Apartment Association of Metro Denver


NAA Affiliate Community Service Award

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 contributing to the needs of their community in different areas of their cities and with a variety of charities and non-profit organizations.

“Apartments Giving Back” is a new community service initiative designed by the Apartment Association of Metro Denver with the following goals and objectives:

(1) Shine a positive spotlight on our industry: With the resurgence of an unfavorable state legislature which continues to target our industry and have misperceptions of our members, it is easy for the public to focus primarily on the growing need for affordable housing and to attack the industry. Our goal is to in part change the perceptions with a favorable and positive spotlight on our members and the association.

(2) Promote the philanthropic efforts of AAMD members: Many AAMD members support local charitable organizations such as Family Homestead, Food Bank of the Rockies, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, just to name a few. Our goal is to provide one place to showcase all of these efforts to highlight the good our industry is involved in. We had a simple “phase one” goal of showcasing 10-12 members who give back in their community.

(3) Raise money for a variety of charitable organizations: AAMD is making a more concerted effort to contribute funds directly to the community through charitable donations of $250, $500 and $1,000 in an effort to showcase our industry’s goodwill to the Denver community. We raise this money in several different ways, through our charity auction and smaller fundraising methods. Our goal in 2019 was to raise and give back $50,000, which would have increased the amount given back $15,000 from 2018.
A new website, www.apartmentsgivingback.org, was created to help shine a positive light on the industry, the first goal of this initiative. This site shows the quantity of members who give back, and the large number of charitable organizations that are supported. The website has been promoted to and viewed by legislators and the general public. A public launch of the website was made in early December 2019 alongside the Charity Auction.

The website features a dozen powerful stories of what just a handful of AAMD’s largest members, - including Greystar Real Estate, Simpson Property Group, Highmark Residential, AMLI Residential and more – participate in philanthropic efforts throughout the year. Additionally, the website showcases over 30 AAMD members who have asked to be included, and over 50 charitable organizations who are directly impacted by these members through financial or volunteer donations.

In 2019, AAMD hosted two Apartments Giving Back events, a bowling tournament and an auction. Through these events, we were able to raise and distribute nearly $80,000! $69,000 was donated directly to Family Homestead, an organization which houses families in transition.

Over $10,000 was distributed to 23 other charities in increments ranging from $200 to $1,000. The charities who received this money were chosen by volunteers in our Association who win “Person of the Month” for their involvement with an AAMD event or program. They choose a charity close to their heart for us to make a donation in their name.

There are several ways in which this program is innovative and unique:

• AAMD designed a simple but powerful logo design with a heart representing the outreach of our industry. The buildings inside the heart represent apartments and the care they have for the community that surrounds them. The heart logo has become a symbol for the association, and will continue to be used in other areas of our events and programs in 2020.

• Apartments Giving Back recognizes philanthropic efforts to dozens of organizations, not just a small hand full. There are over 60 organizations directly impacted by AAMD members, and AAMD contributed additional donations to 23 of those organizations in 2019.

• Recognizing that it’s not just businesses giving back, but also individual members who personally support charities, Apartments Giving Back gives volunteers the opportunity to choose which organizations to support. Each month AAMD recognizes a volunteer who has gone above and beyond for an event or program. They are recognized as “Person of the Month” and Apartments Giving Back donates $500 to a charity of their choice.

• Apartments Giving Back has a mascot! Phil, “the Philanthropic Bear” was chosen to represent our program to evoke a warm response to the apartment industry by the public. Phil has been used in several unique ways throughout 2019:

Phil travels to all of our events with a sign and an opportunity for attendees to purchase a “mini Phil” for a $20 donation to Apartments Giving Back.

Phil travels to our member’s outreach activities. For example, he went with AMLI Residential to the Food Bank of the Rockies, and with Simpson Property Group to help out with a SECOR (Southeast Christian Outreach) Community Project. (see pictures). He takes pictures for social media and promotes Apartments Giving Back to the charity and the company’s team members

AAMD has rebranded many of its charity events with Apartments Giving Back. The 30-year old Charity Auction has been renamed “Apartments Giving Back Charity Auction” and the successful service day, “Spring Clean” has been renamed “Apartments Giving Back Day”.

Both events have shifted its focus on just one charity to a campaign that supports dozens of charities, increasing interest throughout the organization.

Over 130 volunteers were involved directly in AAMD Apartments Giving Back Projects, including the annual Spring Clean event and the Committee which organizes the annual charity events.

Additionally, it has become much more accessible for members to contribute – as easy as donating $20 to get a “Mini Phil” or asking for AAMD to donate to a charity of their choice.

Over 60 organizations have been significantly impacted by the Apartments Giving Back initiative through the philanthropic efforts of AAMD members. Organizations range from large national organizations small local charities. The charitable organizations which were impacted by Apartments Giving Back are:

• A Precious Child
• AIA Corporation
• American Cancer Society
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Armed Forces Family Foundation
• Boot Campaign
• Camp Hope America
• Catholic Charities
• Coats for Colorado
• Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children
• Dalton’s Moon Foundation
• Denver Animal Shelter
• Denver Children’s home
• Denver Inner City Parish
• Denver Kids Inc
• Denver Rescue Mission
• Dress for Success Denver
• Escuela de Guadelupe
• Extreme Community Makeover
• Family Homestead
• Food Bank of the Rockies
• Foundation at PCK
• Freedom Service Dogs
• Global Orphan Relief
• Go Humanitarian
• Go Red for Women
• Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs
• Habitat for Humanity
• Humane Society of South Platte Valley
• Iron Man Foundation
• Jovial Concepts
• MaxFunD
• Mercy Housing
• Metro Caring
• Move for Hunger
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Operation Gratitude
• Project Homeless Connect
• Project Linus
• Promise Keepers
• Re:Vision
• Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association
• Ronald McDonald House
• Salvation Army
• Shiloh House
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
• Susan G Komen Fund
• Tennyson Center for Children
• The Adoption Exchange
• The Children’s hospital
• Toys for Tots
• United Way
• Uplift Charity
• Urban Peak
• Volunteers of America
• Wellspring Community
• Wild Animal Sanctuary
• Wildfire Community Arts Center
• Zuma’s Rescue Ranch

In 2020, Apartments Giving Back anticipates doubling the number of organizations that are impacted through increased outreach and promotion of the program, and increased awareness within the AAMD Membership.

Phase one of Apartments Giving Back was just the beginning for this program. In late 2019, we began introducing social media campaigns following Phil, the Philanthropic bear around to the various charity projects our members participated in. These were among the most viewed and liked social media posts, with lots of members responding with ways they’d like to participate in 2020.

In 2020, we anticipate increasing our social media presence with Apartments Giving Back activities, along with press releases and other cost-effective media promotion to highlight this initiative and gain significant public recognition!