With Thanksgiving arriving, and the winter holidays on their way, RESPA News reached out to the title and settlement services industries to discover how these important companies are giving back to the communities they serve.
Hear from SoftPro President Joyce Weiland, Westcor Land Title/Ardan Inc. CEO Mary O’Donnell, Florida Agency Network (FAN) CEO Aaron Davis, Women in Title founder Kim Whitlock, as well as Title Resources Group (TRG) CEO Scott McCall and Relationship Manager, Strategic Agency Initiatives Jessica Mercado, about the charitable work they do.
What does your company do to give back?
Weiland: SoftPro supports an assortment of community philanthropies and in a variety of ways. From donation drives for a nearby low-income school to participation in local fund-raising philanthropic events to Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, SoftPro employees have big hearts and are known for stepping up for their community.
O’Donnell: We partner with our wonderful local agents to help in their communities. During my tenure as president of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) I founded the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation to amplify the work local agents do in support of their communities. Within Ardan/Westcor we also have an “Ardan Gives” program that enables our team members to take a day off with pay to give back to their community through local charitable activities. We love the stories we get back from them as they proudly wear their Ardan Cares T- shirts.
Davis: Our companies have always felt it’s important to support our communities. It’s the way we were raised: always help the folks who need it most. That’s why we’re always major contributors to Habitat for Humanity, Metropolitan Ministries, The United Food Bank and multiple other charitable organizations. We also believe in doing more than just cutting a check, although we do that as well. Any given day, you’ll find FAN teammates swinging hammers on a Habitat site, and we’ve hosted a number of food drives and holiday parties to encourage others to support these causes, too.
Whitlock: We support our community of Women in Title all over the country through shared stories, advice and resources. We also support our local communities by hosting regular charity events.
McCall: TRG is committed to giving through various initiatives that benefit numerous not-for-profit organizations throughout the year. We support the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation and its commitment to providing funds to causes supported by industry professionals who are going above and beyond in volunteering their time, organizing fundraisers, and promoting awareness for important causes in their communities. We continue to be impressed by the number and wide range of grant recipients reached since the foundation’s inception and the generosity of the title industry professionals who are dedicated to these causes. This year, TRG is proud to celebrate the holiday season with a $40,000 donation to the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation.
Mercado: TRG’s paid-time-off policy offers employees one day a year to volunteer at a not-for-profit organization or take part in a charitable activity, encouraging a culture of giving back. It is a great opportunity for employees to choose something locally or something dear to them and give of their time with the company’s support. This devoted volunteer day empowers employees to give back to the communities in which we live as well as the ones we serve.
At the end of October, I promoted breast cancer awareness by posting an image on TRG’s LinkedIn page of my team wearing pink, with a shout out to everyone who supported the cause during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Having a personal connection to the cause, I hope to encourage women to prioritize their health and take proactive steps with check-ups and exams. It is vital that we put our well-being first. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month came to an end, we wanted to share our gratitude for everyone who joined us in raising awareness, supporting survivors, and honoring those we’ve lost. It isn’t just about a month though. It’s about standing together to support research and spread hope. Let’s keep this momentum going year-round.
How did it start, and what inspired it?
Weiland: Raleigh, N.C., is home to SoftPro’s headquarters and represents a diverse community with many needs. SoftPro has a long history of corporate philanthropy. In 2010, we started a Fun Fridays Initiative. This was a fundraising effort where each department of SoftPro selects a charity. Then, each Friday of the summer, that department hosts raffles, games, food and more to raise money for their selected organization. SoftPro raised over $200,000 in the nine years of the Fun Fridays campaign. SoftPro has since kept the friendly competition of teamwork to support local philanthropies through participation in fitness campaigns. Each team selects a charity to support and based on each team’s final rankings, their respective philanthropy receives a monetary donation from SoftPro.
SoftPro has also been a long-time supporter of Ella’s Race, raising money for The Cure Starts Now and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. … Coming together as a company builds a sense of pride in our employees who know their efforts make a difference at the local level.
O’Donnell: During COVID-19 so many of our agents were doing amazing work in their communities to help. I wanted our team members to know we fully support them and give them the ability to be involved. For the foundation we received stories from all over the country, and it seemed an opportune moment to amplify the work.
Davis: [In 2021], I happened to be in Austin, Texas, visiting my girlfriend (now wife) and soon found myself in the small town of Harper, where many were trapped in their homes by trees that had collapsed under the weight of snow. Several without heat or water. Roads were blocked. Water pipes were breaking, flooding then freezing. Those people needed chainsaws, food, water and other supplies ASAP. Growing up in Florida, it seemed almost like an annual event to have to cut tree limbs off of your roof or out of your driveway after a major storm. But Texas wasn’t really as used to that. Recognizing this, I went into town and bought about 30 chainsaws, distributed them to the volunteers first on the scene and spent days helping clear debris and getting people access to water, supplies and shelter.
Then came the media. Someone involved with the Harper effort contacted their friend, an editor at People Magazine. Before I knew it, an article was published about me being a “good Samaritan” and dubbing me “the Tampa Chainsaw Man.” Suddenly, I was on the local news in both Tampa and Austin. I was even getting calls from old college friends across the country after seeing the news rebroadcasted nationwide, mentioned on the Bobby Bones show and more.
I was able to leverage the media exposure to get others off the sidelines to help. I set up a Go Fund Me for the Harper Volunteer Fire Departments 501c3; before we knew it, we’d raised nearly $100,000 from people who’d mostly never heard of Harper. My individual effort was suddenly a fulcrum for something larger. The great folks at ALTA’s Good Deeds Foundation also got involved and contributed their own grant to the cause.
Whitlock: Women in Title started over two years ago born from a need for women in our industry to feel supported and empowered to reach new heights both professionally and personally. Women in our industry face unique challenges and what better way to face those head on than talking to your pears and learning from our experiences.
What impact have you seen?
Weiland: As mentioned earlier, SoftPro has been a long-time supporter of Ella’s Race. Ella Newmiller was diagnosed with a non-operable brain tumor at age 4. Through local connections with her family, SoftPro organized a trip for Ella and her family to travel by train to New York City. SoftPro employees donated money, airmiles, and hotel points to provide this special trip that included a stay at The Plaza Hotel at Central Park and visits to the American Girl store and the American Museum of Natural History. Ella sadly lost her battle and passed away in 2012. The first Ella’s Race began that same year, and SoftPro has continued its support through the years as an event sponsor and by sponsoring SoftPro employees along with a friend to participate.
SoftPro employees have also demonstrated their generosity through Hurricane Helene Relief support. SoftPro has organized two different supply drives to date for Western North Carolina hurricane relief. The most recent drive’s supplies were delivered to the Banner Elk area by the spouse of a SoftPro employee who is part of a retired Special Operations Forces Unit. These donations went to directly support 30-40 families directly impacted by the hurricane and included much-needed winter weather supplies. A note of thanks to SoftPro employees said, “Having personally seen what they are going through, it brings cheer to my heart to know that there are people who are willing to go above and beyond to help in times of need. Every single item that was donated from the fire logs to the flashlights to the pots and pans will assist them with being able to get back on their feet that much quicker.”
O’Donnell: During the recent hurricanes we as a management team partnered with FAN and worked on the ground in Plant City, Fla., to help clear properties from debris and hand out literally hundreds of food packs to those so severely in need. It was the most inspiring day and the warmth and optimism from the community that had lost everything was amazing.
Despite the disaster we found people to be hopeful and grateful for what they had. It was a great lesson in humility and the resilience of people. With all the negative news that can overwhelm, it is a wonderful moment to recenter. As to the foundation, since we established it in 2020, we have raised $1.6 million and have given away $1.1 million to over 192 small charities all across the country.
Davis: Just this fall, after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we realized that in what we had done, we were creating a blueprint for a repeatable initiative we’re calling Hometown Emergency Response Organization (HERO). In this case, that included providing 100 chainsaws, 300 gallons of gas, generators, meals, water and, above all, people willing and able to help others with trees on their roofs, flooding and debris in the streets, their cars underwater, no power or water and no way to get to what they needed. We were able to get a lot done in just a few days. More importantly, our numbers grew the more people realized what we were doing.
Whitlock: We just held our annual charity event in Colorado where we had a prominent industry sponsor, Rexera, and we were supported by numerous title insurance underwriters which resulted in significant funds raised for our chosen charity, Homeaid. We also collected carloads of supplies for women experiencing homelessness or leaving unsafe living situations. Women from all over the state came together to support a great cause in a true real-life showing of women supporting women!
Mercado: TRG sponsors an annual fundraiser hosted by Blair Cato Pickren Casterline, LLC, which supports the South Carolina Military Family Care Association (SCMFCA). The SCMFCA provides emergency relief to South Carolina military members and their families facing unpreventable or extraordinary hardships. The non-profit is a civilian, all-volunteer program that aids qualifying service members with one-time assistance to help regain financial stability in an emergency.
Our support of the SCMFCA highlights another way we strive to make a meaningful impact. All proceeds from the fundraiser go directly to the SCMFCA. In past events, approximately $20,000 was raised. We are proud to support an organization that makes such a profound difference in the lives of military families. Blair Cato’s passion for supporting military families and sharing this charitable opportunity inspired us to join the cause.
What advice do you have for other settlement service providers who want to start a similar program?
Weiland: My advice would be to not get hung up on “a program” as much as just engaging with philanthropies within their local community. Team up with a local food pantry drive or be a sponsor at a local fundraising event or pay for event entry fees such as a 5K for employees and a “plus one.” Corporate philanthropy not only benefits the community but fosters a sense of teamwork and camaraderie among staff.
O’Donnell: My main piece of advice is that you will get far more back than you give. You will return to your day-to-day with a renewed sense of hope and encouragement. When you empower your team members to give back and reward them for doing so it sends a great message as to who and what you care about and most importantly, it is just the right thing to do.
Davis: Title businesses should really prepare for disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms … whatever the catastrophe might be.
The fact is every home town has a title company or two. Let’s face it. A title company is not in business if there are no homes being sold, and you won’t see a lot of real estate activity if the properties are all damaged or inaccessible. So there’s a practical motive here, too. But we’re working on ways we can start to help other title companies, whether they’re facing tornadoes in Omaha or flooding in New Orleans, to create similar programs for themselves. If it’s true that charity starts at home, who knows the people of that community better than the local title shop? We’d love to see title professionals nationwide come to be expected at the forefront of community rescue and recovery efforts.
Every agency should have some kind of disaster kit with water, chainsaws, non-perishables and those kinds of supplies in their proverbial back rooms somewhere. With hurricanes, everyone runs out and gets bottled water, sandbags, plywood and those kinds of things before a storm. But no one thinks to have a way to cut themselves and their neighbors out of the debris after or to make a way to get to necessary supplies. Days 0 through 5 are critical after a disaster.
It’s time for folks outside of our industry to understand the value we bring to our hometowns. It’s incumbent upon us, as an industry, to do a better job getting deeply involved in our communities. And attending brokerage events or taking donuts to a brokerage – even writing the occasional check for a charitable event – is not nearly enough. People may not understand the value the title industry brings to the real estate transaction. I’m even OK with that, as long as more and more of our neighbors do think of us when they need to pull together after a disaster. And while the larger, more formally organized disaster relief organizations do great work, they’re busy finding survivors those first few days. That’s where the title agency can shine at the local and national level while doing great things.
Whitlock: Our community is all about action over words. I encourage anyone interested in giving back to look in their local communities and identify tangible needs and then engage your network to raise funds, collect supplies or volunteer time.
Mercado: Align your efforts with causes that reflect your industry and team values. Choose initiatives that resonate with your team or client base, fostering deeper connections and shared purpose. Collaborating with others in a campaign can maximize your impact as well. Start small, perhaps with a single fundraiser or volunteer day. Focus on creating meaningful experiences and measurable outcomes. As your program gains traction, you can expand into larger or more diverse initiatives.
More good deeds
Davis shared additional details about his philanthropic journey over the years. People magazine picked up on Davis’s efforts again, this time with the help of his brother, as they helped with recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian in 2022.
“We packed up our supplies and headed into the impacted Port Charlotte area to donate chainsaws, water, supplies and, above all, our labor, to supplement the first responders and elderly in need,” Davis said. “It’s also then that the Florida Baptist Disaster Relief came into view for me. I’d actually come across them at the forefront of the recovery in Harper. After, I came to learn that a good friend of mine in the southwest Florida region headed up the Florida chapter of that great foundation.”
In addition to People Magazine, the Kelly Clarkson show also featured the “Chainsaw Brothers,” and donated an additional 30 chainsaws to the recovery effort.
“I was able to use that exposure to exponentially increase the donations and assistance funneled into Port Charlotte and the surrounding areas, much of that relief coming from folks who didn’t have a dog in the hunt otherwise,” he said. “We ran the same playbook as before, setting up a Go Fund Me directing people to donate and help from afar.”
The effort has been repeated for recent storms as well, Davis added. When Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Florida – where a majority of FAN is based – they helped to spearhead recovery efforts by turning FAN’s office complex in Plant City into a staging ground for hundreds of volunteers to deliver supplies to those in need and get to work clearing the damage. A good part of the FAN family spent several days at ground level, pitching in anywhere they could, Davis said.
“I know that part of my calling is to help other title companies be the ones spearheading local relief efforts in the early days of a disaster,” he said. “From all of this, I’ve learned that individuals can do great good in times of disaster, they can multiply the good they do by inspiring and encouraging others to help out, too.
“I also know from experience that, after events like a hurricane, a tornado, a flood or the like, it takes a few days for organized help to arrive in numbers. That’s the time period when people need help the most. It’s why we keep a disaster recovery kit at our FAN offices (which, naturally, includes a chainsaw or two.). It’s valuable when the community comes together ASAP to help each other when it’s needed most. And if we can get the word out quickly to others who might be able to show up and help, send a chainsaw or a case of water or a check, we can grow the effort and speed the recovery quite a bit.”