SEO-Branded Items

The RE&A team manages the ordering of swag and stationery materials featuring SEO logos and branding.  Please note we maintain only a small backup supply of our most commonly requested materials.  As such teams should plan to order all needed at least 3-4 weeks in advance to ensure ample turnaround time for design, order confirmation, production, shipping and delivery.  See below for ordering details.

For FY25, we will place quarterly orders starting in November.  Please email us by the due date for each period with any swag your team will need in the months ahead.  For example, if your team needs swag delivered between December 15 - February 15, the deadline to request those items will be November 1^st.    *Please note that requests for new swag items may need additional lead time.

**REMINDER:  Swag with “Seizing Every Opportunity” tagline officially retired as of Sept. 1, 2023.  Any remaining items should be discarded.

HOW RE&A CAN HELP: 

We are happy to help teams plan for swag this year!  We can help:

• Plan out an ordering timeline
• Identify what to order
• Research pricing for new items
• Check out a new swag vendor
• Figure out how much storage will be needed

Swag and Stationery Best Practices

Follow these practices to save time, effort and money on SEO-branded items.

• Use General SEO branding  
  • Using the SEO main logo, rather than program-specific logos, allows us to place larger cross-department orders with significant cost savings.
  • Leftover items can easily be repurposed 
  • Find branding and logo information here
• Place larger orders when possible
  • Pricing is based on quantity, so the more we order, the lower the per item cost will be.
• Stick to what we've ordered before
  • Working with vendors to design a new item takes significantly more time than a reorder or making minor changes to a previously ordered item
  • Check out the Swag Library to see what we've ordered in the past!
• Plan ahead
  • The more advanced notice we have, particularly for new items, the more opportunity we have to make sure we get the best product at the best price.  
  • This allows the RE&A team to consolidate orders across teams or help with vendor research - both of which help save money.
• Lean on the RE&A team
  • Email reasupport@seo-usa.org to get started.

Swag & Stationery Ordering 

Follow these steps to ensure SEO-branded materials arrive on time:

• Start at least 3-4 weeks before items will be needed.  Review the new ordering calendar above. 
  • Assess when your team will likely need to receive new swag this year and identify the due date when you will need to submit your request.  Set a reminder in your calendar in advance of the due date.
• Step 1:  Gather your information
  • Item(s) needed
  • Quantity needed
  • Date needed by
  • Is this a new item or a reorder?
  • Will it use the general SEO logo or a program-specific logo?
  • Who will be the final approver for this order on your team? (i.e. budget, quantity and design)
  • New York Teams: Ensure your team has available storage within your existing storage areas for new swag items.  Assume no additional storage available is available until after the renovation.
• Step 2:  Review the Swag Library
  • SWAG LIBRARY
  • See what we've ordered in the past, how much it cost, and what vendor we used.
  • The RE&A team also has physical samples available at the New York office of many of these materials
• Step 3:  Email REAsupport@seo-usa.org with info from Steps 1  & 2 to start your order.
• Step 4:  Design & Pricing 
  • The RE&A team will get back to you with a mockup or sample (if needed) and pricing information.
  • The RE&A team will also invite other teams to join any orders using general SEO branding for cost savings.
  • This process can take a couple weeks, particularly for new items and multi-department orders.
• Step 5:  Order confirmation
  • The RE&A team will request final confirmation before officially placing an order.
  • This would include shipping and design fees as well as department allocations for orders including more than one team.
• Step 6:  Production, shipping and delivery
  • The RE&A team will let you know when orders have arrived!
  • Please plan to relocate materials to department storage once they arrive.

FAQs

• What should I do if I have a swag order that doesn’t fit into this new calendar? 

  • Email reasupport@seo-usa.org as soon as possible and we will do our best to accommodate your team’s needs.

• Is it required to loop the RE&A team in on swag orders? 

  • YES.  The RE&A team both groups orders together to maximize limited budgets and maintain centralized resources like the SWAG LIBRARY and a directory of vendors.  We can’t do either when teams place orders on their own.

• What if my team doesn’t have enough storage for what we want to order? 

  • Please tell us when you send in your request, along with how long you will need storage.  We will do our best to accommodate your team.

• Why are we implementing an ordering calendar this year? 

  • To streamline the start of the ordering process.  We heard confusion from teams about how to initiate a swag order so we hope a more regular ordering cadence will be simpler.

• I just need a couple general swag items and can be flexible on what they are.  Do I have to place an order 3-4 weeks in advance?
  • No.  First check with your team to see what items your team might already have on hand.  If they can't meet your needs, email reasupport@seo-usa.org for assistance.  We keep a small backup inventory for these needs.
• I have a last-minute swag or letterhead need.  What are my options?
  • Email REAsupport@seo-usa.org as soon as possible.  Here are a couple ways we can meet unexpected or time-sensitive needs:
    • RE&A backup inventory:  We may be able to use our backup inventory to cover small quantities.
    • Borrowing from other teams: The RE&A team can ask other teams if they can help cover your needs.  Yet another reason why general SEO logos are helpful!
    • DIY Alternative:  For our most commonly needed items, such as SEO folders, the RE&A team developed a DIY alternative should the above options fail.  DIY options are included in the Swag Library.
• My team has materials we use on a regular basis, like SEO letterhead and envelopes.  How do I make sure we don't run out of these materials?
  • Set a reordering threshold:  The RE&A team can help you identify when your team will need to reorder items to make sure the new materials arrive before the current inventory runs out.
  • Monitor your inventory:  periodically check to see how quickly your team goes through these materials.  Be sure to reorder when you're starting to get low.
• Why does it take 3-4 weeks to complete an order?
  • It takes time to gather orders across teams or to work with a vendor to design a new item.  There are often a surprising number of decisions to make before we can finish a mockup, order a proof or confirm pricing. 
  • Internal delays:  As such, we sometimes experience internal delays in making design decisions or getting pricing approval.
  • External delays:  Vendors are sometimes slow to respond, and there can be production or shipping delays.
• We want to use our program-specific logo for an upcoming order.  Is this ok?
  • We strongly recommend using the general SEO logo for all SEO-branded items.  However, there may be instances where a program-specific logo may make sense.  Here are a couple examples:
    • Specific participant group items (i.e. "SEO Class of XXXX" shirts)
    • Participant incentives or participant-designed items
    • Staff team building (i.e. team retreat shirts)
• How can consolidating orders save us money?
  • As an example, the RE&A team recently coordinated a large order of SEO folders.  One team wanted to order 500 folders.  
    • The pricing for these folders is as follows:

      • Quantity	Price per folder
        500	$2.75
        1000	$1.75
        3000+	$1.10

    • If this team ordered the folders on their own, they would have paid $1,375.   (500 folders at  $2.75 each)
    • By grouping this order with other teams, their actual cost was $550. (500 folders at $1.10 each)
    • The team saved $850, or a 60% reduction in costs!