If you don’t see the answer to your question here, email goodwillworks@bairdwarner.com

What is Good Will Works’ charitable initiative?

Good Will Works is Baird and Warner’s philanthropic (charitable) arm. At its core it is a social impact program that promotes fair housing and fair lending, financial empowerment and racial equity in support of under-resourced communities through education, volunteerism and fundraising, predominately in greater Chicagoland. We work with community partner organizations, as well as our offices and other company locations to fulfill this mission.


Why do we have a Good Will Works charitable arm?

We have a charitable arm to empower individuals to live better lives and strengthen communities — and that starts with empowering our people to get involved in the causes that matter most to them. Our focus is helping people achieve independence and prosperity through homeownership, and we do that through giving campaigns and partnerships with local organizations. --- Empowering Homeownership and Strengthening Communities 

How is Good Will Works funded?

Good Will Works is funded from employee and agent donations and contributions from all parts of the company, including Residential Sales, Mortgage, Title and Shared Services. These funds are donated to the community via our matching grant programs, office and departmental grants, and our commitments to yearly partners.

If you’re an agent, you are automatically opted into Good Will Works and must opt out yearly if you do not wish to contribute. The total contribution is $10 per transaction, shared between you and Baird & Warner consistent with the agreed commission split between you and the brokerage. An X/Y commission split between you and Baird & Warner, would result in X% of $10 from you and the balance from Baird & Warner. For example, if you have a 50/50 commission split, that means $5 (pre-tax) from you and $5 from Baird & Warner are donated to Good Will Works. If you think you may have opted out and would like to support Good Will Works please fill out this form. If you wish to opt out, fill out this form. 

If you're an employee (including mortgage loan originators) and want to begin or change your contribution amount, you can opt in for payroll deductions, which the company matches dollar-for-dollar. Employees and mortgage loan originators who are currently contributing and wish to opt out can complete this form. 

How can I get involved in Good Will Works? 

Whether you are an agent or an employee, once you are opted in, Good Will Works will match the money you donate and time you spend volunteering ($25 per hour – up to $500) at a nonprofit organization (See “How do I get my donation or volunteer time matched?” below.) 

Additionally, you can volunteer to be an office/department Good Will Works Champion and help organize fundraising and volunteer opportunities in your office/department. You can also get involved by volunteering your time with our partner organizations. To do so, please send an email to goodwillworks@bairdwarner.com.

How do I get my donation or volunteer time matched?

For information on getting donations or volunteer time matched, visit the Good Will Works You page where you can learn about the requirements and process and find the forms you need to submit for funds disbursement. Please remember that matching grants are available only to those who are opted in to support Good Will Works. Here are the links to the Matching Donation Request Form (Time or Money) and the Volunteer Proof of Service Form.

What are the matching grant requirements?

For volunteer and matching grants, the recipient organization must be a 501(c)(3). Also, Good Will Works funds are held and distributed through a donor-advised fund, and cannot be used for sponsorships, fundraising events, political organizations or other donor-advised funds. 

The volunteer time and donation must be completed within the current calendar year, and there is an annual $500 max match per person for volunteer grants and $500 for donations. 

Please note, there is an annual cap of $200,000 per year for matching grants companywide. For employees, Volunteer Time Off (VTO) hours cannot be counted towards the total.

Are contributions to Good Will Works tax deductible?

Employees who contribute to Good Will Works will receive a tax letter confirming their contribution at the end of the year. Agents’ contributions are not deductible because they come from pre-tax dollars. 

What is an office/location grant and how do we request it?

Good Will Works Office/Location Grants enable Baird & Warner to support those in need in the local communities, while also building camaraderie.

Each sales office, the Home Office, Key Mortgage and Baird & Warner Title Services receive $2,500 annually. This can be given to one nonprofit organization or divided between two nonprofit organizations.

The manager of your office/location can request a grant by completing this Office/Location Grant Proposal Form. The deadline is October 1. Good Will Works Office/Location Grants enable Baird & Warner to support those in need in local communities, while also building camaraderie. Best practices show that offices/locations that select their designated nonprofits early in the year and create a calendar with volunteering and fundraising events have the greatest impact (see Fundraising form). 

How does my office/location decide what organization(s) to support?

Generally it works best when an office/location forms a Good Will Works committee to help select one or two local nonprofit(s) and organize fundraising and volunteer events in support. 

What is a Good Will Works Boost?

For sales offices, the Home Office, Key Mortgage and Baird & Warner Title Services, as much as $1,500 in additional funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis each year to give your fundraisers a Good Will Works Boost. These dollars must go directly to the designated nonprofit and cannot be used for event expenses. The funds may be requested in increments of $500 if you have fundraisers on behalf of more than one organization. To request your Boost dollars, submit this form 30 days in advance of the fundraiser, and no later than October 1.

What is the turnaround time after I submit my request for an office/location grant?

Once your request has been approved, it typically takes about 7-10 business days for the funds to reach the designated nonprofit. You will receive confirmation from a Good Will Works representative when your grant is on its way.

Can our office/location or matching grants go towards events such as sponsorships and tables? 

Unfortunately, Good Will Works funds can't be used for sponsorships. It is part of the nature of the Donor Advised Fund (DAF) that manages Good Will Works’ money. DAFs, and foundations for that matter, can only legally provide direct grants to nonprofits, and we cannot receive any "benefit" from these donations. So things like sponsoring events or buying tables at fundraisers cannot be funded via Good Will Works.

How do I get involved at my office/location?

If you want to get involved at your office/location, talk to your manager or Good Will Works Champion. Click here for a current list of Good Will Works Champions. For other questions – please email goodwillworks@bairdwarner.com.

What is the Champion program?

The Champion program comprises representatives of offices/locations (Good Will Works Champions) who volunteer or are selected because of their recognized passion for providing outreach opportunities to our community and commitment to supporting Good Will Works. Champions serve as liaisons between Good Will Works, and their offices/locations to engage, empower and educate others by:


Champions take their roles as far as they’d like, organizing events for offices/locations and other initiatives that bring the Good Will Works mission alive throughout the company.

Where can I find local volunteer opportunities?

You can find volunteer opportunities by clicking here to view some of the places that have been supported by various people in the company. You can also explore Chicago Cares, Volunteer Match and Volunteers of Illinois.

How many organizations can I support?

We encourage You to give to as many nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations as you’d like. Please keep in mind the company match for your giving can not exceed $500 in total annually.


How do I get involved with companywide Good Will Works projects?

Visit the Your Company page and check the Current Campaigns section to see how you can get involved right now. You can also check out the Community Partnership section to learn about ongoing volunteer opportunities. There you can find opportunities to volunteer with our partner organizations remotely or in person.

How are companywide grants chosen?

Companywide grants are made to active local organizations that champion the three pillars of Good Will Works: Fair Housing, Financial Empowerment and Racial Equity. The Good Will Works Advisory Council, consisting of sales, mortgage and title representatives, and shared services staff provides recommendations for nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations representative of the pillars with reach throughout the Chicagoland area. 

Tell me more about the Good Will Works Advisory Council.

The Advisory Council is a group of representatives from Residential Sales, Mortgage, Title and Shared Services that meets periodically to propose policy and recommendations on Good Will Works activities, programs and strategy to the Good Will Works team. Click here to view a current list of Council members. 

Where can I share volunteer opportunities?

If you have volunteer opportunities you’d like others in the company to know about, give a shout out about them on ONE using the Activity Feed or send an email to goodwillworks@bairdwarner.com. 

How can I share photos or information from recent volunteer work?

We’d love to see what you’ve been up to in your community. Please submit photos and a description of your activity on the Share Your Giving form.

What if I have more questions or suggestions? 


Just email goodwillworks@bairdwarner.com and we will respond to you directly. 


Will there be a Matchapalooza every year? 

In a perfect world, yes, but sometimes the real world interferes. Since what Good Will Works has to give away is largely connected to the number of transactions we do as a company, we won’t always be in a position to fund special “giving” events, especially in a down market. This is also why we “cap” amounts allocated to certain programs.