I’m helping with a critical aspect of our SPRE Summit– the swag! (Did you know that swag is actually an acronym for “stuff we all get”?) We all know how this goes: we show up at a conference and walk away with reusable grocery bags, embossed notebooks, customized candies, branded pens, personalized lip balm, etc. At NCN we’ve discussed avoiding the “stuff for the sake of stuff” trap, being mindful of the environmental impact of unnecessary consumption and not using swag vendors that value cheap goods over fair labor practices or sustainable materials. But a bigger question lingers: if swag is at its core an advertisement, what exactly about social purpose real estate do we want to advertise? What kind of conversation are we hoping to start with a sloganed coffee mug that you use in your coworking space after the conference? What “elevator pitch” do we imagine being sparked when a friend asks to use your a SPRE Summit-branded pen?
I think the answer to that is that social purpose real estate is already all around you, swag noticer! The libraries, parks, affordable housing developments, and nonprofit workspaces are quietly humming along in each of your communities and contributing to a more just world by simply existing. And maybe we also want the swag to convey that although commercial real estate has certainly been impacted by the pandemic, community members still need places to gather, work, feel safe, and belong – and that’s exactly what SPRE accomplishes. So, whatever amazing swag we decide on for the Summit, I hope it creates the opportunity to talk about your SPRE work like it matters – because it does.