Realtors® More Likely to Donate Annually than Most Americans According to New Survey

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-two percent of Realtors^® donate money to charitable causes every year, compared to the national average of 56.6 percent of Americans¹ who do so, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors^®.

The Community Aid and Real Estate Report, known as the CARE Report, provides insight on the monetary and volunteer contributions that general members at-large, broker-owners and Association Executives of Multiple Listing Services give to society. The report found that all three of these groups donate money and volunteer significant amounts of time in their communities while supporting their local Realtor^® Associations.

Compared to the general members at-large, 81 percent of broker-owners donate money on an annual basis, while 90 percent of AEs or MLS staff donate each year.

According to the report's findings, four-fifths of NAR's members reported that being involved in their community is an important component of their business plan. "The findings in this report highlight what we've known all along - that Realtors^® go above and beyond to serve their neighbors," said NAR President John Smaby, a second-generation Realtor^® from Edina, Minnesota and broker at Edina Realty. "Realtors^® across the country not only work to help people achieve the American dream, but they also work hard to make a difference in our communities and make them better places to live."   

When it comes to volunteering, 85 percent of AEs and MLS staff report that they volunteer on a monthly basis for a median amount of 10 hours. Seventy-seven percent of broker-owners volunteered on a monthly basis for a median amount of 10 hours, followed by 66 percent of members at-large for a median of eight hours. In comparison, just 6.1 percent of Americans volunteer on a regular basis.²

Of those who donate money annually, broker-owners give a median amount of $1,950, the most of the three groups. AEs and MLS staff who donate contribute a median amount of $1,250 a year, and general members give $1,000 annually. Realtor^® associations also donated to their communities, with a median annual amount of $5,000 to their communities and $2,500 to NAR.

Eighty-nine percent of AE or MLS staff responded that their associations held a fundraiser for their community last year, with 54 percent holding three or more. Eighty percent of broker-owners indicated that they encourage their agents to be involved in their communities and sixty-four percent of general members at-large reported that their firms encourage them to volunteer.  

In 2019, NAR will also be celebrating the 20^th year of the Good Neighbor Awards, which recognizes Realtors^® who make extraordinary commitments to improving the quality of life in their communities. Since its inception, the Good Neighbor Awards has recognized more than 200 Realtors^® for their charitable service, and awarded $1.2 million in grant money. For more information, go to nar.realtor/gna.

Seventy-five percent of respondents identified as general members at-large, 20 percent as broker-owners and six percent as AEs or MLS staff. The survey was sent out in June 2018 to 162,474 people, 120,000 were randomly selected Realtors^® who are not Brokers of Record and 40,000 were sent to a random sampled of Designated Realtors^®. A total of 4,095 people responded. The margin of error for the survey is +/-1.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

The National Association of Realtors^® is America's largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

¹Reported by Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2015
²Reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 1 Time spent in primary activities and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity, averages per day by sex, 2017 annual averages, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.t01.htm                                                         

Information about NAR is available at www.nar.realtor. This and other news releases are posted in the newsroom under the "About NAR" tab.

SOURCE National Association of Realtors

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