Did you know that the number of small donations increased by over 19% in 2020? That means that more Americans, including younger people, are feeling charitable and want to help good causes.

That being said, these percentages tend to rise and fall without warning. One of the best ways to ensure that your fundraisers will always bring in high donation levels is to offer a product in exchange for donations.

What’s one product that never goes out of style and that donors will always want more of? T-shirts!

We’re here to help you set up a successful T-shirt fundraiser. Read on for our step-by-step guide to creating and executing a T-shirt fundraiser that will raise tons of money for your cause.

Narrow Down Your Cause

The key to a successful fundraiser is the way you tell your story. What are you raising money for, specifically? Are individual people or organizations at the heart of your fundraiser?

The more compelling your copywriting is, the easier it will be to reach a wider audience. People like to know exactly how their donations are making the world a better place. Whether you’re raising money for new sports uniforms or medical research, make sure that you can explain your cause in a clear and heartwarming way.

Come Up With a Timeline and Fundraising Goal

Once you’ve narrowed down your cause, it’s time to think about broader goals. How long do you want to keep your fundraiser going? Is it time-sensitive or do you want to accept rolling donations for months or years to come?

In addition, think about what your financial goal is for your fundraiser. Don’t forget that you can raise it any time, particularly when donors help you reach those initial goals.

By establishing a timeline and a fundraiser goal, you can encourage people to donate now rather than waiting to donate in the future. Seeing how close you are to reaching your goal and how much you still need to raise will generate excitement and urgency.

Come Up With a T-Shirt Design

Now for the fun part! It’s time to design the t-shirt for your fundraiser. You can use your organization’s logo or come up with a unique graphic that is specific to your fundraiser–the sky is truly the limit!

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at our T-shirt design ideas. Remember, our professional design team is here to help you every step of the way as you create your custom T-shirt design.

Decide How to Incorporate Your T-Shirt Into Your Fundraising

There are a number of ways that you can approach a T-shirt fundraiser. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular T-shirt fundraiser ideas that organizations have found success with.

One easy method is to sell your T-shirt and use the profits to fulfill your fundraising needs. When you buy our T-shirts in bulk, you can get an extremely affordable price per T-shirt, making it easy to turn a profit.

Another method is to offer your T-shirts to all donors, regardless of how much they donate. You can describe this as buying the T-shirt on a sliding scale or you can offer the T-shirt as a free gift to all donors.

Finally, a popular method is to offer the T-shirt to anyone who attends your fundraising event or helps out with your cause. While this method doesn’t directly generate money, it does incentivize attendance to your event, which can lead to more donations and excitement.

Plan Any In-Person Fundraising Events

If you’re planning any in-person fundraising events, it’s time to nail down those details. Where will you host your fundraising events? Will you have to pay for vendors and other amenities or can you establish partnerships with local businesses that want to help your cause?

The biggest priorities include:

• A venue
• Food and beverage
• Ticket sales and advertising
• Entertainment such as music or games

We recommend having most of your in-person details nailed down about two-four weeks before your event is to take place.

Set Up Your T-Shirt Fundraiser Online

Many people may not be able to attend your in-person events but will still want to help you reach your fundraising goals. Establishing an online space for donations and fundraising updates is always a good idea. If your organization doesn’t have a website that is donation-enabled, there are plenty of fundraising sites you can use to collect online donations.

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Social Media for Fundraisers

Whether or not you’re hosting any in-person events, it’s important that you advertise your fundraiser on social media. Nowadays, social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are the best and easiest ways to connect with a wide audience. In fact, almost 40% of people find out about charities and fundraisers via Facebook.

Keep Your Donors Updated

Even after your donors have made their donations and received their T-shirts, it’s nice to keep them in the loop! Post regular updates on your website, donation page, or social media about how much money you’ve raised and how it’s being used. This will show people exactly how they’ve helped and they may even go on to encourage their friends and family to contribute, too.

Awesomized Tees Can Help You Prepare for Your Next Fundraiser

People of all ages are showing an eagerness to donate to worthy causes. T-shirt fundraisers are a great way to raise money while giving something desirable and tangible to your donors, volunteers, and more!

Awesomized Tees is here to fulfill all of your custom T-shirt needs. Get started with our custom design studio by letting us know a little bit about yourself and sharing your T-shirt design. If you need help finalizing any details, let us know!