As President and CEO of the Nick Shivers Team at Keller Williams Portland Central, Nick Shivers leads one of the top real estate teams in Oregon and Southwest Washington. And while he’s passionate about the business, he’s especially proud of the philanthropic work he does through Sell a Home, Save a Child, a nonprofit organization he co-founded five years ago.
On a mission to transform the futures of children in Haiti, Kenya, Nicaragua, Mexico and the U.S., Sell a Home, Save a Child helps feed, clothe, house, educate, protect and guide children in deeply impoverished areas.
Throughout the years, Shivers has partnered with clients and other real estate professionals to rescue thousands of children from human trafficking, prostitution and addiction.
“Every agent wants to give back, so we try to make it really simple for agents to get information about giving,” says Shivers. “We provide opportunities for real estate professionals nationally to give back, while also making it really easy for employees and clients to get involved.”
Most of the funds raised come directly through the real estate industry. Simplifying the process of giving back, Shivers encourages agents, brokers and other real estate professionals to get a monthly membership so that they can incorporate a mission or a “why” into their business.
But it doesn’t end there, as Shivers believes that participating in the nonprofit goes a long way toward building culture.
In fact, Shivers and Sell a Home, Save a Child co-founder Erik Hatch have been able to grow this culture of giving back by facilitating events they call “Parties With Purpose.”
“We’re able to raise funds for Sell a Home, Save a Child with these parties,” says Shivers. “For example, at an event in Cabo, we raised $300,000, and at the Hatch Summit this past September, we raised $460,000.”
Not immune to the devastating effects of the pandemic, Shivers notes that COVID initially had a negative impact on Sell a Home, Save a Child. While getting to missionaries in places like Haiti during this time was nothing short of difficult, Shivers points to teaming up with local people on the ground through organizations like Forward Edge as a key piece of the puzzle.
The generosity of donors like Real Estate Webmasters was another key component to their success throughout this challenging time.
“The reality is, people like Morgan Carey (CEO of Real Estate Webmasters) have stepped up big time ,” says Shivers. “Sell a Home, Save a Child has raised over $3 million , one million of which was raised in 2021.”
Real Estate Webmasters decided to become a gold sponsor as part of their Giving November program, the month in which they select charities to sponsor for the upcoming year. To that end, Carey has made a year-long commitment to donate to the nonprofit after learning about Shivers’ mission during RISMedia’s 2021 Power Broker & Newsmakers Reception & Dinner, which took place this past November in San Diego. During the event, Shivers was inducted into RISMedia’s Real Estate Newsmakers Hall of Fame.
“This was the first time that I heard about the work that Nick was doing with Sell a Home, Save a Child,” says Carey. “It really resonated with me, and I knew that I needed to give back.”
Carey explains that he knew he wanted to make a long-term commitment to the nonprofit for several reasons. First and foremost, as a corporate sponsor, he’s able to get a discount when traveling to make on-site visits to the countries that Sell a Home, Save a Child does work in.
“Morgan is a generous guy, and he has an incredible story himself—from being homeless at 14 to becoming the success he is today,” says Shivers. “We talk all the time, but this was the first time I heard his story,” he adds.
Although Carey and Shivers have never worked together professionally, they’ve known each other for more than 15 years. They’ve remained close due to the fact that they attend the same industry events and travel in the same circles.
“We’ve been very blessed this past year, so we decided it was time to do as much as we can,” concludes Carey. “When it comes to giving back, my thing is families and children,” he adds, encouraging other charities to reach out to him.
For more information, please visit www.realestatewebmasters.com or www.sellahomesaveachild.org.
Jameson Doris is RISMedia’s social media/blog editor. Email him your real estate news ideas to jdoris@rismedia.com.
