Village Green

Making a Splash

By Leah Etling on Feb 6, 2014 in Giving, People

When it comes to making a splash with corporate philanthropic efforts, Midwestern luxury multifamily owner, developer and manager  Village Green is jumping into the pool feet first.

That’s not an analogy, either. Their property managers and associates  at 160 properties in 13 states literally jump into swimming pools to help raise funds for worthwhile local charities. Splash Day, marking the first day of “open pool” season, has been a company institution since 1991 and has raised over $500,000 for local Ronald McDonald House Charities in each of Village Green’s seven regions

And that’s just one effort of many they make to support non-profits and  organizations of many kinds. While the history of Village Green dates all the way back to 1919, current CEO Jonathan Holtzman is credited with providing strong leadership.

“Jon Holtzman is really into giving back to the communities that we serve,” said Jacqueline Trost, Director of Public Relations for Village Green. “He has spearheaded the initiatives with national organizations we donate to, and there is regional and hyper-local coordination as well.”

Village Green has more than 1,250 associates who operate out of seven main regions: Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Dallas, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Last year, it delivered some exciting news – each employee would annually be allotted 8 hours of paid time to contribute to a charity or volunteer effort of their choosing.

That’s just one day out of the year per person, but it can make a huge impact – if every associate takes advantage of the program, Village Green is giving back 10,000 man hours – or 250 full work weeks of donated time. Employees served the hungry at the local rescue missions and soup kitchens, adopted families in need during the holidays, packed food  at various food banks, while others  volunteered at their church, child’s school and other organizations associates have a personal with

“We wanted to take things to the next level,” said Andrea Garland, Village Green’s senior director of Human Resources. In addition to the employee volunteer day, the company created a Village Green Cares committee, which tracks and organizes philanthropic outreach on a regional level. The committee makes it easier for groups to come together to work on a project, even if employees are working at different communities.

On site at Village Green’s properties, an active event planning program, including a resident Lifestyle Director,  makes it easy to work charitable happenings into the rotation. Most of their communities organize a minimum of one event a month, and residents enjoy interacting with one another while benefiting worthy causes.

Splash Day is the ultimate example of that. Anticipation around the first day of pool season is big in the Midwest, and pairing the occasion with a community BBQ, silent auction, and good old-fashioned dunking is always a hit.

“It was initially a challenge from a property manager – that’s how Splash Day was born. If the community raised a certain amount of money in a donation drive, the property manager volunteered to jump into the pool with all his clothes on,” said Trost. “It’s a big pool party, and all the proceeds are donated to that region’s local Ronald McDonald House Charities.” Maintenance staff and leasing consultants get wet for the cause as well. Communities that don’t have pools donate too, via splashless celebrations.

At the corporate and regional level, the Village Green team finds time for fun philanthropy as well. On “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” employees can donate via an online auction and bring their dogs to the office, with the intent being to promote a pet-positive workplace and support dog adoption organizations. Pet Sitters International and the Animal Placement Bureau are the two organizations supported by the event.

Dogs often come to the office, or those communities that allow pets, dressed up and participate in costume contests or a pet parades, in addition to enjoying some naptime while their owners are hard at work.

“Besides Splash Day, Take Your Dog to Work Day is one of the big events associates and residents look forward to every year,” Trost said.

In additional to Ronald McDonald House Charities and Pet Sitters International, non-profits supported by Village Green include the American Red Cross, Make a Wish, Humane Society, Coats 4 Kids, Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, local regional soup kitchens, races/walks and food banks. Associates and residents have also come together to support their own, raising funds for co-workers who may have had a medical emergency or tragedy in their family.

Yardi commends Village Green, a Yardi client on their efforts on behalf of their communities around the U.S.