Belle Property Northern Beaches has embedded community support directly into its business model, with every agent required to back at least one local cause.
The eight-office network currently supports almost 40 local organisations, with the business funding 50 per cent of each commitment while maintaining its own portfolio of sponsorships.
“Community sponsorship isn’t a sideline for us, it’s built into how we operate and has united us culturally,” Belle Property Northern Beaches Principal Brendan Pomponio said.
“It’s not optional. It’s part of what it means to work here.”
The agency’s causes range from surf lifesaving and junior sport to early learning centres, mental health programs, and cancer research.
To ensure consistency and long-term impact, the sponsorship program is coordinated internally by full-time sponsorship and community lead Lynne Bishop.
“Cost of living pressures are affecting families, but they’re also affecting the clubs, schools and support services those families rely on,” Mr Pomponio said.
“That’s exactly why we’ve continued to step up and encouraged our agents to give back to the communities they service but also areas that they feel most passionate about. These organisations are vital and it’s our job to back them.”
One of the most visible examples of that support is the agency’s Platinum Sponsorship of Fight for a Cure, a Northern Beaches-based fundraising organisation that has raised more than $3 million for Australian cancer research.
For Belle Property Northern Beaches Partner Matt Brady, the event holds deep personal significance. He and his wife, Kelly Evans, lost their daughter Neve to leukaemia.
“Fight on the Beaches represents something bigger than real estate,” Mr Brady said.
“It’s about local people uniting, taking action and raising money and awareness that funds real advances in medical treatment that has the power to save lives. I’m incredibly proud that our team stands behind this event year after year.”
Mr Brady says the broader sponsorship strategy has had flow-on effects for the agency’s brand, culture and recruitment efforts.
“We talk a lot about performance in this industry, but performance without purpose doesn’t mean much,” he said.
“By embedding giving into our model, we’ve built trust, strengthened culture and created deeper relationships not only with clients and the community, but within our own team.”
With more than 120 staff and a property management portfolio exceeding 3,000, Belle Property Northern Beaches and Belle Property Commercial has grown to become the region’s largest real estate group.
Mr Pomponio says it’s the office’s values and strong culture that define its market position.
“When you see a Belle Property Northern Beaches agent’s sign on the sideline of a local netball court or school fundraiser, it’s not a branding exercise,” he said.
“It’s someone backing and being involved with their own community and that’s exactly how we believe real estate should be done.”
