PA N D E M I C RESPONSE
OVERVIEW In early March, the threat of a global pandemic arrived in New Jersey and the response from the state was swift. As schools, businesses, and organizations began to close their physical location, the immediate goals of the association became clarification on pemitted activities within New Jersey and disseminating critical financial and regulatory information out to our 53,000+ members. The association ramped up communications, employing a crisis mindset through all activities. Each department examined what was being done, what needed to happen immediately, and what to plan for. It was a strategic shift in mindset, communications, and delivery.
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N E W J E R S E Y R E A LT O R S ® PA N D E M I C R E S P O N S E March - September 2020
TIMELINE of EVENTS MARCH 1
MARCH 18
All association staff begins to work remotely.
COVID-19 resources hub for NJ Realtors® is launched, including FAQs.
MARCH 24
MARCH 26
MARCH 27
APRIL 7
APRIL 7
APRIL 15
First entirely virtual state Board of Directors Meeting held.
Host webinar with NJ Small Business Administration staff on Paycheck Protection Program.
M AY 1 8
M AY 2 1
Association suspends all in-person meetings.
Staff begins calls to every municipality in New Jersey.
COVID-19 Landlords’ and Tenants’ Hold Harmless is released.
M AY 1 1
Communicate with Appraiser Board for accepted guidelines during the public health emergency.
Virtual Midyear meetings begin for NAR.
Virtual Hill Visits for New Jersey begin—12 meetings with more than 500 members.
AUG 6
AUG 25
Broker Open House Hold Harmless and Release form made available.
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MARCH 17
Announce the creation of the F.R.E.S.H. Summit, to be held in the month of October.
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act is signed into law.
Final DOL webinar regarding updated payment amounts, PUA and PUC.
SEPT 15 Third all-virtual Board of Directors Meeting.
MARCH 20 COVID-19 addendum for NJ Realtors® Contract of Sale released.
MARCH 30
MARCH 21 Non-essential retail businesses are ordered to close.
MARCH 31
MARCH 24 2020 President Angela Sicoli submits letter to New Jersey Congressional Delegation asking for benefits to independent contractors.
APRIL 1
COVID-19 Sellers’ and Buyers’ Hold Harmless and Seasonal Lease addendum are released.
New Jersey Realtors® encourages the use of face coverings, gloves, by members and clients, in addition to already recommended social distancing and virtual options.
APRIL 24
APRIL 24
JUNE 12
J U LY 2
Sellers’ and Buyers’ and Landlords’ and Tenants’ Hold Harmless and Releases are updated.
Sellers’ and Buyers’ and Landlords’ and Tenants’ Hold Harmless and Releases are updated.
J U LY 6
Gov. Murphy clarifies Executive Order 107: “Realtors can operate and show houses to prospective buyers on a 1-on-1 basis or to immediate families. There is still a prohibition on open houses.”
APRIL 17
Host webinar with NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Angelo-Asaro on unemployment annd Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
COVID-19 Release for Buyers’ and Tenants’ Regarding Virtual Showings of Property is released.
Staff begins calls to legislators’ offices’ for help with members’ claims for PUA/PUC.
Announce the cancellation of Triple Play 2020, due to the pandemic.
GOALS 1. Continue to be a resource for members in the midst of crisis and well into recovery. 2. Position the association and its membership as key drivers of economic viability. 3. Act as a measure of reliable information and help to local, county, and state government. 4. Work in tandem with local boards and associations to ensure future readiness. 5. Cultivate industry safety practices to aid in market recovery and protection of agents. 6. Stand by the guiding principles of our mission statement in that New Jersey RealtorsÂŽ exists to support all segments of its membership.
ADVOCACY in ACTION Never has association advocacy been more valuable in obtaining information, direction, and guidance while in a fluid state. Key relationships were critical to positioning ourselves as a resource and an organization included in the state updates. A few ways we achieved this: • Constant, daily communication with the governor’s office with regards to multiple executive orders • Government affairs staff personally reached out to more than 400 local municipalities, county offices, and condominium associations • Hosted sold-out webinars on critical, time-sensitive programs for thousands of members (see page 9) • Advocated for e-notary bill (which became law in mid-April) • Worked with various state agencies including New Jersey Real Estate Commission, Board of Appraisers, Department of Environmental Protection, Motor Vehicle Commission for help with member inquiries on licensing, permits, title transfers, etc. • Thousands of individual emails and phone calls answered from all staff managing member inquiries • Weekly business calls with the governor’s office, twice weekly calls with New Jersey Business and Industry Association and New Jersey Chamber of Commerce; daily calls with New Jersey Association of Counties • Posted Department of Labor-vetted Frequently Asked Questions to lessen burden of NJ Realtors® on the system. • Annual Hill Visits were moved to a virtual platform almost immediately. This allowed for more members to attend while also maintaining valuable meeting time with our elected officials.
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SHIFTING our S T R AT E G Y The following four pages outline several necessary pivots made to how we serve our members.
WEBINARS To connect with membership and disseminate information quickly and accurately, the association hosted multiple webinars on topics ranging from unemployment qualifications to mental health. • The education department implemented a webinar feature in the New Jersey Academy of Continuing Education system, which allows local boards to deliver continuing education to their members, while still adhering to New Jersey Real Estate Commission guidelines. Close to 100 webinars have been scheduled using this feature. • A virtual conference with strategic planning and leadership trainer Adorna Carroll was scheduled for association executives, as they moved through streamlining some board and member services in a virtual environment. • April 15: Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program Webinar with Deputy District Director, NJ District Office of the SBA John Blackstock and National Association of Realtors® Senior Representative, Commercial Legislative Policy Erin Stackley. • April 17: New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development Webinar with Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo on unemployment benefits available with regards to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. • May 21: New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development Webinar with Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance specific to Realtors®. • Wellness Webinars Series —April 30: Managing Stress and Coping With COVID-19, presenters Paul Jaquith, LCSW, CAP & Robert Davison, MA, LPC —May 6: Keeping in Touch with Clients When We Can’t Actually Reach Out and Touch Them, presented by Maura Neill, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, MRP —May 20: Chaos to Calm: Mindful Practices for This Now Moment, presented by Holly Duckworth, CAE, CMP, LSP
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FORMS The following forms were added to our member library of forms to help mitigate risk associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
MARCH 20
New Addendum Regarding Coronavirus for NJ REALTORS® Contract of Sale
MARCH 31
Sellers’ and Buyers’ Hold Harmless and Release Regarding COVID-19 *Most recent update July 2.
New Addendum Regarding Coronavirus for Seasonal Leases
APRIL 7
Landlords’ and Tenants’ Hold Harmless and Release Regarding COVID-19 *Most recent update July 2.
APRIL 24
Release by Buyer/Tenant Regarding a Virtual Showing of Property
AUGUST 6
Broker Open House Hold Harmless and Release
C O M M U N I C AT I N G o u r MESSAGE Member engagement and consumption is best measured by hard data. The following page highlights a fairly significant jump in our member impressions and engagement. Some key shifts made during the pandemic were: • Immediate dissemination of rapidly changing information on all digital platforms. • Consistent video updates from CEO. • Dissolution of our one membership-wide email per week standard in lieu of necessary, critical updates. • All internal and external content was reviewed, changed, or pulled, if necessary. • Weekly check-in with local association leaders. • Re-evaluation of all scheduled events and programs; pressed pause until further notice. • Increased media presence through data-driven press releases and earned media.
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MEMBERSHIP • Staff is working from home, but functioning at full capacity • Prior to staff working remotely the association implemented the following: • All staff were configured to receive phone calls using Voice over IP (VoIP) technology • Association began utilizing the messaging service Slack to facilitate and expedite internal communications and collaboration • Zoom Meeting Software was utilized for all external collaboration and meetings, including Tri-State Meetings, Hill Visits, Committee Meetings • File servers were backed up and in-sync with cloud services to ensure remote access • All Building technology was configured for Remote access, where possible, and monitoring to ensure continued maintenance and security • Schedule of daily presence at headquarters was developed for building maintenance, mail delivery and security
• New Jersey Realtors® Educational Foundation scholarship application deadline extended to allow schools and students adequate time to apply. Plus, the student selection and interview process was reconfigured in order for scholarships to be awarded before the 2020-2021 academic year begins. • Worked with current Member Perks Partners to obtain deeper discounts and custom packages and are actively pursuing new partnerships to specifically assist members during this time. • The tri-state convention committee met to evaluate conditions and best convention scenarios, determining in early July that #tp20 would be canceled. • Committee meetings are still ongoing through our remote system implemented in 2017 • Thousands of individual emails and phone calls answered from all staff managing member inquiries • Daily updates on COVID-19 resources page, including adding and changing FAQs relating to government and association programs as new information was received.
BY the NUMBERS Weekly email open rate increased more than 20% to 48%.
Webinars spanned more than 21hours and
8000 participants.
Website had a 138% year-over-year increase.
Quarterly survey saw an almost
100% increase in response rate.