Tips for designing a fundraiser t-shirt:
- Simpler can make your message easier to get across.
- Think about what sort of tee to sell – does it fit your cause’s brand?
- Remember to produce something that people will want to buy. Quality is important.
- Price your tees carefully. Don’t set your price too high and remember to consider shipping costs.
Now, we’re going to show you just how well t-shirt fundraising can work using some examples from successful fundraisers.
Choose the right platform to sell your tees – like Teespring
T-shirt selling website Teespring lets people sell their designs on the site so that they can make money for fundraisers. The good thing about Teespring is that you just have to upload your design and look for an audience or customers – but you don’t actually have to produce the tees unless they sell.
Websites like Teespring can help you cut way down on the upfront costs of creating a fundraising T-shirt, and let you get in touch with potential buyers from all over the world.
Show your customers value beyond just selling T-shirts – like BizyTee
BizyTee decided that they wanted to help get people out of poverty by supporting their entrepreneurial projects. To do that, for every single one of their shirts purchased, they put $1 towards micro-loans. The loans helped the entrepreneurs by giving them the capital they needed to get their projects on the go, and the tees helped too, by helping them strike up business conversations about their project.
They also showed people that there were lots of benefits for them to get from the project, giving them plenty of reasons to get on board.
Use a big event to distribute your tees and get people involved – like the Race for the Cure
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure fundraising events are a pretty big deal. They say they’re “the largest, most successful education and fundraising event for breast cancer in the world.” There are races and walks held all over the world – and participants often get T-shirts to wear to the occasion featuring the foundation’s instantly recognizable pink color.
Runners and walkers get T-shirts for their races, and even people who don’t participate can buy the garments on the online shop. This instantly gets the name out there.
Get the right people to wear your tees – like World AIDS Day and DoSomething.org
Both World AIDS Day and DoSomething.org have more in common than raising money for great causes – they’ve also partnered with celebrities to work on T-shirt fundraisers.
World AIDS Day got a boost when fashion designer (and former Spice Girl) Victoria Beckham designed a special tee for them to help raise money. Having a big name with luxury associations behind the brand gave people a reason to buy the tees, plus a reason to wear them and show them off.
Know your audience – like Girls Inc.
Nonprofit organization Girls Inc. works to empower and inspire young women so that they can succeed. They launched a T-shirt campaign called “You Got a Friend” that featured tees with the message written across the front. The idea was that girls and young women would wear the tops and spread the message that friendly behavior is cool, while bullying isn’t.
