September 21, 2017 | Sherry Seaton
What a month. Harvey and Irma pummeled the coasts of Texas and Florida (respectively) less than two weeks apart, earthquakes in Mexico, wildfires in California and throughout the Northwest. Extreme weather has taken a toll on the United States and surrounding countries and unfortunately doesn’t seem to be done with us yet.
From a distance, what homebuilders and construction companies might see is an opportunity. Opportunity for company growth and a high demand for new construction and rebuilding. But a closer look reveals families who have lost everything, homes and businesses destroyed, and more money in damages than available to foot the bill.
A huge disaster calls for an equally huge and immediate response of generosity, help and financial support from those who are able. That’s exactly what we’ve seen from homebuilders and construction companies across the country.
In the aftermath of Harvey, Lennar Homes donated $1 million to the United Way of Greater Houston for hurricane relief and matched employee donations dollar for dollar. TRI Pointe Group donated $200,000 to the American Red Cross and established a relief fund for TRI Pointe Group team members, in which they matched employee donations to the relief fund.
These companies (and many others) opened their pocketbooks to invest in rebuilding the communities and encouraged their employees, who were not affected by the disasters, to do the same thing. Not only is this act of generosity good for the brand, but it’s also a smart move from a recruiting perspective. Here’s why:
Organizations that participate in charitable giving reap many benefits that exceed the value of the money donated. For homebuilders and construction companies, donating to causes that help people, whose lives have been torn apart by natural disasters and encouraging employees to do the same thing, shows a commitment to investing in the community before seizing the opportunity.