Let me start of by saying that I would highly recommend Online Apparel Fundraising for any and every organization!
In particular for Schools, Churches, Sports teams, and Companies!
Why?
Because it's a costless fundraiser,and there will always be members and supporters of these groups whowill want to buy different types of Apparel that reflects their supportor membership of your group.
It also raises awareness for your group whenever someone wears Apparel of yours!
But that doesn't mean that other causes can't use this excellent internet fundraising idea either. If you can create a demand for Apparel that has your logos and mottos on, then this fundraiser will work for you!
The fact that it is completely FREE and will not cost you a cent to set up is a huge contributing factor to making this one of the best fundraisers that your organization will use!
How does it Work?
Youset up an online Apparel fundraising store. You customize the hugearray of Apparel available with your colours, Logos, and Mottos...
Then you send your members, supporters, and anyone interested to your online apparel store to order your Apparel!
And that's it...
Well, of course there's more to it if you really want to make it successful, so let's take a look at how to do it properly...
Setting Up Your Apparel Store:
Your first important step...
Setup your store. And customize the Apparel to be cool and appealing to your supporters!
You'll start by signing up atSSA Custom Apparel Stores for free. SSA is the company that makes this excellent fundraising idea possible. Without them, it simply doesn't work!
The only downside at the moment is that SSA only ships in the USA.
Another Option:
Is to run a T Shirt Crowdfunding Campaign through BonfireFunds, who will ship your T Shirts anywhere in the world, and is therefore available as a fundraising solution worldwide.
Both SSA and BonfireFunds provide a risk-free and hassle-free Apparel Fundraising solution. How exactly?
- It's free to sign up and setup your fundraiser.
- They then handle all purchases (payments), printing, and shipping of the apparel.
- All you have to do, is (1) Design great Apparel, (2) Promote it effectively, (3) And then receive your fundraising commissions when sales are made!
What's Next?
You then customize all the Apparel types they have available (and your T Shirts with BonfireFunds) .
Whencustomizing your Logos, Colors, and Motto's for your Apparel, make surethat you are making them as appealing for your supporters as possible!
Be creative (within reason of course), and make your Apparel cool...
It must be so cool that when non-supporters of your group see your supporters wearing your Apparel, they'll want to buy it as well!
Promoting & Running Your Online Apparel Fundraising:
I want to stress the importance of this part of your Apparel fundraising.
The promoting of your online Apparel fundraising will be what makes this fundraiser successful year after year!
Get it right and you'll have great funds coming in every year. You'll also generate great exposure for your organization or group.
Start With A Launch:
I would highly recommend that you start your Online Apparel Fundraiser off with a bang!
Setup a launch where you'll use all of the promoting methods below and create a buzz about your organizations new online Apparel store.
Getthe word spreading quick and let as many people know about it! Thebetter your success is off the launch (or start of your store), thebetter your online Apparel fundraising store will do in the long run...
Why?Because the more people who order your Apparel now, the more peoplewho will experience the quality of it, and therefore the more peoplethey will speak to about it!
It will also create better exposure if there are more people wearing that Apparel!
So, kick your store off and create a buzz about it!
Samples:
This is not necessary, but I would recommendthat you have samples for people to see, touch, and try when you launchyour online apparel fundraising store... And at all times.
Eventhough buying products online is becoming quite a craze, when someonecan actually feel or see a product they will be more inclined to buy it!
So order a few samples that people can see to build some trust that the quality of the Apparel is good!!!
Promotion Team With Samples:
Another idea you could do when launching your store is to have a promotional team with samples.
Sendthem around at all your events or other events, or in your town,speaking to people about the store, showing them the samples anddirecting them to your online store.
You could even get them to take orders, taking down the customers' details and ordering the products for them!
Remember that face to face promotions are always more powerful than any other kind promotion!
Promotional Methods:
Here are all the different ways that you can promote your Online ApparelFundraising Store - Use these methods for your launch and for the longterm promoting of your store:
- Literature - Write articles and advertisein all your communicating literature like your newsletters, schoolreports, Church sermon order of proceedings, and event invitations etc.
- Announcements- Make announcements about your Apparel Store wherever possible. Forexample at School assemblies, meetings, during Church announcements, andat events!
- Your Website or Blog - Write a post about your new store and continually, on a regular basis, write posts about different items that are available!
Have a permanent link from your homepage or even on your navigation bar to your store.
You should also use the widgets that SSA will generate for you in and around your website!
- Facebook - Facebook will be one of the best tools to get the word spreading fast and quick and for promoting your store!
Useyour Facebook Page (organization page) to announce the launch of yourstore and add posts regularly about your store, and the Apparelavailable.
Post photos of the Apparel and also of supporterswearing or using that Apparel. Obviously always include a link fromthose photos to your store!
Use your personal profile and ask your best members andsupporters to use theirs as well, to promote your online Apparelfundraising store!
- Twitter -If you use Twitter, tweet about your launch and really get some buzzgoing about it. Ask people to retweet those tweets and to help promoteyour store.
And just like the above methods, continue to Tweetabout your store, the Apparel available, and any new logos or mottos yourelease!
- Contact Old Attendees/Members- You should contact all ex-pupils or members of your organization andlet them know about your store and the Apparel that is availabletherein.
- Posters & Flyers -Post posters up around your organization, on local news boards, and asklocal businesses to post them up as well! Then hand out flyers to yourmembers and to potential supporters...
Also ask local businesses to do the same and hand out those flyers to their employees and customers!
Make sure that the posters and flyers are impactful and have images of the Apparel available!
- Press Releases- Send out a press release about your newly launched Online ApparelFundraising Store to all your local newspapers, radio stations, andmedia.
Do the same when you have another major launch or change in Apparel.
- Word Of Mouth - REALLY IMPORTANT...In all your promoting above always encourage your supporters toforward on those messages, Facebook posts, Tweets etc. to all theirfriends. Always ask them to help spread the word further.
Word of mouth is one of the best forms of marketing that any fundraising campaign can take advantage of!
- Be Your Best Customer/Ambassador- Finally you should be your best customer and ambassador. Make surethat you and your fundraising team wears and uses the Apparel from yourstore!
Be your best marketing tool!
Release New Logos/Mottos -
Have Mini Re-launches:
Every once a year or twice a year - or when you deem the best time -release a new logo or motto or image on your apparel and launch thatchange.
When your store loses momentum for a while, make a changewith a launch, refresh your image and get people excited and interestedin your Apparel again.
Always look for and create new promotional opportunities. Keep your eyes open for events and times of the year to help with promoting (see below) and look for ways to get people wanting your apparel!
Have Promotional Drives At Certain Times Of The Year:
Of course you will always want to remind everyone about your storethrough the promotional methods above, but at certain times of the yearyou'll want to drive your promotional activity through those methods!
You'll want to create that buzz again!
Like during the new School year! Market with, "Back to school - support your school this new year!"
Or during a certain sports season! "Support your team with our supporters Apparel!"
Or during Christmas! "Get your Christmas Apparel and support your Church!"
Don'tmiss out on opportunities to drive traffic and sales to your onlineApparel fundraising store during these unique times of the year!
Final Notes On This Online Fundraiser:
I want to make this very clear... If you area school, church, sports team or similar group and you are not usingOnline Apparel Fundraising then you are losing out on funds badly.
If you are a group like that then you really should be using this brilliant fundraising idea!!!
So,set your Online Apparel Fundraising Store up, design your Apparel to be really cool and desirable, and promote in a way that creates huge excitement and BUZZ!
And then come back and tell us about your successful Online Apparel Fundraising on the Success Stories from Successful Fundraising Ideas page.
For more on Apparel Fundraising go here.
Other Recommended Internet Fundraising Ideas:
Online Donations Fundraiser
Unique Fundraising Idea Through A Content Website
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