The Pay it Forward Promise is a program which I started in January of this year as a way to give back to the community. I made a resolution to help people more, and this has been a great way to do that. It is something I am proud to offer, and something which makes most of my clients feel good.

The way the program works is any time a client finances or refinances their home through me, I will make a $50 donation to a charity of their choice. This donation costs my clients nothing, and is simply a gesture I make to support those in need. Charities we work with range from small, local charities which run soup kitchens or afterschool activities, to statewide charities such as CATCH and Six Rivers, to  multinational organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House Charities and Habitat for Humanity. For the larger charities, however, we work with the local arms of the charity, at either the Detroit or Michigan level.

I scrubbed dozens of local charities through a rigorous weeding out process, where I compared the administrative fees associated with the charities, the ultimate goals of the charities, and the success to date of the charities to come up with a list of 27 charities which I suggest. This is not a required list, and many of my clients have donated to charities off list, but it’s a great starting place.

And while a $50 donation will certainly not change the future of a charity, every donation helps. And so far, we have donated $3000 to charity. I’d say that’s a pretty nice donation over 7 months. And I’m sure each of my clients have been pleased to receive a confirmation from the charity, thanking them for their donation.

For more information on how the Pay it Forward Promise works, or for more information on purchasing a home or refinancing one, please contact me. And if you have anything which you would like to say about my Pay it Forward Promise, please leave a comment.