David Ebrahimzadeh is a private equity and real estate investor and an active philanthropist. Recently, he founded a scholarship that is intended for students with an interest in real estate.
Mr. Ebrahimzadeh believes that active philanthropy can coexist with a career in real estate investment. He wants to be an example for fellow real estate professionals when it comes to giving back.
Here are several ways in which real estate investors can give back to their communities.
Sponsoring a Fundraiser
Supporting popular community events like concerts, parades, and running races is a great way to build positive name recognition. Your business could put labels on water or snacks to be served at the event. As a thank you for providing this assistance, you may be able to have a physical presence at the event, giving you more visibility and increasing positive recognition for your company within the community.
Donate Your Skills
As a real estate investor, you have skills that can be shared with your community. Host workshops for your local chamber of commerce that detail the process of smart real estate investment. You can also work one-on-one with smaller companies that may need your help. When it comes to community recognition, a sense of citizenship is more important than competition.
Host an Employee Volunteer Day
You are not the only person in your company who can give back to the community. It is also a great idea to host employee volunteer days (either paid or unpaid) where your team works directly with deserving community organizations.
Some examples of community organizations that may need help are parks, playgrounds, homeless shelters, and kids’ after-school programs. You will boost your company’s visibility in the public eye and create positive exposure. This will also encourage team bonding, boosting morale among your employees.
Offer Donation Matching
Choosing a local charity for your employees to support can be a good way to increase community sensitivity. Your team can vote on one charity to support, or you could match all donations to qualifying nonprofits. This program is an important perk for many workplaces and causes the employees to feel better about their jobs.
Sponsor a Sports Team
Since you are a real estate investment firm, you may not have excellent name recognition within the community. Sponsoring a children’s sports team is a low-maintenance way to increase name recognition and bring your company a positive image. Donating to sports teams keeps the costs down for families and builds goodwill for your company.
Share Business Space
If your business has a large office or well-appointed conference rooms, you can offer them free of charge to community groups. This can help nonprofits save money and give your business better visibility since it brings the community into your space.
Donate to a Silent Auction
You can make this donation as big or as small as you like. Community groups often sponsor silent auctions where items are bid on by members of the community. You can sponsor just one item, or you can take on larger responsibility.
Donate to Local Organizations
Since you work in real estate investment, you may not have a direct capability to give some of your daily earnings to a local charity, in the way that a restaurant may offer a portion of its profits to a local school. Some creativity is necessary when donating to local organizations, securing much-needed funds but promoting your company at the same time.
Scholarships
One of the most rewarding ways to give back to the community is by endowing a scholarship. Scholarships increase the chances that students can afford tuition, and they create a great opportunity for name recognition.
A scholarship can encourage students to participate in various activities as well as promoting important fields of study. For example, Ebrahimzadeh’s scholarship is aimed at students with an interest in the field of real estate.
Scholarships provide a large field of name recognition since students from all over the country search and apply for programs that fit their field of study.
Providing Fair-Market Housing
Especially in areas where rental prices are high, setting a portion of your properties aside for affordable rentals is a noble pursuit. Having adequate affordable rentals in the local market is a way to support the community by ensuring that everyone has a home that needs one.
Giving Back and Making a Difference
David Ebrahimzadeh believes that real estate investment firms have a unique opportunity to do positive work in their communities. Since real estate investment tends to be a lucrative business, executives should have room in their budgets for community action. Starting a scholarship is highly recommended and can provide lasting name recognition for your executives.
