Every home sale or purchase completed with the Atkin Gallacher Group includes a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the client’s name at closing. Families treated at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food, your transaction helps make that possible.
What does it mean to go through real estate with purpose on the Central Coast?
Going through real estate with purpose means your home sale or purchase does more than move a family from one address to another. When you close a transaction with the Atkin Gallacher Group, we make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in your name, because we believe every closing is an opportunity to give back to something larger than the deal itself.
Key Takeaways
Every completed transaction with the Atkin Gallacher Group generates a St. Jude donation in the client’s name at closing, at no additional cost to the buyer or seller.
Families treated at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food, according to St. Jude’s Coldwell Banker partnership page.
The program applies to buyers and sellers across Santa Barbara County, including communities connected to Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Giving through a normal home sale is separate from other St. Jude giving options such as donating real estate outright or including St. Jude in a charitable bequest.
Recent local market data shows median sale prices across Central Coast communities ranging from $596,000 in Guadalupe to $1,285,000 in Solvang, meaning every transaction, at any price point, is a chance to contribute.
How does the Atkin Gallacher Group’s St. Jude program work?
The model is straightforward. You buy or sell a home with us. We close the transaction. And at closing, we make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in your name.
You don’t write a separate check. You don’t adjust your budget. The donation comes from us, and the recognition goes to you.
This is part of a broader Coldwell Banker giving partnership with St. Jude, where participating agents connect real estate transactions to the hospital’s mission. We’ve made this commitment a permanent part of how we do business, not a seasonal campaign, not a one-time initiative.
What does St. Jude do with those funds?
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital leads the world in understanding and treating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. What sets it apart is its funding model: families treated at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. The research St. Jude conducts is shared freely with doctors and scientists worldwide, so the discoveries made there benefit children everywhere.
When you close a transaction with us, you become part of that. Your name is attached to a contribution that helps keep those doors open for families who are already carrying more than anyone should have to carry.
Does supporting St. Jude change what you pay?
No. The donation does not affect your closing costs, your commission, or any other line on your settlement statement. Broker fees are fully negotiable and set in your listing or buyer-representation agreement, that conversation happens separately, and it has nothing to do with the St. Jude contribution. The giving is ours to make; the benefit is yours to carry.
Who can participate, and does it apply across the Central Coast?
The program applies to transactions we handle throughout our service area, which covers Santa Barbara County’s Central Coast communities: Lompoc Valley, Buellton, Solvang, Santa Ynez Valley, Orcutt, Santa Maria, Guadalupe, and the communities surrounding Vandenberg Space Force Base.
That means whether you’re selling your home on the Central Coast after years in one place or buying your first property in the region, the same commitment applies.
For military families connected to Vandenberg Space Force Base, whether you’re arriving on PCS orders, separating, retiring, or buying near the base as a contractor or civilian, the program applies to your transaction too. We work with VA loan buyers regularly, and the St. Jude donation is part of every closing we do, regardless of loan type or buyer profile.
Every one of those transactions, at every price point, is a chance to contribute. The size of the home doesn’t change the commitment we make.
Are there other ways to support St. Jude through real estate?
The transaction-linked donation is what happens automatically when you work with us. But St. Jude also offers other giving pathways that involve real estate directly, and they’re worth knowing about if you’re thinking about your broader financial or estate picture.
Donating real estate outright to St. Jude
Real estate is an accepted charitable-giving option at St. Jude, including a home, farm, or vacation property. According to St. Jude’s real estate donation page, an outright gift of property may allow the donor to avoid future property-related responsibilities and may provide tax benefits, such as an income- or estate-tax deduction or reduced capital-gains exposure. These are general possibilities, not guarantees, and eligibility depends on your specific property, holding period, tax situation, and ownership structure. St. Jude notes that donated property is subject to approval by its gift-acceptance committee and that timeshares are not accepted. If this is something you’re considering, talk with a qualified tax advisor or estate-planning professional before moving forward.
Including St. Jude in a charitable bequest
If you want your real estate to benefit St. Jude after your lifetime, a charitable bequest is one path. St. Jude provides sample bequest language and identifies St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc. as the beneficiary organization. As with any estate-planning decision, an estate-planning professional should review and draft the actual documents.
The St. Jude Dream Home program
You may have heard of the St. Jude Dream Home Showplace. That’s a separate fundraising model where a newly built home is constructed and then sold, with the net proceeds donated to the hospital. The sales contract in that program is between the buyer and the builder. It’s a meaningful program, but it’s a different structure from the transaction-linked donation that happens every time you close with us. We keep these pathways distinct so you know exactly what you’re participating in.
If you’re thinking about any of these options, whether it’s a bequest, an outright gift, or simply buying or selling a home with a team that gives back, we’re happy to talk through what makes sense for your situation. For the tax and estate-planning specifics, we’ll always point you to the right professional.
For sellers preparing to list, our post on Pricing Your Lompoc Home Right from Day One covers what matters most in the first week on market.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a home sale with the Atkin Gallacher Group support St. Jude?
At closing, we make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in your name. It’s part of every transaction we complete, whether you’re buying or selling, and it comes from us, not from your proceeds or closing costs.
Does the donation happen when I buy, when I sell, or both?
The donation is tied to every completed transaction we handle. Whether you’re on the buying side, the selling side, or both, the commitment is the same. Contact us directly to confirm the specific terms that apply to your transaction.
Does supporting St. Jude change the commission or other costs of buying or selling?
No. The St. Jude donation has no effect on broker fees or any other cost in your transaction. Broker fees are fully negotiable and set in your agreement with us, that’s a separate conversation, and the giving is ours to make regardless of how those terms are structured.
Does this program apply to military families moving to or from Vandenberg Space Force Base?
Yes. We work with buyers and sellers connected to Vandenberg Space Force Base regularly, and the St. Jude commitment applies to every closing we handle in the area, including VA loan transactions. The Vandenberg community spans personnel, families, civilians, contractors, and retirees across the wider Central Coast region, and all are welcome.
Can I donate a home or other real estate directly to St. Jude?
Yes. According to St. Jude’s charitable giving resources, the hospital accepts gifts of real property, including homes, farms, and vacation properties, subject to approval by its gift-acceptance committee. Potential tax benefits may apply, but eligibility depends on your individual situation, consult a qualified tax or estate-planning professional before proceeding.
Is a real-estate donation to St. Jude tax-deductible, and whom should I ask?
St. Jude describes potential tax advantages for some real-estate gifts, including possible income- or estate-tax deductions and reduced capital-gains exposure, but these depend on your property, holding period, ownership structure, and tax position. Always confirm the specifics with a qualified tax advisor or estate-planning professional, not with your real estate agent.
Going through real estate with purpose is not a tagline for us, it’s a commitment we make at every closing, in every community we serve across the Central Coast. If you’re ready to buy or sell, we’d be honored to make your next transaction count for something beyond the address.
Ready to start? Contact us to begin your Central Coast home search or sale, or request a free home equity review to see where you stand today.
About Tammy Atkin
The Atkin Gallacher Group is a top-producing broker/owner team with Coldwell Banker Select Realty. Tammy Atkin, Susan Gallacher, and Kelsey Atkin-Nothstein bring over five decades of combined real estate experience to buyers, sellers, and investors across Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast.
Coldwell Banker Select Realty · (805) 588-8225
Equal Housing Opportunity. Tammy Atkin, CA License, Coldwell Banker Select Realty, regulated by the California Department of Real Estate. This article is general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm your own numbers and tax situation with your closing agent, tax advisor, or lender. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.