Looking for ways to set up a winter fundraising event? You’ve probably cycled through many indoor fundraising ideas. Whatever event you have, consider pairing it with an online apparel store fundraiser. Let’s look at how online fundraising stores work and how to partner them with your winter event.
How Online Fundraising Stores Work
Online fundraising stores work like most e-commerce stores. They sell your organization’s merchandise online, and most of them let you set up your fundraising platform through their site for free. In many cases, you get the platform for free, but the online store takes most of the profits and gives you a percentage of them, like 20% or 30%, to put toward your fundraising goals. However, their setups vary, so read through your chosen site’s guidelines thoroughly.
How To Use Your Nonprofit’s Online Store
You can use online fundraising stores in a few different ways, especially since they’re available all year. For instance, you can pair your merchandise with an event, but you don’t have to do that. You could keep your online store open year round with general custom apparel that represents your organization. You could also add event apparel to the store with your general merchandise and remove it once the event is over.
Benefits of Using an Online Store for Fundraising
Online fundraising stores offer a range of benefits, including:
- Secure donation options
- Unlimited product listings
- Tribute/honorary giving features
- Links or embedding into organizations’ sites
These are just a few of the benefits you gain when you use an online store. Benefits may vary depending on the store you use, but just about all of them provide ways to raise money for your organization effectively in an online space.
What Types of Winter Events Use Custom Apparel?
Many different winter events could use winter apparel to help promote them and help attendees feel like part of a group that supports a good cause. It’s best to keep your event indoor during the winter months, though. That way, your attendees stay warm and comfortable. Winter fundraising ideas you could use include:
- Bake sales
- Trivia nights
- Movie nights
- Fashion shows
- Board game nights
- Indoor scavenger hunts
Once you determine which type of event you want to host, it’s best to determine what types of apparel you want to offer to promote it.
What Kinds of Apparel Work for Winter Events?
Well, the most obvious answer is winter clothing, including long-sleeve T-shirts, hoodies, fleeces, jackets, and beanies. If that sounds like apparel that works for your event, partner with a local apparel company to create the pieces you want. A great apparel company like Marathon helps you design the look for your custom apparel so it promotes your organization’s brand in a way that fits your message and cause.
Which Design Options Work for Winter Weather Apparel?
Heat transfer and silkscreen printing work well for T-shirts and hoodies. These customization methods print your design directly onto your apparel’s fabric. Embroidery works better for fleeces and knit hats, since both types of apparel have fabric that doesn’t respond well to printed designs. With embroidery, your apparel partner uses machines to sew your organization’s logo or design image onto the fleece, beanie, or other piece of clothing. All these options help you create designs that fit your organization’s brand and your winter event.
How Does Marathon Create Custom Apparel for Your Online Fundraiser Store?
When you plan to put winter event apparel in your online fundraiser store, we collaborate with you to create the apparel you want. We help you come up with the right design, then we print or embroider it for you. We also work with your chosen online store to distribute the apparel to your donors and event attendees.
Thinking about using an online fundraising store for your event apparel? Reach out to us today to learn more about getting your apparel from our facility to your organization and your donors.
