A Sit Down with Porch Swing
This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Brian Phillips, the creator of Porch Swing, to ask him some questions and learn more.
If you aren’t familiar with Porch Swing – it’s simple. It’s a locally made app (right here in Bend!), that brings the ease, functionality, and community of Buy Nothing groups without the need for Facebook.
In Brian’s words: “Snap a photo, post it on Porch Swing, and a grateful neighbor picks it up!
Launched earlier this year, the numbers are impressive: More than 12,000 gifts have already been shared. 100+ new gifts are added every day…and the numbers are only growing. Each gift is a potential item avoided from the landfill and given new life by someone else. Bringing fresh energy to the gift economy? We’re all for it. (Full Disclosure: As someone who left Facebook many years ago, I started using Porch Swing when I first heard about it in May, and I’ve been a fan ever since.)
Ready to give it a try? Download the app at www.getporchswing.com
Read on to learn more about the inspiration behind it and some surprising facts. Our sit down interview was free flowing, so what follows below is a summary of my notes and not a word for word transcript.
First question: Why the name Porch Swing?
When gifting to neighbors, I often say, “your gift is on the Porch Swing” (literally). And when other neighbors share with each other, they often say, “It’s on the Porch. Swing by anytime.”
Who is behind Porch Swing, and what made you want to create it?
The idea was inspired by my wife, Maddie, who wanted to get off Facebook. We both loved the Facebook Buy Nothing groups and I’ve been involved as an admin on them for a while. Having a technology background and having worked most recently as a product manager for Airbnb, I knew it was possible, and I took it as a personal challenge to create an alternative. I haven’t created anything like this before, so it’s been a learning journey. Maddie also helps with the social media and marketing.
What has surprised you the most about Porch Swing?
I’ve been most surprised by people’s generosity in general with both Buy Nothing groups and Porch Swing. For example, I once posted in a Buy Nothing group looking for someone to help transport a road bike from Portland for my 7-year-old, and multiple strangers helped, saving both the time and emissions with a 6+ hour trip.
Also, I expected a portion of users would be interested in getting off Facebook, but I’ve been surprised by the thousands who’ve been interested due to that! The positive reception and rapid growth have been truly surprising. I’m working full-time, 100 hours a week, and what’s been inspiring is the amount of good it’s doing. Currently it’s only available in Bend, and it’s been so loved with requests coming from all over the country that in the future we hope to make it available everywhere. I also want to give credit to our village of volunteers who help with moderating and beta testing. We recently had an in-person Halloween costume swap, and so many people unprompted volunteered to hang up flyers for it!
Why should folks give Porch Swing a try?
- Helps you declutter
- Save a lot of stuff from landfill (good environmental reason)
- Creates a real sense of community and gratitude. It makes everyone feel good and brings joy.
How is Porch Swing different from platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist?
The main difference is trust and community. Because it’s people in your neighborhood, there’s a higher level of trust. You see things like half-eaten apple pies or bags of gummy worms being shared, which wouldn’t happen on other platforms. It’s not a transaction; it’s a community interaction. Many users are super active, with some having over 400 exchanges in just six months!
It’s not a transaction; it’s a community interaction.
Anything else you’d like folks to know?
It can be entertaining just to browse. About 60% of asks are fulfilled, but people are often shy to ask. Ultimately, it’s all about building community.
On that note, give it a whirl and let us know what you think? You can reach me at kavi@envirocenter.org and Brian at support@getporchswing.com. Or tag us on IG at @envirocenterbend and @getporchswing.