T-Shirt Fundraising: A New Take on Crowdfunding

If your nonprofit is looking for a new fundraising idea that will get your supporters excited to make a donation, then t-shirt fundraising could be exactly what you’re looking for. This new crowdfunding option is an easy way for your nonprofit to not only raise money on a recurring basis but also increase awareness of your work in the community. 

If you’re new to t-shirt fundraising for nonprofits, we’ve outlined everything you need to know below to get you started.

What is T-Shirt Fundraising?

T-shirt fundraising is a new kind of online fundraising where your organization sells custom apparel to your donors as a way to raise money and awareness for your cause. You get the funds you need to keep your organization running, and your supporters get an awesome shirt to show their passion for your cause.

Benefits of T-Shirt Fundraisers for Nonprofits

Before online t-shirt fundraising, it was difficult to offer your supporters a tangible item in return for their online donations. But with t-shirt fundraising, you’re given a fun and easy way to offer your donors something in return for their generous donations. Plus, you’re able to expand your organization’s brand awareness because all of your supporters will be wearing their new favorite shirt with your nonprofit’s logo.

What to Look for in a T-Shirt Fundraising Website

When it’s time to pick a t-shirt fundraising site for your nonprofit, you want to find a platform that will work in your favor. Find a tool that takes care of the details, and allows you to simply focus on sharing your campaign with your community and collecting the profits. 

To make sure you pick the t-shirt fundraising website that’s best for your nonprofit, we recommend choosing a site that’s able to offer you the following things:

  • No Inventory Costs or Platform Fees: Use a t-shirt fundraising website that doesn’t require you to pay up-front for the shirts or charge a platform fee. Instead, choose a site that offers you a risk-free way to maximize your profits from the t-shirt fundraiser.
  • Allows Additional Donations: To really help you maximize how much money you can raise, use a t-shirt fundraising site that lets your donors add an additional donation to your nonprofit at checkout.
  • Discounts or Reduced Pricing: A lot of companies, especially fundraising websites, offer software discounts for nonprofits. Do some research to find a t-shirt fundraising site that gives you a discount on donation fees and administration fees to help you increase your profits.
  • Excellent Online Reputation: Make sure the t-shirt fundraising website has a history of excellent customer service. This way, if something doesn’t go as planned, you know their team will be there to help you, and move mountains to help your supporters.
  • Variety of T-Shirt Styles and Colors: Don’t let your t-shirt fundraiser be limited to one t-shirt style in minimal colors. Give your supporters some options to choose from so they can pick the style and colors that will fit best with their wardrobe preferences.

Create Something Your Supporters Will Love

T-shirt fundraising is a fresh fundraising strategy that gives your nonprofit an opportunity to create something your community of supporters will be really excited about. Create a fun design on a shirt people will love to wear and be amazed at how much money your nonprofit can raise with just a single campaign.

T-shirt fundraising

Kevin Penney

Kevin Penney is the CMO and co-founder of Bonfire.com, a company that’s reinventing how people create, sell and purchase custom apparel. He loves solving difficult problems, working with the Bonfire Product team, and hockey. He has over 10 years of experience in digital media, design, and technology.

August 14, 2019

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