Why You Should Do a (insert name here) Drive

Last Friday we dropped off several boxes of toys and clothes to Child Haven, as a result of a holiday drive for toys and clothes. I had the opportunity to tour the facility and learn more about Child Haven, as well as meet some of the kids. It was a great experience to not only hold a drive to help our community, but to get to see the direct impact no matter how small or large of a donation that is given. Child Haven is where abused and neglected children go until they can be placed with a relative, group, or foster family. The facility houses about 90 kids who live on campus. 

After this experience, I plan to hold a drive again next year. Often times, communities have organizations like Child Haven, but they may not always be easy to find. When I started looking for an organization to hold the drive for, I looked up Child Haven because I was familiar with it, but they don't have a website or an established Facebook page. I had to get in contact with someone at Child Haven to get additional information about what they needed and when I planned to drop it off. It took a little extra work, but I'm glad I reached out to Child Haven and was able to help. 

Once all of the details were worked out, I sent an email blast to my local clients and I created postcards that I mailed to local clients and vendor partners. I also mailed one to every business located in the same office building. I included information about the organization, what the drive was for, suggestions on what to bring, and where and when to drop it off. You might be surprised how many people end up bringing something by.

So regardless of how big or small a drive turns out, it's worth doing. You create a community partner you can continue to work with and if you continue the drive every year, it is bound to grow as more people find out about it. The best advice I have is to find an organization that interests you and reach out to them. Finding out what they need makes your drive even more valuable. I like to focus on helping the youth in our community, which is why I reached out to Child Haven. If you really like helping pets, look for organizations that support caring for or adopting pets. If you're stuck, try to reach out to a local vet and see if they know of any. Typically, organizations will work with vets to assist with caring for the pets in their care. 

I'm curious to know how many other REALTORS hold drives? If you do, who does it support and what is the drive for? 

Have questions about my drive? Let me know!

Originally published on ActiveRain, December 15, 2016.