Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Spring 2015 - 18

HOW IT WORKED THEN

* Selling Boston
Strong T-shirts
through Ink to the
People raised more
than $1 million
for The One Fund
Boston.

In part, I'm summarizing my 2009 article. I also will compare
the information given then with new or more current techniques used today. By the way, you should check out the 2009
article. It's probably still online and the models I used in the
photo shoot were beyond cute, and they still live in my house!

STEP ONE: Create a sales sheet
and order form. I included big, bold
virtual samples that showcased the
decorated apparel and promotional items with visual graphics
promoting the cause or event. Of
course, this wasn't new but my twist was
to assemble a kit of products showcasing
each as a virtual sample in a range of price
points. I ensured all the correct data was
there. I purposely created a version that
was easy to email and, where possible,
could be uploaded to a website.



✓

STEP TWO: I specifically chose
apparel items that were easy to
personalize. Embroidery, appliqué,
heat-applied specialty vinyl,
sublimation and direct-to-garment
(DTG) printing are decorating techniques that are well-matched for personalization and are conducive to low
minimums. The last time I checked, you
couldn't get personalized cookie dough.

✓

STEP THREE: Make sure the

graphics are fresh, hot, awesome,
sweet, dope, killer... insert your
kid's favorite and appropriate
adjective here. Seriously, the overall success and potential amount
raised hinges on the sweetness
of the graphics. Simple school logos with
mascots that have been used numerous
times already won't be exciting. The same
thing goes for a plain corporate logo.
A weak graphic will produce fewer
orders compared to dynamic graphics that
are fresh, hot, awesome, sweet... etc. A fun,
inspiring, visual theme puts a face on the
event or the cause, which will help people
remember it. Th is is a critical point that all
charities and non-profits need. You don't
have to be a graphic designer to have success with this approach, but it's critical to
tell a compelling story graphically.

✓

18 * Spring 2015

STEP FOUR: Spread the news.

✓

Tell everyone you know and ask
them to tell everyone they know.
Pass out fliers until your fingers
bleed. Let the begging begin.

STEP FIVE: Start the presses.
How many T-shirts should I order?
What about minimums? What if we
print too many and they don't sell?
What if we sell out? I would usually
avoid these trap doors by getting the
flier out early and pre-selling everything. I
wanted to minimize inventory hassles. I often
created an artificial "close date" to build a
sense of urgency. I also would suggest that
you print a few extra of each size. Having a
few extra shirts and hats can help eliminate a
lot of drama later. You can donate them to the
organization and let them surprise somebody, or use them in a raffle.

±
S✓

STEP SIX: Collect the funds.

Hopefully your sales sheet or flier
also was an order form that made
it easy for people to know available
colors, sizes and pricing. Chasing
down people for checks always was
a huge drag. It also was challenging when
people wanted to pay by credit card. My
favorite part of this task was delegating it to
somebody else.

✓

STEP SEVEN: Delivery day. Wow,

talk about logistics. I remember staying up really late counting, recounting and packing orders. I did learn a
few tricks along the way. Make a copy
of each order to include with each delivery.
That helps buyers take responsibility when
they say they meant to order a large not a
medium. Another tip is to use a larger water
bottle as one of the core items in the fundraiser. It's not only a popular product, but
also can serve as a perfect T-shirt carrier. Roll
the shirts up to fit inside the tube. These look
especially cool when you use a clear bottle
and have the graphics facing out.

✓

Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Spring 2015

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