Social marketplace

The Social Marketplace took place on July 9, 2024 in the town hall. Under the patronage of First Mayor Dr. Fabian Mayer, charitable organizations and commercial enterprises came together for the 16th time to conclude barter deals.

First Mayor Dr. Fabian Mayer opened the event with a powerful stroke of the gong, which marked the start of this year’s trading phase. The large meeting room quickly filled with a lively atmosphere and animated conversations between representatives of 35 non-profit organizations and companies.

“The Social Marketplace is a shining example of how different stakeholders can come together to shape a more sustainable society. This is why we, as a local authority, promote networking between business and civil society and create spaces for the exchange of knowledge and ideas,” emphasized patron Dr. Mayer in his opening speech.

Numerous contacts were also made in the town hall in 2024 and 43 agreements were concluded, the implementation of which may extend until summer 2025. The cooperation agreements are very diverse in terms of their scope and content:

• For example, one company takes on the construction of a model of a police station for children to illustrate; in return, the non-profit organization gives a presentation on financial planning and debt prevention to the company’s trainees.
• One organization offers an information event on parental allowance and parental leave, while the company returns the favor by providing social media advice.
• The team from another company helps to build a wooden terrace, and in return the non-profit organization organizes a hands-on circus for the company’s employees.

Successful partnerships have also been forged between non-profit organizations. For example, one organization offers insights into day care as part of a house tour. In return, it receives support with the construction of a raised bed and garden maintenance.

Under the motto “Doing good and winning together”, the Social Marketplace once again enabled numerous networks to be established and projects to be implemented. The Social Marketplace is a joint project of the City of Stuttgart, “Promotion of Civic Engagement” department, and “mehrwert - Agentur für Soziales Lernen gGmbH”, sponsored by Deutsche Bank AG and Curacon GmbH.

The idea of the “social marketplace” is based on bartering with mutual gain. The marketplace provides the forum in which cooperations are negotiated.

For one afternoon, representatives of organizations and companies come together in Stuttgart City Hall to agree on collaborations. Volunteers from the Volunteer Agency act as “brokers” to help the trading partners make contact. If a cooperation is established, “notaries” are on hand to record the agreement in a contract. The aim is to lay the foundations for long-term cooperation. Each side offers what it can do best in the social marketplace, whether it is logistical support, a joint campaign or the personal commitment of employees.