before,” says Victor Kee, who is the Good Neighbor Society Advisory Council Chair, a 2008 Good Neighbor Award recipient, and a former mentor. “The Volunteering Works recipients benefit from their mentors’ many years of experience with fundraising, recruiting volunteers, and running an effective board.”