How buying a house could help Sycamore

One thing we love about being a homegrown Hoosier nonprofit is working with local businesses. We’re excited about a cool new partnership with Andrea Lutz Homes, and wanted to let our friends know about it!

Andrea Lutz has been a member and volunteer since she moved to Bloomington from San Diego in 2001. She had a history with nonprofits, and knew she wanted to maintain the connection to nature that she’d developed as a biology student in college.

Andrea started by doing volunteer workdays and designing The Twig, our member newsletter. Through all the chaos and happiness of getting married and raising two kids, she has been involved in various ways ever since.

Andrea Lutz (center) with her husband Justin Lutz and friend Kipp Kress at Sycamore’s 2016 Annual Celebration

Now Andrea has started a new business, Andrea Lutz Homes. The business is focused on residential real estate, but with an extensive professional design background, Andrea can also help her clients stage homes ready for sale or help provide design ideas for a newly purchased home.

Andrea has chosen three nonprofits — Sycamore Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, and the Monroe County Humane Association — to impact through her business. Every client can choose one of these nonprofits, and Andrea will donate a portion of the income from that home sale. What a cool way to make a local impact and spread the word about some really important causes!

Over lunch at Sofra Cafe one day, I asked Andrea why she’s making this charitable commitment despite the stress and financial risk of starting a new business. She answered right away:

“I’m doing it because I think it’s the right thing to do. If you set it up a donation like this from the beginning, it’s easier and becomes second nature.”

We would love to set up similar partnerships like this with other businesses, so if you’re interested, contact Ann Connors (ann@sycamorelandtrust.org) to learn more. Take it from Andrea:

“One of the reasons I like working with Sycamore is that they’re so easy to work with.” We can handle all the details and make it very easy for you to make an impact through your business. And you’ll enjoy a plethora of benefits!