A Culture of Caring

To talk about profit and culture in the same sentence seems a little incongruous. But the reality of the culture that we've nurtured here at Movement is that without profit, we wouldn't have the resources to invest in relationships, to provide an environment where employees can learn and grow.

With our profit, we support the Thrive team, a department devoted to enhancing the employee experience. Thrive organizes programs for employees that aim to celebrate their work, invest in their future and help them live richer, fuller lives.

Through Thrive, Movement challenges employees to accept the full benefit of 401K matching up to 6% for every employee. Health insurance premiums are subsidized in exchange for wellness participation, and Thrive hosts annual family appreciation events to recognize relationships.

Without profitability, non-revenue producing departments such as Thrive wouldn't be possible.

"We're a more efficient workplace when we're physically fit, financially sound, and emotionally stable," Thrive Director Aimee Dodson says. "Thrive strives to improve all of those so our employees are more productive and successful."

Reinvest in Communities

Dedication to reinvesting in our communities is one of the key components that sets Movement apart. The nonprofit Movement Foundation was established in 2012 to receive ownership shares in the company and systematic dividends from company profits. The foundation puts that money to work in causes that bring life, light and hope to people in need.

It runs the Movement Center, a co-working space for nonprofits in west Charlotte, N.C. It also owns a farm in Uganda, is building a charter school in Charlotte and helps provide for homeless women and children in India, among other causes.”

As an organization, we follow the words of Proverbs 3:27: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act." Without profit to invest, we cannot play a role in searching for solutions to fundamental issues like homelessness, poverty and more.  

Explains Crawford:

It's about how to effectively steward the profit that [we're] generating in a manner that serves the community with real love and care and concern."

Movement also intentionally partners with proven community programs and ministries that empower those who need help, rather than robbing them of their dignity. In Uganda, the farm will provide jobs and skills to a village whose inhabitants were devastated by years of civil war. In west Charlotte, the Movement School will offer a safe, structured learning environment where children can grow and prosper. Employee matched giving programs — the foundation matches employee generosity dollar-for-dollar — are designed to amplify the generosity of others and funnel dollars to the most effective local causes.

"It's not just a check I'm writing," Crawford says. "It's an investment in institutions and projects to give them a pathway to progress, an opportunity to create their own success."  

Profit Matters

Profit matters because it provides families who work here with opportunities; because it allows us to serve homebuyers with integrity. It matters because it allows us to empower others in our community to succeed, and because it lets us invest with those in need.