The 8,325-member Oklahoma Association of REALTORSĀ® (OAR) has long had one of the stateās strongest Political Action Committees. But this spring, having received the maximum allowed PAC contributions from OAR, two of its strongest advocates ā one in the State House (Marion Cooksey) and one in the State Senate (Clark Jolley) - were still faced with tough primaries. They needed an extra boost. OAR used a $14,500 Independent Expenditure Grant for polling and mailers to bring about success. Representative Cooksey won her race outright in the primary; Senator Jolley will face an Independent in the fall general election, and is...
Texas REALTORSĀ® Put Their Grassroots to Work in Statewide Primaries
āWhen Texas REALTORSĀ® vote, Texas REALTORSĀ® win.ā Thatās the slogan on the Texas Associationās web site -- and itās also exactly what happened in the statewide primaries this year. The 80,000-member Texas Association worked with their 89 local associations to endorse 99 candidates statewide, for offices from the U.S. Senate, to the Texas Railroad Commission to both houses of the Texas legislature, to a couple of seats on the state Supreme Court. They won 70 and have 14 still pending in run-offs. The Texas REALTORSĀ® got a big boost from $100,000 in Campaign Services funds, which it used exclusively for...
Fredericksburg (VA) REALTORSĀ® Use Murder Mystery Game to Boost RPAC Investments
Murder for fun and profit? Seems unlikely, in an organization with as high ethical standards as NAR. But the 1,400-member Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORSĀ® (FAAR) pulled off a fundraising coup by ākilling offā the associationās President, Chip Taylor -- at a āMurder Mystery Dinnerā at the local country club. With an RPAC Fundraising Grant from NAR, the association hired a company to script the event and defrayed some of the food costs. They had a raucous good time and raised more than $4,000 for RPAC, with additional pledges still coming in. Who says Crime Doesnāt Pay?
REALTORSĀ® Launch Waterbury (CT) āFront Porch Dayā with Housing Opportunity Grant
The city of Waterbury, Conn. had been facing a growing epidemic of neighborhood blight for decades. Some properties had been abandoned; others harbored criminal activity. Porches, lawns, and sidewalks along entire streets had fallen into disrepair. Leaders of the 650-member Greater Waterbury Board of REALTORSĀ® met with the mayor and launched a neighborhood stabilization program to do something about it. Funded by a $5,000 Housing Opportunity Grant from NAR, which was doubly matched by the City of Waterbury for a total of $15,000, the first annual Waterbury Citywide Front Porch Day in July 2012 brought together over 300 volunteers to...
Pennsylvania Association Helps Elect Two REALTORĀ® Champions to the General Assembly
In politics, there are REALTORĀ®-friendly candidates, and then there are candidates who are actually REALTORĀ® members. This election year, the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORSĀ® (PAR) protected and secured the seats of not one, but two of its own who serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. With two Independent Expenditure Campaigns funded by NAR, PAR helped to re-elect Sue Helm of Dauphin County and Marguerite Quinn of Bucks County, outside Philadelphia.
Las Vegas REALTORSĀ® Use Game Changer Grant to Help Homeowners in Need
While the Las Vegas housing market has been especially challenging for real estate professionals, the 11,000-member Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORSĀ® (GLVAR) was eager to ramp up its charity work to help area homeowners in need. GLVAR used a Game Changer grant of $25,000 from NAR to partner with Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada, the local chapter of a well-established national organization that provides home maintenance, repairs and upkeep to low-income, elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners in need. In addition to making a monetary gift, GLVAR members rolled up their sleeves and helped to make critical home repairs for those...
Denver Metro Association Grows Employer-Assisted Housing Idea from Grant to Class to Program
The 4,500-member Denver Metro Association of REALTORSĀ® (DMAR) realized that Employer-Assisted Housing was a topic that would serve both the membership and the community, so they applied for and received a $5,000 grant from NAR to fund a course in October 2010. Then, they took it to the next step by establishing the Greater Brighton Employer-Assisted Housing program. Today, the program serves this tightknit community northeast of Denver by showing employers who might not have ready cash to offer down-payment assistance that benefits like a day-off for moving, or the loan of a truck, are creative low- or no-cost ways...
Fort Collins REALTORSĀ® Use Independent Expenditure Campaign to Support Four City Council Candidates: Three Win
When an NAR dues increase went into effect two years ago, the Fort Collins Board of REALTORSĀ® (FCBR) made a promise to its 750 members to bring those dollars back to the northern Colorado community, in the form of grants from the REALTORĀ® Party. This spring, it made good on that promise, supporting four candidates for local election, including the mayor, with an Independent Expenditure Grant from NAR. The funding paid for get-out-the-vote calls, and a combination of online advertising and social media messaging that reached the youthful voting population of the college town more effectively than traditional print media....
Utah REALTORS Ā® Raise Money for RPAC With Rally Ride
To increase investments in the REALTORS Ā® Political Action Committee (RPAC,) the Utah Association of REALTORS Ā® (UAR) has been capitalizing on one of the stateās most valuable assets: its striking natural beauty. That, and its Harley Davidson-riding members. The culture of a motorcycle rally is not about speed. Itās about driving out under the big open sky and leaving the stresses of the everyday world behind. The breathtaking scenery of Utahās canyons, mountains, and pristine lakes erases those clean away. The added bonus is that participating members enjoy the satisfaction of supporting RPAC, too. On June 17-18 this year,...
White Mountain Board (NH) Begins Quest for Affordable Workforce Housing
Leaders of the 125-member White Mountain Board of REALTORSĀ® (WMBR) knew from the moment they learned about NARās Housing Opportunity Grants that they could put one to good use in their rural region where many jobs do not pay enough to cover housing within a reasonable commuting range. The WMBR used a $5,000 grant from NAR to host the Mount Washington Valley Workforce Housing Design Charette. The intensive design program brought together teams of planners and housing development professionals to rough out development concepts reusing and/or revitalizing existing structures, as well as developing raw acreage. Particular attention was given to...