If you’re a nonprofit organization thinking about creating some custom merch, and getting your merch online to reach as many supporters as possible, we can help you get the most out of your efforts.
1. Define the Purpose of your Online Store: Awareness, Fundraising, or Both?
As a nonprofit, your purpose is not to “sell custom t-shirts.” Your mission is to serve supporters, garner more supporters, and use your store to spread brand awareness. Your goal for your web store is to raise awareness and support fundraising.
You have to decide if you’re going to raise awareness by getting as many supporters as possible to buy and wear your branded merchandise, or if your goal is strictly to raise money to support your mission. That decision will drive the type of branded merchandise your store contains, and how many products you need to design.
Worx has recently launched smaller “Swag Shops” for organizations with limited merch needs that still want to use branded items for fundraising. You read more about Swag Shops to see if they may be sufficient for your nonprofit’s needs. We also do a lot of union printing in partnership with F.I.I., particularly for larger organizations with full ecommerce stores. Many of the nonprofits using Shopify stores also use the back end of those web stores as a robust distribution method to get bulk merch out to the field in several locations.
2. Put the Right Supporting Functions in Place
First, accounting is crucial. With funds coming in, you need finances to be handled by a professional. Even for nonprofit organizations running an ecommerce shop for fundraising, having accounting expertise is critical to running a store that properly handles and reports on things like sales tax and other financial or reporting requirements.
Next, you need marketing and communications support to promote your web store. You can’t just build a store and expect buyers to roll in. There’s a lot of strategy and effort behind the most successful web stores, and you need a marketing mind to pull it off. Standing up a new store requires careful planning and promotion.
3. Leverage your Strong Brand
A strong brand is the backbone of your campaign — and it’s equally critical to the success of your store. A strong brand equals an engaged audience, and provides a framework for the marketing and promotional plans that will support your sales. Of course, you can build awareness with marketing and communications, but only with a strong brand can you create a base of genuinely engaged constituents excited to participate in your campaign via merchandise.
4. Support your Brand with Good Design
Some nonprofit brands can get away with merch design that’s little more than a logo — and that’s enough for it to appeal to their constituents and supporters. However, not every brand is instantly recognizable. Some campaigns build brand affinity over time. Others hit the right message at the right time and gain incredible engagement and brand recognition almost immediately.
If you don’t have that kind of brand goodwill from the jump, fear not. A solid design will help to ensure your merch’s success. Topical designs, meme-based merchandise, and designs specifically crafted to appeal to your target audience are most likely to hit the mark.
5. Prioritize Ethical Merch that Aligns with your Mission
Last but certainly not least, you’ll need to consider how to approach merchandising so your products are in alignment with your values. For example, the commitment to purchasing ethical, American Made, and union-made or union printed merch speaks volumes about an organization. Not only does a decision like that translate to higher quality promotional products, but the merch itself becomes part of the message.
A constituent base that aligns with your cause will want to know they are not only supporting you, but supporting ethical and sustainable manufacturing. Don’t let quick and cheap solutions derail your campaigns. A union bug (a tiny emblem signifying an item is union-made) adds authenticity and credibility to your merch, and your organization.