PURCHASING POWER FOR GOOD - SOCO REALTY
We couldn’t do the work that we do without the support of incredible humans that share in our vision. We have been blown away by the support of Ashleigh Goodchild, founder of SOCO Realty and PM Collective, who continues to inspire her business network to use their purchasing power with clients and community to create tangible impact.
Always seeking innovative ways to drive positive change, last year SOCO began inviting landlords to send gifts to their tenants through Mettle, and this year, they’ve inspired a host of other real estate professionals to follow in their footsteps. This act of kindness created joy for tenants, strengthened relationships, and at the same time funded safe paid work and support for women rebuilding their lives after family and domestic violence. SOCO’s generosity is a beautiful example of how real estate gifting can create meaningful connections and lasting impact.
We sat down with Ashleigh to find out a bit more about what drives her to create change through her business.
We are grateful to SOCO for continually supporting Mettle through your gifting. Why do you think it’s important for the real estate industry to support local and ethical suppliers?
I think it’s a no brainer. If you are going to be spending money on something anyway, why wouldn’t you want it to go to a good cause? It is leading by example, and when your clients and your team see you supporting good causes, I do believe they have more loyalty.
Last year, SOCO supported Mettle by encouraging landlords to purchase gifts for tenants through us. Can you tell us a bit about how this worked and how others may get involved?
We knew that our landlords were quite disheartened by the public perception they were receiving, especially at a time where rent was increasing and a lot of negative light was being shone on them. We thought it was a great opportunity for landlords to do something good, in a position where sometimes they don’t know how.
We simply sent all our clients an email saying that if they have had a great experience with their tenant and would like us to send them a Christmas gift to help strengthen their relationship with them, we would arrange it on their behalf. We selected a hamper that we felt was the most suitable and then our property managers ordered it online and had it posted to the tenant. We texted the tenants to let them know a Christmas gift was on its way from their landlord. It was a great experience not just for the tenant, but also created positivity within our team. Our clients also responded that they loved how our agency was aligned with good organisations.
We’d love to hear about your work on the Housing Families Project with Orana House. How do you see the real estate industry supporting survivors of family and domestic violence, and what has this journey meant for you and your team?
A few years ago, when securing a rental was difficult even for the most ‘perfect’ tenancy application, we were approached by Orana House (read more about Housing Families Initiative here) to assist their families in finding suitable properties. Behind the scenes, there was a lot of education that we assisted with so they could understand why their applications were unsuccessful.
During this process, there were a few areas we identified they needed support with:
Accessing affordable homes within tight budgets
Standing out in competitive application processes where landlords had multiple options
Landlords being comfortable with selecting applications that lacked strong references
Through PM Collective we have been able to create awareness of these issues within the property management community and found agencies that were able to help financially as an Impact Agent, and property managers that had homes available within budget. Through media campaigns and greater awareness, we have built a philanthropic portfolio of nearly 20 properties and landlords that are renting their homes below market rate. This is a massive milestone and one that we are proud to be part of.
The definition of Mettle is to face adversity with spirit and resilience. Is there someone in your life that has inspired you with their Mettle?
Lisa Gorman is one of my Senior Property Managers and the main contact for our philanthropic clients. Her life and struggles are truly an inspiration, and the way she continues to show up to support her family in her personal life and her family at work with positivity every single day is something that impresses me constantly. She is the perfect advocate in our team to look after these clients and support the program with such kindness.
self care the Mettle way - self care your way
self care the Mettle way - self care your way
Mettle has a wide range of giftboxes with impact that are ideal for settlements, tenants, landlords.
