Apartment Trends Magazine February 2020 | Page 20

All About Apartments Giving Back The multifamily housing industry is unique by nature, as it provides a primary need – housing. Not only that, but apartment communities, owners and management companies spend tens of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours each year contributing to the needs of their community in different areas of their cities and with a variety of charities and non-profit organizations. Last year, AAMD designed “Apartments Giving Back”, a The Logo and Website community service initiative with several goals and objectives: In 2019, we 1. Shine a positive spotlight on our industry: With designed a simple the resurgence of an unfavorable state legislature which but powerful logo continues to target our industry and have misperceptions of with a heart our members, it is easy for the public to focus primarily on representing the the growing need for aff ordable housing and to attack the outreach of our industry. Our goal in part is to change the perceptions with industry. The a favorable and positive spotlight on our members and buildings inside the association. the heart represent 2. Promote the philanthropic eff orts of AAMD members: apartments and the Many AAMD members support local charitable care they have for the organizations such as Family Homestead, Food Bank of the community that surrounds Rockies, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, just to name them. The heart logo has a few. Our goal is to provide one place to showcase all of become a symbol for AAMD, and these eff orts to highlight the good our industry is involved will continue to be used in other areas in. We had a simple “phase one” goal of showcasing 10-12 of our events and programs in 2020. members who give back in their community. 3. Raise money for a variety of charitable organizations: A new website, www.apartmentsgivingback.org, has been AAMD is making a more concerted eff ort to contribute created to help shine a positive light on the industry, as it funds directly to the community through charitable shows the quantity of members who give back, and the large donations of $250, $500 and $1,000 in an eff ort to showcase number of charitable organizations that are supported. The our industry’s goodwill to the Denver community. We raise website also features several powerful stories of what just a this money in several diff erent ways, including our charity handful of AAMD’s largest members, - including Greystar auction and smaller fundraising methods. Our goal in 2019 Real Estate, Simpson Property Group, Highmark Residential, was to raise and give back $50,000, which would have been AMLI Residential and more – contribute philanthropic eff orts more than the amount given back ($15,000) in 2018. throughout the year. 18 | TRENDS JANUARY 2020 www.aamdhq.org