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In the newest episode of the RealTrending podcast, host Tracey Velt sits down with KW Cares CEO Alexia Rodriguez to discuss how the nonprofit wing of Keller Williams Realty supports agents during times of turmoil. The conversation is timely in light of the recent onslaughts from hurricanes Milton and Helene in Florida and North Carolina, respectively.
These questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. The conversation begins with a deep dive into Rodriguez’s background and her involvement with KW Cares.
Alexia Rodriguez: I’ve been in this role for about three and a half years. KW Cares is a 501(c)(3). We’ve been in existence for over 20 years, and we’ve given out over $63 million in grants and assistance to our KW family.
Our mission is to help Keller Williams associates that are experiencing a sudden emergency and need some financial assistance to get through that emergency. We do respond to natural disasters where we have a Keller Williams presence, which is pretty much all over the United States and Canada.
We can open up our hotline to issue and process emergency grants of up to $5,000 to the associates that are in the affected area.
Tracey Velt: Let’s go into more specifics about the response to Helene and Milton. Give me more details about what you’ve done and some of the stories that you’ve heard from agents.
Rodriguez: So, for Hurricane Helene, we distributed over 600 generators within 24 hours. We also were able to distribute over 200 generators in Florida, within the same period of 24 hours.
Velt: Tell me a little bit about that impact. I would assume that it’s in areas where agents could claim hardship.
Rodriguez: Agents lose their ability to earn an income in most of these cases for months at a time, sometimes years at a time. Long term, KW Cares comes with catastrophic hardship frants, and we help people rebuild their lives. At Keller Williams’ headquarters initiative, we have a program called “Adopt an Agent.”
Agents can adopt an agent in Asheville, North Carolina, and help them rebuild their lives as well. And I even flew over to Asheville myself to help to be part of the relief effort.
Velt: Do you find that the network helps people who may not really feel comfortable asking for that help?
Rodriguez: In general, our leadership across the board stepped up to encourage people to apply for those grants. We get our revenue through transactional giving. When agents close on a house, they can elect to give us a donation as part of their commission.
We’re putting out messages that this is for you. You have contributed to us so much, it’s time for you to receive some of this generosity that you put out there yourself. Transactional giving makes up about 80% of our annual revenue.
The conversation ends with a call to action for non-KW agents who may want to provide relief for impacted agents in Florida and North Carolina
Rodriguez: If you’re not a KW person and you’re listening — and in particular, if you’re in a position of leadership — reach out to us. We are happy to share our best practices.
