A Partnership Built on Community: How StuartCo and Simpson Have Grown Together
When StuartCo began partnering with Simpson Housing Services in 2010, the company wasn’t looking simply for another organization to add to its charitable giving list. It was looking for a place where its resources, expertise and time could make a meaningful difference.
More than 15 years later, that decision has grown into a partnership that has generated an estimated half-million dollars for Simpson, along with hundreds of volunteer hours—and countless connections among StuartCo employees, residents, vendors and the Simpson community.
For StuartCo, a property management company that owns and manages approximately 5,000 apartment homes and townhomes primarily throughout the Twin Cities, the connection to Simpson felt natural from the beginning.
“Our company tagline is ‘Your home, our commitment,’” said Terry, StuartCo’s CFO. “We don’t just provide four walls and a roof for our residents. We want to provide a sense of community and purpose for choosing our homes.”
StuartCo saw a similar philosophy at Simpson: The organization wasn’t simply providing a place for people to stay – it’s also about creating community and connecting people with housing, services, meals and other resources that support each person’s goals and help them move forward.
What do you need, and what do we have that could help?
“You don’t really know how what you’ve got to give can benefit someone…”
A Partnership That Evolves With the Need
Over the years, StuartCo’s involvement has taken many forms.
Employees have painted sleeping areas at Simpson’s former church-basement shelter, repaired bathrooms and showers, landscaped properties and completed maintenance projects. When Simpson temporarily relocated its shelter during construction of Simpson Community Shelter & Apartments, StuartCo employees pitched in to help with maintenance projects at the interim shelter. When Simpson moved into a new administrative office, volunteers installed shelves and helped get the space ready for the employees.
One of the first donations StuartCo made was in 2010 when they donated a van that Simpson could use to transport shelter guests.
Most recently, StuartCo employees have volunteered at Simpson Community Shelter & Apartments, including serving meals to guests.
The common thread has been a willingness to ask a simple question: What do you need, and how can we help?
“You don’t really know how what you’ve got to give can benefit someone,” Terry said.
That philosophy extends to StuartCo’s annual fundraising efforts. Each year, its apartment communities raise money for Simpson through activities ranging from dinners and bake sales to raffles and other creative fundraisers. Residents contribute, StuartCo provides corporate matching funds, and vendors have become involved as well. In a recent campaign, one vendor contributed an additional $10,000 match, helping bring the annual contribution to nearly $70,000.
The fundraising week also gives residents a way to become part of the partnership. Over the years, StuartCo has learned that some residents and vendors have family members who have experienced homelessness. Supporting Simpson gives them an opportunity to give back to an organization doing work that may feel deeply personal.
Giving Back—and Bringing People Together
Ask StuartCo’s team what they’ve gained from this partnership, and the answer isn’t just “a sense of purpose” — it’s something more personal. Painting alongside a coworker for a few hours teaches you more about someone’s family and story than years of five-minute check-ins before a meeting ever could.
Providing employees with a shared purpose outside the office, one rooted in community need, strengthens working relationships while extending real support to the people who need it most. Volunteering creates a shared purpose that can strengthen both the community and the workplace. StuartCo has carried that philosophy beyond its work with Simpson. The company created a Charitable Time Off program that gives employees a number of paid hours each year to volunteer with an organization that matters to them. It also offers an employee charitable contribution matching program from which Simpson has received donations.
Start With What You Have
For businesses wondering how to begin a nonprofit partnership, Terry’s advice is refreshingly uncomplicated: “Simply make a call.”
A company doesn’t need to arrive with a large check or a fully developed corporate giving program. Start by asking an organization what it needs—and then look at what your business already has.
Maybe it’s professional expertise. Maybe it’s employees willing to volunteer. It could be products, equipment, transportation, connections, meeting space or financial resources. Sometimes the most valuable contribution is something a business doesn’t even realize could be a benefit to another organization.
StuartCo’s partnership with Simpson began with a desire to focus its resources where they could have greater impact. More than 15 years later, it has become something much bigger: a way for employees, residents and vendors to participate in strengthening their community together.