Fun Facts About Fundraising Merchandise
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Q – Why would a charity that is trying to raise money, spend its precious funds on branded merchandise?
A- Because there are many benefits to using promotional and branded merchandise in a charity campaign.
First and maybe the most obvious is that with the right products that appeal to your audience, it will help to raise awareness of the cause and therefore hopefully, bring in even more supporters to the charity. With charity merchandise you can really communicate your message too, think about t shirts that are printed with the perfect slogan for your cause or an eye-catching design. The right product can also help to create a buzz around your good cause. Remember the silicone wristbands from a couple of years ago? Wouldn’t you love that much buzz around your brand?
Then there is the branded clothing for volunteers and supporters to wear at events, it not only makes them feel part of the team but ensures that they are easily identified in a crowd too, and that could be important. Additional products that volunteers might need to use, like water bottles or bags are ideal to double up as thank you gifts too. The value of having the right merchandise for a charity event just can’t be overlooked. Whether that is the promotional products that are going to be used to publicise the event, the swag that is going to be given out, or the merchandise that is to be sold to supporters at the event, all have a very valuable part to play. Besides, you really want people to remember your cause after the event has taken place. Selling merchandise for additional fundraising is a whole other subject though and we’ll be looking at that too. Especially how to do it without having to buy the stock up front first. But selling merchandise to make money is a significant topic when you consider that 40% of donors in 2021 made their contribution through purchasing merchandise.
There is a constant need for any charity to keep attracting donations and supporters, and people are reluctant to give freely unless they are confident that their donation will be spent wisely. For that they need to trust the charity and having branded merchandise helps people to trust your brand and your message. That confidence in your brand makes it easier for a person to feel able to donate. In recent years, having that trust in a charity has become a significant factor in an individual’s decision-making process. A recent survey showed that trust in charities has decreased significantly since 2016, falling from 51% to 48% of people asked, agreeing that they believe charities to be trustworthy.
But once people have donated, giving them a branded gift to say thank you raises that feel good factor and makes it more likely that they will donate again. Donor gratitude gifts are an important part of the appreciation process. Another advantage of sending a gift to supporters is that they will be subtly advertising and promoting your cause for you now too.
Sponsorship gifts are a similar thing to the donor thank you gifts, although it may be something that you are offering up front first, perhaps as part of the sponsorship package that you are using to attract sponsors. Giving merchandise as part of your package will help to solidify that partnership and relationship. Nurturing that relationship makes it more likely that you will receive the sponsorship again. If you think it through and are strategic in your choice of sponsors, you may find that they are able to donate the product or are willing to pay for the product, that you will then be using in your campaigns. Including them in the choices for the merch and the possible design can only help to strengthen that relationship.
Fundraising Facts
- Peak months for giving money are November and December. This has become a yearly pattern largely due to established fundraising campaigns over these months and these are also the main months for donating with cash
- The number of people giving to charity has dropped.
There was a notably subdued 2020 festive giving period and donation levels in 2021 are below average
- People in the UK gave £11.3 billion to charity in 2020. A total of £10.6 billion was donated in 2019
- Gift-aid use has increased since the pandemic began In 2020 more people reported using Gift Aid on donations than ever before, which could be because less and less people are donating using cash.
- The most popular cause to donate to is animal welfare. More than a quarter of donors (27%) gave to animal causes in 2020
So when you are planning a fundraising event or looking for a way to raise awareness for your cause, take some to plan and choose the right charity merchandise to get the best results from your investment.
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