As a nonprofit organization, you’ve probably been conditioned to seek out “the nonprofit discount” when you’re looking for products and services. With some areas of your business, this makes sense: think about all the software discounts for nonprofits that are out there.
Should you Buy Cheap Promotional Products?
When it comes to ordering swag and custom merchandise like branded t-shirts, baseball caps, tote bags and the like, proceed with caution! If you’re finding dirt cheap pricing out there, there’s a reason for that.
Many promotional products are produced in factories overseas. The working conditions in those factories can sometimes be egregious. And the promotional items that may seem like such a great deal could be manufactured poorly using cheap materials.
Don’t waste your promotional items budget on items destined for the proverbial circular file!
Don’t Discount Your Nonprofit’s Mission. Support It!
If your nonprofit focuses on any progressive cause (think: women’s rights, climate action, human rights, fair wages), the swag you put your logo on should support that mission. It only makes sense, right? You don’t want to advertise your support for climate action with a branded t-shirt produced in a factory that creates outsized pollution, for instance.
Choose a merch vendor that sources promotional branded products that support your mission, not undermine it.
Don’t Risk Budgetary or Reputation Regret. Partner with Professionals.
The vast majority of nonprofits don’t have a staff person whose only job is to find great swag for the organization. So the person who gets assigned the Great Merch Search is not going to be a merchandise logistics whiz.
If you’ve ever used a handy online promotional product portal without the help of a graphic designer and without getting a real proof first, you may have uploaded your art and then gotten your merch and scratched your head. “Is THIS what I ordered? How come my logo looks so tiny? I can barely read our tagline.” Sound familiar?
You’ve probably also heard about USA political campaigns who don’t realize their custom t-shirts were “Made in China”, creating a detractor’s field day of criticism. The reputation risk is real!
A “savings” on the front end may mean needing to re-order corrected merch in the long run. A better solution? Find a merch partner you can trust.
You’ll save all sorts of time, not to mention money, by making this decision.
How Can you Find Affordable, Quality Swag?
Worx Printing serves nonprofits day in and day out. We’ve been in this business for long enough to know that you want to raise more money, and have less hassle. We help you achieve both of those goals, printing only high-quality merch and delivering great customer service.
We create USA- and union-made merchandise, and what you spend with us covers fair wages, high-quality swag, and responsibly made promotional items. Worx Printing is also one of the only union shops that offers printing-on-demand, so you can order only what you need when you need it. So you don’t burn money on inventory that never leaves the organization.
Worx can help you find the right t-shirts, custom tote bags, mugs, baseball caps, trucker hats, or even custom baby onesies. And we can ship your merch right to your supporters! We offer bulk pricing and encourage nonprofits to tell us their budget so we can recommend an affordable solution that’s still ethically in line with their mission.
Your staff doesn’t have time to waste, and surely your budget should always be maximized. So partner with an organization that understands your values and is built to deliver custom merchandise that supports them, too!