7 Tips For A Successful Fundraising T-Shirt Campaign

         Your local PTA group has decided to sell fundraising t-shirts to parents of students at your child’s school. It sounds like fun and you like the idea of supporting your child’s school and contributing to the future success of your own child. Here are some tips on how to make your fundraising t-shirt campaign a success.

1) Do your research
Take a look at your school or community and observe what is shared or often said between them. Is there a unique phrase your community recognizes or location where your community comes together? If so, then you might have found the perfect slogan to use for your custom t-shirts. These phrases can be incredibly valuable when it comes to advertising because people will naturally remember it.

Let’s say that at your school, everyone says, "The best time of day is always lunch" (lol)  as if it were some sort of mantra that they live by. You could take this mantra and turn it into an event to raise money for your organization. You could even create custom t-shirts with "The best time of day is always during lunch" on the front side. Explain how all proceeds go towards XYZ in hopes of supporting our goal to do ABC.

2) Have a clear goal
Begin with the end in mind. What does success look like?

Your goal should be to have a product that stands out from the competition. Everyone is trying to raise money for something...your cause needs to make people feel something. You can do this by creating custom t-shirts that are unique and tailored to your target audience.

Choose a design that resonates with them and make sure to choose quality materials that will last. Having a unique product in the marketplace will help you make the most of your fundraising efforts.

3) Keep your design simple
A line drawing in one or two colors max is optimal. With a white background, your design will stand out and make for a cleaner look on your shirt. If you have to use a dark color, use it sparingly so it doesn't overpower your design.

Remember, when it comes to custom t-shirts, less is more! The right design combined with high quality printing will result in a sharp looking custom t-shirt that makes your fundraiser succeed.

4) Use high quality materials
It's really important to provide a quality feeling t-shirt for your fundraiser. Afterall, you want your customers to wear the t-shirt! Quality materials will produce better images and allow everyone who wears it to enjoy their purchase.

Custom t-shirts can be ordered in any color and size so they work well with any demographic. And remember, not all of your supporters need to be 18+ so many schools like ordering custom spirit shirts for students too.

We have seen some fundraisers order shirts and make image transfers using home printers and cricut equipment - these are fine for one t-shirt but this method just can't compete with the quality of our durable screen printed or digitally printed products.

5) Choose the right printing method
For t-shirts with one or two colors and quantities larger than 24 t-shirts, the best method is screen printing. Screen printing by far is the best way to go from a cost and quality standpoint. When you order your shirts using this print method they are generally cheaper because they can be produced more quickly and efficiently on a large scale.

However, if you want more than 3 colors or designs that have color gradients in them then a digital screen print method should be your choice. The price will be a little higher and the texture/feel of the print might be a little "papery" but it is just as durable as screen printing, will not fade, and provides super fine detail for images or patterns that require multiple colors.

6) Set a fair price
Set your pricing so you make between $8.00 and $10.00 per t-shirt sale. Odom Design Company can help consult with you on your pricing strategy. Our pricing per shirt is typically between $14 and $16 per shirt at a quantity of 24 t-shirts. We can go lower as quantities increase, however if there are more colors added or more than one placement for the artwork the bulk discount(s) can easily be offset...no worries though, we will help you through it and see all the information so you can make the right pricing decision for your fundraiser.

7) Promote your campaign
Promotion and marketing of your product is critical and must be started early. Start by choosing the best promotional venues for you such as industry trade shows, school fashion shows, school fairs or sporting events. Collect emails and build a contact list of people who show interest in participating in your fundraiser. A popular way to get signups is to have some stickers made of your design and trade a sticker for their email.

Once you have your list, start a social media campaign on Instagram or Facebook to generate more awareness of your product / fundraiser among your community. Reach out to bloggers or your local paper who have a following in your community and offer them a free t-shirt, a mention in your PTA newsletter, or free school swag in exchange for them to share their opinion with their readers.

Bottom line: Create custom t-shirts that are inspired by popular trends and movements happening in your community today; this will increase the potential for viral exposure which could result in mass sales due to word-of-mouth marketing. All of these techniques will help position your fundraising t-shirt campaign as a successful one!