It’s that time of year: Social calendars get hectic. Weather gets brutal. And people get generous. DEI Communities has found a way to bring communities together and involve residents in a giving tradition. Ashley Tatum, Marketing Director at Vista Shadow Mountain in Tulsa, Oklahoma explained how it works.
Make it important: “Every year DEI sponsors a company-wide food drive,” Tatum said. “Even corporate gets involved. There’s a friendly competition between properties to see who can collect the most non-perishable food items by weight.” While properties have the option to choose which charities or causes to support, having the backing of the corporate office helps strengthen the culture of giving across all of the DEI properties.
Choose your cause: “Every year a new resident will come into the office and ask if they can organize a food drive,” said Tatum. “We’re happy to be able to work with them on a cause that really resonates.” As part of DEI’s annual food drive, properties work closely with local food banks like the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to help provide holiday meals and assistance for local families in need.
Vista Shadow Mountain also looks for other causes to support throughout the year and has hosted toy drives for the local Toys for Tots, which is affiliated with the U.S. Marine Corps. Residents collect new, unwrapped toys which the Marines then distribute to needy children during the holiday season.
Make it easy: Tatum stressed the importance of finding ways to simplify the giving process for residents. “A neighborhood grocery store donated brown paper bags that we’ve distributed to each unit for our food drive this year,” she said. “Residents can just fill the bags with canned goods set them out on the doorstep on a designated day, and we just go and pick them up.”
The company also recently activated the ResidentPay donation system. “We don’t accept cash donations in the office for all of the reasons you would expect,” explained Tatum. “But residents don’t always have the time or inclination to go shop for a donation or bring it into the office. This gives them an easy way to add a $1, $2, $5, $10, or $20 donation to the total when they pay their rent online. This is the first month we’ve tried it and the response is really encouraging.”
Vista Shadow Mountain already has a high percentage of residents who pay rent online. The property expects that the new online donation system will help facilitate fundraising efforts throughout the year, giving residents more opportunities to contribute to the causes they care about. “If we provide several options, whether they give online or set out canned goods or attend a food-drive party or event, residents are more likely to participate,” said Tatum.
Spread the word: Making sure residents know about the community’s charitable efforts is very important at Vista Shadow Mountain. Since the community has gone green, they no longer distribute fliers door-to-door. However the property maintains a very active Facebook page and posts regularly about their efforts. Tatum also uses the community blog, email blasts, and signage in the leasing office to let residents know about each opportunity. “Our resident portal lets us set up a promotional pop-up window that appears whenever residents log in,” she said. “We use that space to encourage residents to get involved as well.”
Contact your Account Representative for more information about the new ResidentPay donation system.
