When Jon McLeod was first interviewing for the role of Team Leader at the Marco Island, Florida market center, he asked them a key question right out of the gate: what did they want to be known for? He found out that the market center was very involved with the community on the island at one time. And he also found out that they wanted to get reinvolved with the community, and specifically first responders.

Enter First Responder Fridays.

Without much planning or lead up time, Jon and his market center decided to host a first responder-centric event. They went out, bought a grill and some hot dogs and sent a text message to both the chief of police and the chief of the fire department the night before they intended to host a barbeque. And the next day, fire engines, police cars, and almost 50 first responders parked outside join the festivities.

It was such a huge success that First Responder Fridays became a regular occurrence. The first Friday of every month for more than a year now, they invite all first responders to their market center, serve food for a couple of hours, and show their appreciation for the men and women that keep their community safe.

Want to host something similar in your hometown? Here are Jon’s five tips to get started:

1. Start with something you love to do and determine who you want to serve. 

Whether it’s barbeque and first responders, a community group, or the rotary, get involved with helping a group that you’re passionate about. When you start with an interest and a passion, it will grow from there.

2. Every event is a learning experience. 

Your first event may not be smooth sailing. For example, the first time Jon’s market center held the barbeque, they were unprepared for the size of the group that showed up. However, the things you learn at each event can be implemented at the next iteration for an even better outcome. Along these lines, Jon learned that first responders don’t get to interact with each other on a daily basis. The First Responder Barbeque became a place where they could decompress, relax, and enjoy each other’s company for a few minutes.

3. You don’t have to do it all yourself. 

On First Responder Fridays, it’s all hands on deck at the market center. There is a setup crew that gets things ready the night before. Agents bring side dishes. There is a cleanup crew to help after the event is over. Encourage others to get involved.

4. Level up with sponsors. 

Once you establish your event, it will likely draw others who also want to get involved from outside your immediate team, group, or market center. If you utilize other vendors wanting to help, you can become revenue neutral and can feed more people without much, if any, cost to you.

5. Embrace the sense of community it brings.

Helping others tends to bring a sense of community to a professional setting that feeds the culture in a positive way. Don’t be surprised if your personal outlook also brightens when you get the chance to help others!

Establishing the First Responder Fridays wasn’t about growing their market center or helping agents get more listings. By getting intentional about serving others without any expectations about results, the business growth happened organically. As Jon says, they put people first and watched their business grow as a result.

And the growth is impressive. First responders appreciate the care they are shown by the office and in turn, bring them real estate business. In fact, Jon he attributes between $200,000 and $300,000 in GCI directly to hosting these events. They’ve also seen a growth in their net agent count growth. And equally rewarding – the local mayor speaks highly of them and the Firefighters’ Foundation awarded the office the “Business Partner of the Year.” We celebrate the positive growth of this market center’s community-focused culture and encourage everyone to take a page from their book – find a cause that resonates with you, seek it out, and give back to it. You’ll be glad you did!