How to Generate High-Volume Nonprofit Merchandise Sales

Launching a custom merchandise campaign is an exciting way for your nonprofit to rally community support and raise funds for your cause. But as many organizations quickly discover, simply opening an online storefront won’t bring instant sales. Even expertly designed apparel needs a promotional strategy behind it to succeed.

It can be frustrating to pour time and heart into a design only to see a trickle of orders, but know that the issue is rarely your artwork or your mission. You likely need to optimize your pricing, marketing, and supporter-engagement strategies to build awareness and increase sales. In this guide, we’ll explore concrete strategies for generating high-volume custom merch sales.

Decide on the Best Products for Your Organization & Supporters

To choose a product that will sell, you need to understand what supporters want to wear and share. Choosing products that tie into your mission and appeal to supporters will motivate them to make a purchase and even become organic advocates for the campaign.

As you narrow down your list of potential products to sell, keep in mind that your final pick should be:

• Mission-aligned
• Preferred by your audience
• Ethically sourced and eco-friendly
• High-quality and comfortable
• Size inclusive
• Seasonally relevant
• Sold at an accessible price point
• Able to be used daily
• Visually appealing

If you’re not sure where to start, survey your donor base. For example, send a quick digital poll to your email list asking them to rank their top three apparel styles. Or simply consider the demographic groups that make up your supporter base and what types of products they might be interested in (e.g., Gen Z love trendy tote bags).

Choose a Platform Designed for Nonprofits

With Bonfire, eligible 501(c)(3) organizations can unlock a suite of fundraising tools and features made for nonprofits. These tools and features provide an excellent supporter experience and make fundraising as easy as possible—boosting your overall sales.

Nonprofits can enjoy these powerful tools and perks on Bonfire:

• Reduced donation fees: Once your nonprofit is verified, processing fees on donations to your campaign drop from 8% to 3.5%.
• Verified nonprofit badge: A verified nonprofit badge will appear on the t-shirt image on your campaign page. Additionally, a green heart with a checkmark will display next to your nonprofit’s name on your campaign page. These icons serve as powerful trust signals for your community and clearly indicate that all proceeds support your mission.
• Customizable organization profile page: This is your nonprofit’s dedicated home to tell your story, highlight active campaigns, and show off your fundraising stats.
• Downloadable supporter information: Bonfire can help you grow your donor database by automatically collecting supporter information. You can then easily export this data in a standard CSV format.
• Access to platform integrations: Maximize your fundraising efforts by seamlessly integrating your Bonfire campaigns with leading fundraising platforms such as GoFundMe, GoFundMePro (formerly Classy), TeamRaiser (Blackbaud), Neon Fundraise, and Donor Drive.
• Receive direct payouts from Giving Campaigns: The funds you raise from merchandise sales go directly to your organization, and the same rule applies when members of your community launch Giving Campaigns on your behalf. When they link your organization to their specific fundraising campaign, all the money they raise is routed to you.
• Send personalized thank-you notes: You can properly thank the people who launched giving campaigns on your behalf by sending them a heartfelt thank-you email from your Campaign Dashboard.

To get started, set up your campaign, choose Fundraising as the campaign type, then select the option indicating you wish to send your payout directly to a 501(c) (3) nonprofit. Next, type your organization name or EIN into the search bar and select your nonprofit. This process connects your organization to your specific campaign and automatically configures it to send all proceeds to your account.

Determine Product Pricing

When setting prices, focus on balancing revenue generation with strengthening supporter relationships. While you want to maximize funds for your cause, it’s equally important to price your merchandise so that it stays accessible and appealing to your target audience.

Price your custom merchandise with purpose by:

• Conducting marketing research: Research the typical price range for similar merchandise on the market. This will help you understand your target audience’s pricing expectations and comfort level.
• Working backward from your fundraising goal: Consider your organization’s fundraising goal for the campaign and then determine how much revenue you need to generate from merchandise sales to reach it. Then, work out how many sales your nonprofit could reasonably make. Finally, determine the price per item you would need to set to reach your fundraising goal.
• Prioritizing transparency: Communicate how purchasing custom merch will contribute to your nonprofit’s mission. For instance, maybe your organization will be able to buy the equipment it needs to kick off a new program. Provide updates after the campaign to keep supporters informed on how proceeds are being used to make a positive impact.

Consider a tiered pricing strategy if you plan to offer multiple merchandise options in your store. For instance, introduce a premium item alongside standard apparel to capture higher contributions and give your most passionate supporters a way to give more.

Enable Donations at Checkout

By offering supporters the option to donate at checkout, you bolster your fundraising potential by giving supporters one more way to contribute. Bonfire offers a built-in donation tool you can toggle on during campaign setup or while editing your campaign. This offers benefits such as:

• Easy, seamless giving: Checkout donations make the giving process simple and convenient. Supporters don’t need to navigate separate donation pages or processes, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of additional contributions. 
• Enhancing supporter engagement: Adding a donation option at checkout reinforces that your organization relies on the continued support of its community. This fosters a sense of shared responsibility among your supporter base and fosters deeper connections with your organization.
• The opportunity for micro-donations: Some supporters may not have the financial means to contribute large gifts. Checkout donations allow them to make small, spontaneous donations that add up over time.

Evaluate Shipping Logistics 

Managing traditional fulfillment logistics can be overwhelming for already stretched-thin nonprofit teams. This is why print-on-demand platforms designed for fundraising, like Bonfire, are so attractive to busy fundraisers. With Bonfire, your organization doesn’t have to manage inventory, shipping, or fulfillment, eliminating risk and administrative overhead.

Here’s how traditional merchandise sales stack up against Bonfire’s method:

• Traditional Nonprofit Merchandise Sales:

1. Your team attempts to predict exactly which sizes, colors, and styles your supporters will want to buy.
2. You pay out of pocket for a large bulk order before making a single sale, requiring a significant upfront investment that may not pay off.
3. The shipment arrives, turning your office, garage, or living room into a makeshift warehouse for inventory.
4. As orders trickle in, your team is responsible for packaging, printing labels, and taking them to the post office.
5. Once the campaign ends, your organization is stuck absorbing any financial loss resulting from unsold inventory.

• Bonfire’s Method:

1. You design your merch and launch your online campaign with no upfront costs or financial risk.
2. Buyers select their preferred sizes and colors directly from your campaign page, and Bonfire produces the merch after receiving the order.
3. Bonfire handles the rest, including printing, packaging, and shipping the products., 
4.  100% of the profits are sent to your organization. 

Promote Awareness Through Social Media and Email

Once your campaign is ready for launch, it is time to finalize the details, including your launch date. Consider the season, upcoming holidays and awareness days or months, and any events on your calendar. By taking these details into account, your nonprofit can choose the best launch date to maximize your fundraising revenue. Until you launch (and throughout the campaign), focus on generating excitement among your supporters.

Prior to launch day, consider promotions like:

• Social media teasers: Post teaser content on your social media platforms (e.g., partially revealing the design) using captions and hashtags to build anticipation and create a buzz.
• Countdowns: Create a real-time countdown timer on your website or social media profiles to remind your supporters of the approaching launch date. 
• A virtual launch event: Host a virtual launch event on platforms like Facebook Live or Instagram Live. Use the event to showcase your merchandise, share stories, and chat with your audience in real-time.

Social Media Strategies

Social media is an excellent platform for reaching both your existing followers and new prospects who may not have heard of your nonprofit before. Engage current and potential supporters by:

• Make compelling visual content: Share high-quality photos and videos of your custom merchandise, using eye-catching visuals that showcase the products from different angles and in various contexts. For instance, take photos of the merch laid flat as well as shots of your staff or supporters modeling the apparel.
• Post consistently: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged and informed about your merchandise and campaign updates.
• Tell a story: Use storytelling to explain your campaign’s purpose and impact. Share stories of individuals or communities that will benefit from the proceeds to create an emotional connection with your audience.
• Create hashtags: Develop custom hashtags for the campaign and encourage supporters to use them when posting photos of their purchases. This builds a sense of community and makes it easy to track user-generated content (UGC).
• Highlight the impact: Clearly communicate how purchasing your merchandise contributes to your nonprofit’s mission. Share engaging stories, statistics, and graphics that show the positive outcomes of your fundraising efforts.
• Cross-promote with other nonprofits: Collaborate with other nonprofits to cross-promote each other’s merchandise and campaigns. This can help you reach new audiences with shared interests.
• Show gratitude and acknowledgment: Publicly thank supporters on social media for their purchases and contributions. Recognizing their support can encourage even more people to participate in your campaign.

Email Marketing Strategies

Leverage email marketing to promote the campaign to your existing supporters, including those who may not use social media. 

Before launching your emails, segment your donor list. Divide your donors based on shared characteristics, such as giving level, demographics, and interests, to send personalized messages and boost conversion rates. For example, target supporters who previously funded an urgent kitten rescue campaign with cat-themed apparel.

Then, consider the following tips:

• Showcase your custom merchandise prominently by using high-quality images and brief descriptions for each product, including its features and benefits.
• Include clear and compelling CTAs that guide recipients to the action you want them to take, whether it is making a purchase, sharing the email, or visiting your online store.
• Encourage action by incorporating a sense of urgency into your emails (“Limited Time Offer!” or “Act Now!”).
• Send a follow-up email to thank supporters for their purchase and share more about your nonprofit’s mission and impact.

Encourage Continuous Engagement

Encouraging engagement from your supporters is essential to the success of your merchandise marketing strategy. Engaged supporters not only boost sales and revenue but also help build a loyal community and expand your nonprofit’s reach. Keep the conversation going.

Launch Your Risk-Free Nonprofit Merch Campaign Today

Selling custom merchandise is a great way to engage your community and secure unrestricted funding. By using Bonfire’s zero-inventory platform, you can focus on your mission rather than stressing over upfront costs and overwhelming logistics.