Tiny Little Monster has been helping with nonprofit screenprinting and apparel from the very beginning. Our first official order was for a local cat rescue! We like to support good causes, and know every penny counts. That’s why we offer discounted pricing for nonprofit organizations.
Why we love nonprofit organizations
Nonprofits are important—they play a vital role in supporting our communities. Fundraising is essential avenue nonprofits use to accomplish their goals and make an impact. A custom printed shirt is a great way to bring awareness to your cause and raise funds at the same time.
Budget tips for ordering apparel
The cost of apparel printing is based on a variety of factors. The brand and style of shirt, number of ink colors in the design, number of shirt placements (ex. front, back, sleeve, pocket square), and quantity of shirts ordered ALL must be taken into account.
To maximize your revenue and save on production costs per shirt, here are a few strategies.
Limit number of shirt print locations. The more print locations, the higher the cost. This is because each placement requires a separate screen set up and doubles the print production time.
Limit number of ink colors. Each ink color requires its own screen when printing. This increases the print cost. Instead, choose a bright color shirt! You can still be eye catching while keeping your costs low. Also, by incorporating halftones (think comic book dots) you can get a variety of shades and textures using only one ink color.
Choose a lower priced shirt brand. There are many shirt brands available, at a wide range of price points and quality. Going with a lower cost shirt will increase your profit. It all depends on your audience and goals. If it is for a specific event, and the goal is to raise the most funds possible, a lower cost brand makes the most sense. If the shirt is mostly for engagement—and you want donors to have a nice quality shirt they’ll want to wear again and again—then going for a higher-priced, higher-quality brand might be more important.
Ask companies to sponsor your event. Many nonprofits offer larger donor sponsorships of events that include their company logo on the back of apparel and in the advertising of the event. Sometimes larger donors will even cover the entire cost of shirt production, so all your proceeds can go to the cause. By putting their logo on your event shirt, you are showcasing their generous donation, as well as bringing awareness to their brand’s support of your organization. That’s a win-win!
Designing Custom Shirts for Nonprofits
Designing an eye catching and aesthetically pleasing design for your nonprofit shirts is an important step in the process. Many nonprofits use their logo, mission statement, and event info for this. This is a standard and accepted practice that works well!
Another alternative is creating a unique and interesting design that incorporates all the above information into it. By doing this, the likelihood of future wears is increased outside of the specific event.
Promoting and Selling
Using social media accounts and your website to showcase the fundraiser is an easy way to reach a lot of people. Creating an email newsletter that goes out to previous donors to let them know about your event is another great option. If your budget allows, a mailed invitation is also a great way to notify your audience!
Tips to Energize your Campaign
- Setting the right price point: . Consider your goals. Is bringing awareness and engagement more important than revenue earned? If so, you may not build in a lot of profit margin after the cost of production per t-shirt sale. This would make your t-shirt more affordable. However, if fundraising is your main goal, consider increasing the price to expand your profit margin. If fundraising is a clear goal of the event, supporters will pay more, knowing they are donating to your important cause. The price of the t-shirt should be reasonable for your audience—think what YOU would pay!
- Create a sense of urgency: Set a deadline for the fundraising event, especially for something like a marathon race or a 5k. This will encourage people to act quickly and purchase sooner than later to support your cause before the event. You can create urgency around your campaign by creating a series of ads with a countdown. This method brings awareness and reminds folks to buy a shirt—especially if they saw it already and forgot!
- Social Media Posts: Posting on your social media sites leading up to the event has far reaching potential. It allows your supporters to share their excitement with others, bringing both engagement for your event and builds enthusiasm. Previewing your custom shirt mockup will also create a call to action for donors and entice them to support early.
- Set a visible goal: Think of how you feel after setting and meeting a goal. It feels good! So why not set a communal goal for your audience? As you incrementally move towards meeting that goal, give updates via social media or newsletter blasts to build momentum. Whether you are tracking funds raised or event attendees, by setting a public goal, you unite your audience members and create a sense of excitement and build good energy for the event.
Webstore Fundraisers
If your organization wants to reach a large audience, a custom webstore is an ideal solution for seamless ordering and distribution! When you use a webstore, you can raise money for your nonprofit group or cause by offering multiple products on one, convenient platform. There is no inventory to manage or forms to complete. Tiny Little Monster makes it easy by handling all the customer service for you. For more information on webstores check out our webstore page!
Benefits of Custom Apparel
There are many reasons why custom apparel is such a popular choice for, races, charity events, and other nonprofit gatherings.
- Cost effective for the organization. Shirts can be easily produced, and your audience pays for the merchandise while you raise funds. Alternatively, to offset costs of production you can offer sponsorships to companies by printing their logo on the back of shirts.
- Cost effective for Donor. Some people want to donate, but don’t have a lot of funds. Purchasing a custom shirt is a more achievable and accessible contribution.
- Visibility and Promotion. Supporters will proudly wear your shirts and discuss the cause with others, bringing your nonprofit organic outreach and awareness.
- Sense of belonging. Decked out in custom shirts, your organization stands out as a unified front and people take notice. By wearing a shirt, your supporters feel good, part of the community and feel more connected to the cause. It also represents their personal commitment and dedication to a cause they are passionate about.
- Potential or ongoing support and Fundraising.With custom apparel, there are infiniteopportunities for different designs based on your organization’s annual events. Further, different apparel types—think hats, pullovers or hoodies! —enable nonprofits to maintain a continuous, reliable avenue for fundraising each year.
Tiny Little Monster loves supporting a good cause and supporting our community. For more information about our nonprofit pricing get a quote today or email us at tiny@tinylittlemonster.com
