Chances are, you’ve seen or even hosted a t-shirt fundraiser in the past. If you’ve been to a charity concert, the artist probably sold branded merchandise to celebrate the occasion. Or, maybe you sold event t-shirts at your last auction. These fundraisers are popular because they work! So how can you make sure yours stands out? We’ll dive into some top tips for your next t-shirt fundraiser.

Tips for T-Shirt Design

T-shirt fundraisers are effective campaigns for basically any organization or even individuals! But no matter who hosts the campaign, you’ll need to consider who you’re selling the t-shirts to in order to make the most of the campaign.

When designing your t-shirt, consider what your audience will want to wear and what they’ll be most excited about. This means you’ll need to make sure the design is high quality and attractive. But you’ll also want to include several elements that are specific to your organization or cause, for example:

• Brand logo
• Brand colors and typography
• Images reflecting your cause

Further engage your audience by asking them to engage the campaign t-shirt as a part of a design contest. Before the campaign, ask supporters and potential buyers to submit their designs, providing parameters about including the logo and the colors they can use. Then choose the best design to use as a part of your campaign. Don’t forget to give a prize to your winner (like a free t-shirt)!

This helps your organization get the word out about the campaign and invite more people to participate while providing a new and engaging opportunity for supporters.

Types of T-Shirt Designs

There are several types of designs your organization can leverage to create an engaging t-shirt design for your next campaign. First, consider the placement of your design on your t-shirt. You’ll have more room for creative, large designs if you choose to place the design in the middle of the front or back of the shirt rather than on the front pocket.

Next, think about the colors you want to use for your design. Considering the colors first will allow you to choose designs that will truly pop in those colors. Then, choose the type of design will best reflect your organization and campaign. You might choose to use:

• Typography: If your campaign has a set tagline or phrase, you can get creative with typography and make that the central design of your shirt.
• Logo: The most simplistic design will simply feature your logo. If you’re using the same design across several campaigns, you might choose to make this a staple in your merchandise store.
• Graphics. Will images and drawings best reflect your latest campaign? Make that the central part of your design! Get as creative as you want when it comes to your t-shirt graphics and images.
• Abstract designs. Artists sometimes choose to leverage abstract designs rather than concrete images to represent their campaigns. If you prefer this type of design, feel free to incorporate it into your next t-shirt campaign.

If you’re designing for kids’ t-shirts, you may end up with a simpler and smaller design than those for adults. Not only is your canvas smaller, but your audience has changed! Be sure to keep these types of details in mind as your organization designs for your next campaign.

How Do I Start a T-Shirt Fundraiser?

With the right t-shirt platform provider, managing a t-shirt fundraiser can be very easy. A good provider should provide the functionality to take on each step of your fundraiser, including:

• Step 1: Design your artwork. Make sure you highlight the best parts of your mission in your design and include identifiable elements like your brand logo and colors. If you have a design team that enjoys using InDesign and other software, that’s great, but it shouldn’t be a requirement. Your provider should offer easy-to-use design options so that you can create the perfect t-shirt.
• Step 2: Promote your shirts. Some providers simply allow you to purchase a number of t-shirts that you can sell at events and in person. In this case, you should add details to your event promotion that allow people to pre-order their t-shirts. Some providers also allow you to set up an online store so that you can share the link and promote your fundraiser digitally! Share the link on social networks, on your website, and in other prominent marketing locations.
• Step 3: Say thank you. Reach out to all of your generous donors to say thank you after they purchase a t-shirt from your campaign. You might ask them to provide feedback about the campaign or share a picture of them wearing the shirt to further engage them with your mission.