Open Arms October - Guidance for Community Leaders Overview: • Each week in October will highlight a different focus to promote awareness and fundraising. • Weekly emails will go out on Fridays with materials and information for the upcoming week.
Key Dates
Open Arms October
Runs the month of October (10/1 – 10/31)
Week 1: Awareness & Payroll Contribution Drive
9/30-10/4
Week 2: Open Arms Pumpkin Patch
10/7-10/11
Week 3: Community Fundraisers
10/14-10/18
Week 4: Passive Fundraising Drive
10/21-10/25
Week 5: Thank You & Wrap Up
10/28
Open Arms Jeans Days
Each Friday in October
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Week 1: Awareness & Payroll Contribution Drive (9/30-10/4) Open Arms Awareness To kick off the month, associates will be encouraged to learn more about Open Arms through our online resources: • Associates should take a few moments to enjoy our program video, The Heart of MAA, to build awareness and excitement for the month. The video can be viewed from our website: www.maaopenarms.com. While on the site, associates should explore to understand how to better communicate to all audiences how to learn more about Open Arms, make a donation or contact the program to apply for housing using the “ Contact Us ” link. • Associates can view the Open Arms Facebook page to like and share monthly stories or
participate in special giving days like #GivingTuesday. Click here or search for @MAAOpenArms in the Facebook search bar to view the page. • Associates can explore our latest Open Arms annual booklet. This tool, updated each year in January, is a wonderful way to see in depth impact statistics, guest stories and more! • Associates can take a virtual tour of a real Open Arms home through AccessMAA article KB0013995 Open Arms: Touring an Open Arms Home.
Open Arms Payroll Contributions This time of year is perfect for associates to consider enrolling in an Open Arms payroll contribution or increase a current payroll contribution. • Week 1 materials include a link to KB0010267 How to Add/Change Open Arms Contributions in Workday. • New enrollees will receive a gift from Open Arms after completing and returning a Workday generated Open Arms Donation Thank You Gift Election Form. o The form can be sent to Open Arms for fulfillment: openarms@maac.com or faxed to (901) 271-1690. o Associates that increase current contributions will not receive a gift form due to the original contribution gift, but all payroll deductions are tax deductible. o Annual contribution information can be found on pay slip information in Workday or on yearly W2 information. • WIN A PAID DAY OFF! Anyone who completes a new Open Arms payroll contribution enrollment or increases their current payroll contribution between 10/1 and 10/31 will be eligible for a chance to win a PAID INCENTIVE DAY OFF ! o There will be TWO winners per division (Coastal, Corporate, East, Lease-Up, North, South and West) randomly drawn: 1. One winner per division from associates electing a brand-new contribution. 2. One winner per division from associates electing to increase an existing contribution. o Paid incentive days must be approved by manager and used prior to 12/31/24. They may not be carried over into the New Year. o Please note associates should not feel pressured to make a payroll contribution commitment. This is an individual and optional decision. o Winners will be determined and communicated by 11/15/24.
Week 2: Open Arms Pumpkin Patch (10/7-10/11) Open Arms Pumpkin Patch Contest What says October more than a pumpkin patch? • A pumpkin patch template and informational flyer containing QR codes for both the Open Arms PayPal site and our 8 th Annual Open Arms October event site can be used to prepare for Week 2. The template and flyer can be printed or downloaded. Donors can easily scan the QR codes to donate the $5/pumpkin throughout the month. • Community teams may ask residents, vendors, and visitors if they would like to donate a
pumpkin after explaining the mission of Open Arms. Team members may print and display the cutouts in a designated area of the Leasing Office. Display and pumpkin donor information should be held to MAA standards. • WIN A FREE TEAM LUNCH : The community team in each MAA region that collects the highest number of pumpkins will win a lunch for their team! Property Managers will be contacted by an
Open Arms committee volunteer on 11/1 to report the total # of pumpkins donated/displayed. Winners will be determined and communicated by 11/15/24. Please encourage all donors to note the name of your community during the online donation process. (10/18 - Week 3: Community Fundraisers (10/14-10/18) Communities will be encouraged to host a fundraiser during Week 3 of Open Arms October. • The sooner your team gets started planning, the better! Here is a list of fundraising suggestions, but feel free to get creative and come up with your own idea. Please note: we are asking everyone refrain from doing raffles of any type, however silent auctions are permitted. • WIN AN OPEN ARMS GIFT FOR YOUR TEAM: The community team in each MAA region that has the highest donation amount during Week 3, as determined by our donor management system, will win an Open Arms themed gift for each team member. • Please encourage all donors to note the name of your
community during the online donation process. • Winners will be determined and communicated by 11/15/24. • IMPORTANT : We also want to encourage teams planning a large 2025 event (5ks, golf tournaments, Topgolf events, etc.) to please get that submitted through an AccessMAA Open Arms Fundraiser Request as soon as possible, so we can include it on our 2025 event
calendar. The sooner an event is planned and approved, the more successful it will be!
Week 4: Passive Fundraiser Education Week (10/21-10/25) What is Passive Fundraising?
Week 4 will be all about our passive fundraising efforts, which collectively bring a significant amount of donations to the program each year, but do not require much time from our associates. We are constantly expanding our passive efforts to help ensure success in the future. Currently Open Arms benefits from these passive programs:
Kroger Community Rewards® Associates can support the Open Arms Foundation (with no additional cost) just by shopping at any of the Kroger family of companies! It's easy through enrolling at the website for Kroger Community Rewards®!
Kroger affiliated stores are also part of the Kroger Community Rewards program!
SparkGood from Walmart.com
Open Arms is enrolled to take “round up” donations from shoppers on Walmart.com. SparkGood Round Up is a program that allows Walmart.com and Walmart app customers to round up their purchase total to the nearest dollar at checkout and donate the “change” to a charitable nonprofit of their choice. During Week 4, information will be
given on how to participate in the SparkGood program.
New in 2024: GotSneakers
GotSneakers has developed a unique fundraising program that asks donors to reach into their closets, not their pockets! The sneaker recycling program helps keep sneakers out of landfills, while also helping support organizations like Open Arms. We’ve piloted this initiative at one of our Jacksonville, FL locations and are ready to roll it out to all our communities! During Week 4, information will be sent on how community teams might be able to
participate in a GotSneakers campaign or how MAA associates who are also residents might be able to help in this way.
ShopRaise Whether it's shopping for daily essentials like groceries, buying furniture for a home office, or even booking that next trip, ShopRaise lets donors shop for their cause! Participating associates and residents will be able to turn everyday shopping at more than 1,000 participating stores into donation dollars for
Open Arms, all at no additional cost to the shopper. During Week 4, information will be given on how to participate in the ShopRaise program.
Benevity The Open Arms Foundation is registered with Benevity, a charity platform which directs funds from other companies that have employee matching programs. Each year Open Arms receives donations
from our residents and others who work for participating companies. Letting others know that Open Arms is enrolled for Benevity giving will allow them to select Open Arms as their charity and widen the impact of these matching donations. More information will be detailed during Week 4 on how to best share Benevity program information with our residents, family and friends!
PayPal Giving Fund
PayPal Giving Fund helps people support their favorite charities through PayPal, eBay, and other technology platforms, and routes donations to designated charities, such as the Open Arms Foundation. Week 4 information will detail how associates and residents can select the Open Arms Foundation as their charity of choice through the PayPal Giving Fund.
Open Arms Jeans Day
Jeans Days Each Friday in October, associates may wear jeans with any MAA or Open Arms T-Shirt. • Printable signs can be posted to state the purpose for our Jeans Days and start conversations about Open Arms. • Remember, no rips, holes, or raw hems on jeans, and please wear business casual shoes.
• Although donations are not required to participate in Jeans Days, if associates would like to donate to support Open Arms, they may do so at any time through the event website or Open Arms PayPal site .
Open Arms October Donation Payments
For electronic/online donations , donors should use our 8 th Annual Open Arms October event website or the PayPal app, and be sure to note the MAA community name during the donation process . Receipting is emailed to donors after the donation payment is complete.
Open Arms PayPal website QR code:
Open Arms October Event Website QR code:
Donations that are physically collected throughout the month (or at any time throughout the year), including checks, money orders and cashier checks (payable to the Open Arms Foundation), can be sent to our official address below. Note that any funds collected during Open Arms October need to be postmarked and mailed by 11/4/24 to be counted towards contests .
Open Arms Foundation c/o MAA 6815 Poplar Avenue, Suite 500 Germantown, TN 38138
Share the Care! Please share your team’s Open Arms October memories and photos with Internal Communications by entering an “ Internal Communications Inquiry/Request” from AccessMAA.
For additional questions or assistance with Open Arms October, please contact:
Open Arms Foundation 6815 Poplar Ave, Suite 500 Germantown, TN 38138 P: 866-620-1130 ( external MAA ) P: 901-435-5395 ( internal MAA ) F: 901-271-1690
Email: openarms@maac.com Facebook: @MAAOpenArms
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