A Year Of Giving

By Madison Martin

torageGives, a philanthropic, non-profit organization that connects the self-storage industry with vetted charities across the globe, announced monumental growth in charitable contributions for 2022. Through various giving formats, the self-storage community has joined forces to produce an eight-fold increase in contributions in 2022, and that number has grown in 2023. These contributions have benefited organizations such as Autism Speaks, The Sparrow Foundation, and Homes for Our Troops.

Donations in 2023 increased 900 percent through both small and large contributions of the over 600 self- storage vendors and brands who have partnered with StorageGives.

StorageGives is continuously researching organizations to support and is excited to announce the addition of Kure It, a long-time storage-focused cancer research foundation. Kure It Cancer Research was founded in 2010 by Barry Hoeven, who lost his battle with kidney cancer in 2016. It is a non-profit dedicated to providing direct funding to support the brightest minds in translational research for underfunded cancers at leading cancer centers.

Not only did StorageGives distribute over $150,000 in grants in 2023, but it grew its footprint by joining four state self-storage associations, including the Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana, and North Carolina associations. Partnering with these and other associations allows StorageGives to expand its network of self-storage partners.

StorageGives has been committed to four causes: water, children, medical relief, and veterans.

785 million people lack water, mostly in rural areas all over the world. Access to clean drinking water not only protects against diseases and increases someone’s quality of life, but it also allows parents to work and children to go to school.

Malnutrition remains one of the leading complications in the deaths of children under the age of five in developing countries–3 million children every year. In addition, children are the most at risk for human trafficking and abuse.

Opportunities for medical relief are diverse and range from fighting cancer, advocating for support with autism, and providing for those with special needs all over the world. Medical costs are one of the biggest deterrents to overall health and quality of life.

StorageGives is finding ways to support veterans who have incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military so they can return to civilian life. Their sacrifice will not go unnoticed as we continue to find new ways to help.

In 2023, StorageGives worked with the self-storage industry to donate and help those in need. Originally, StorageGives was set to take only a percentage of every unit we hosted on StorageAuctions.com, donating to the nine charities we support (Mission Feeding, Water for LIFE, Home for Our Troops, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Kure It Cancer Research, Autism Speaks, Alzheimer’s Association, The Sparrow Foundation, and Shriners Children).

The self-storage community doubled the number of children fed through Mission Feeding, an organization that provides meals for malnourished children in villages across Sub-Saharan Africa. Every 50 cents feeds four children, proving that each small donation has an enormous impact. The number of meals provided through StorageGives contributions doubled in 2023, equaling over 500,000 meals served.

Since 2022, these sponsors have either given through auction proceeds or by direct donation. Their sponsor level reflects their contribution and commitment to making a difference locally and all over the world. Here is the breakdown of our sponsor tiers:

• Patron – Over $10,000 (XPS Solutions, SBS Constructions, StorageAuctions.com, and MakoRabco)
• Partner – $7,500 (Universal Storage Group, Cover Commercial Roofing Solutions, Absolute Storage Management, The Williams Storage Group, Storage Asset Management, Sauls Storage Group, and Modern Storage Media)
• Steward – $5,000 (Tennessee Self Storage Association, Arizona Self- Storage Association, Texas Self Storage Association, Louisiana Self Storage Association, Freedom Storage Management, Inside Self Storage, North Carolina Self Storage Association, M. Anne Ballard, Fine View Marketing, Appletree Storage, Melissa’s Management and Consulting, The Gorman Self Storage Group, and Dynamic Solutions)
• Advocate – $2,500 (The Storage Group, The Storage Mall Management Group, Gate 5 Self Storage, and Storage 365)
• Teammate – $1,000
• Friend – $500

We thank each sponsor for their donations and the impact they are helping to make in 2023 and onward.

In 2023, we were able to sit down with one of our donors, M. Anne Ballard, president of marketing, training, and developmental services for Universal Storage Group. She has served on the SSA Board of Directors and is a two-term past-president of the Georgia Self Storage Association. A frequent speaker at state, national, and international conferences, she is also the author of The Hat Lady Speaks, Marketing and Managing Self-Storage and numerous articles for industry magazines and Self-Storage Almanac, Development Handbook, and others over the last 30 years. Founder of Universal Management Company in Atlanta in 1993, she’s now an owner and partner in Universal Storage Group.

“I learned about StorageGives from the famous Lonnie, and his personal passion for doing good and giving back struck me. The thing I love about StorageGives is that he has the specific programs pre-picked, and 100 percent of the money goes directly to the charities,” says Ballard. “StorageGives does exactly what its name says: gives. It is incredible to see 100 percent of the profits going to those selected charities and know that by being involved you are truly giving.”

When asked if she would like to share any stories to inspire others in the self-storage industry, she said, “At the big event in New Orleans earlier this year, because my heart is all in with StorageGives, I won the U-Haul bike with a bid of $3,300. Although I will not use it, I would make that bid repeatedly because I know this money is going to worthy causes and truly giving back.”

We also had a chance to sit down with Kolin J. Van Dyne of Reliant Real Estate Management. As the director of operations – corporate for Reliant Real Estate Management, Kolin has over a decade of experience in single- and multi-unit operational management. When asked how he and Reliant connected to StorageGives, Kolin said, “Our company is connected to the cause of StorageGives because it is reflective of the diverse charitable passions we find among our employees. While everyone has different causes that they feel most passionate about, StorageGives partners with a wide array of charities, allowing everyone to identify with something that is meaningful to them.”

When asked how he would describe StorageGives to another potential donor, Kolin explained, “StorageGives is a bridge between self-storage companies and the country’s most powerful charities by making donations both practical and accessible. It is easy-to-navigate format connects companies with meaningful causes and makes supporting them easy.”

Partnering with StorageGives is simple. Operators who utilize StorageAuctions.com as their online auction vendor can choose to donate a portion of their auction proceeds to StorageGives. Vendors and other industry partners can also make a direct donation to the organization. For more information about joining the hundreds of industry partners who are making a change, visit StorageGives.org.