Since 1999, Paradigm Properties has been developing and evolving a client service program called Community Connection. The program was created with the intention to expand upon Paradigm’s philanthropic activities and provide tenant companies and their employees with easily accessible volunteer, donation and community education opportunities. The magic of the program is that events and donation drives are building-based and breaks down many of the workplace, time and logistical barriers that busy companies and professionals face when seeking to more engaged.

The program is structured around monthly themes such as Hunger, Mentoring and Workforce Development and provides in-building activities such as backpack drives for kids in need, recruitment lunches for mentoring programs and used cell phone drives to benefit victims of domestic violence.

Each year, participation rates grew and by 2003, 12 Paradigm buildings generated the equivalent of $300,000 in volunteer hours, donations and cash for 20+ non-profits. Realizing that the building-centric nature of the program had the potential to be a new model for civic engagement and source of new resources for the non-profit sector, Paradigm supported the evolution of Community Connection into Building Impact, an independent organization that is the springboard for the program to expand to buildings outside of Paradigms portfolio.

Building Impact was incorporated as a 501c3, not-for-profit organization in January of 2004 and has been growing in leaps and bounds ever since! Today, Building Impact is implemented in over 25 buildings, the program areas have expanded to include 7 new suburban communities in Greater Boston and 4 new real estate partners including National Development and Equity Office Properties, have launched the program in some of their most prized properties in the Boston market. Most importantly, Building Impact is now working to engage over 350 tenant companies and 5000 individuals in the community in meaningful ways.

The mission of Building Impact is to unlock the civic potential of companies and individuals…building by building. Looking to the future with aggressive growth plans and dreams of national expansion, Building Impacts sights are set on two hot markets- Stamford and Portland.

Building Impact is a unique and innovative non-profit organization that partners with owners and managers to leverage the infrastructure of office buildings to engage companies and their employees in volunteerism, donation and philanthropy. For more information, please visit www.buildingimpact.org or call Lisa Guyon, Executive Director at 617.933.8225.