What is Serve Management Group? What is SMG's relationship with the city of Birmingham? How does the city of Birmingham classify Serve Management Group? Where does Serve Management Group recruit its volunteers? What is the financial benefit of using volunteers? How can I get more information about using SMG in my city? What kind of work can Serve Management Group provide?

What is Serve Management Group? Top

Serve Management Group (SMG) is a faith based non-profit (501c3) that enlist volunteers to work on low-income housing all over the United States. SMG currently has offices in Cumming, GA, Birmingham, AL and Murphy, NC.

What is SMG's relationship with the city of Birmingham? Top

Serve Management Group is paid by the city of Birmingham a dollar match for every dollar the city spends in building materials. This dollar match allows SMG to put a full-time project manager in the Birmingham to oversee the work of volunteers who are recruited. The city of Birmingham does not pay SMG unless work is completed.

How does the city of Birmingham classify Serve Management Group? Top

The city of Birmingham pays Serve Management Group through a program delivery fee from their community development block grant funds. The building materials and the dollar match are both part of this program delivery fee, and it is for this reason that the city of Birmingham only pays SMG after work is complete.

Where does Serve Management Group recruit its volunteers? Top

The majority of the volunteers that Serve Management Group enlists come from churches. These churches participate in pre-packaged projects (mostly in the summer) that SMG manages. SMG also has given local churches the opportunity to adopt homes for work throughout the year. Although the majority of the volunteers come from churches and other faith-based organizations, SMG also has the ability to recruit local businesses, civic organizations, fraternities/sororities and other organizations to work on low-income housing.

What is the financial benefit of using volunteers? Top

The amount of money saved on labor costs depends on the normal cost of labor is the area for contractors. On average, labor cost is three times the amount of materials. With a dollar match, the savings are on average two dollars for every dollar spent on building materials. This equals at least 25% savings.

How can I get more information about using SMG in my city? Top

For more information or to get your city involved, please contact Andy Morris, Executive Director of Serve Management Group at 1-888-421-4408, ext. 82.

What kind of work can Serve Management Group provide? Top

Most of the time, volunteers will work on roofing, siding, painting, repairing porches, building handicap ramps and other projects that take four to five days to complete. However, SMG is also able to provide complete home rehabilitation, which could take place over the course of several weeks or months.