Here’s something you might not know: Roughly 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer at some point during her life.
That’s an intense statistic, right? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s got us thinking. Every nonprofit or good cause will tell you that fundraising is a struggle. Asking for money is hard, and organizing events to raise support is risky.
But print shops are in a unique position to solve problems for these organizations. You have the chance to help the causes you care about (breast cancer awareness or otherwise) raise more money and have a greater impact. Plus, you get to promote and grow your business along the way.
But the event fundraising world can feel like a black box. How can you actually get involved?
We’re spilling the secrets.
Find fundraising events that are happening in the next few months
Many nonprofits will host runs, golf tournaments, or roller derbies to fundraise and promote awareness for their organization. It’ll take a bit of digging to find these events that are going on in your area. Try looking up some local organizations you like and see what they’re promoting on social media. There are also websites like Active.com that have event calendars for local runs””though these include for-profit events as well.
Reach out to the right people
Once you’ve identified a few events you could potentially get involved with, it’s time to track down the event coordinator. The more organized events will often have a sponsorship page where you can get in touch with the coordinator directly. With others, it might take a few methods of contact before you get in touch with the right person.
When you finally get on the phone with the event coordinator, tell them you’d like to be the official printer for the event. It’s extremely helpful to tell them why you want to get involved (is someone you know a breast cancer survivor, for instance?). From there, there are three different scenarios you might encounter.
Scenario 1: The event wants to buy T-shirts for all participants
Oftentimes, the event coordinator will want to give out branded T-shirts as a way to attract more participants. This is a prime opportunity to take on a large order. As a sponsor, you’ll be expected to offer a discount on the garments. Don’t be afraid to discount, on one simple condition: You get to put your logo on the sleeve.
The sleeve is the best real estate when the T-shirts are being used for an event. Think about it””photos are often taken with the participants lined up, with only their sides visible. And during runs, the participants are usually photographed from the side.
Scenario 2: The event wants to sell T-shirts to participants
Some event coordinators won’t want to pay for a bunch of T-shirts, but they want to have them available as a way to raise even more funds from participants who want a keepsake.
In this case, it’s easiest to build an online fundraising store.
You can set up a quick demo to show the coordinator what you’re thinking. Explain that you will handle all the orders, printing, and delivery at no cost to the organization. And at the end, you’ll send a portion of the proceeds back to them. All they have to do is promote the store to their participants.
I’ll tell you what””not many organizations would turn down an offer like that.
Scenario 3: The event doesn’t want to provide any T-shirts
If the event isn’t interested in T-shirts or other printed promotional products, the door hasn’t closed. It’s time to switch gears.
Present it this way: You still want to help. A lot of the individual teams that will be taking part in the event are going to be fundraising among their family and friends, and many of them use T-shirts to do it. Ask if the event will name you as the official printer for the event, then go to the teams.
Many of the participant teams are put together by local businesses who see events like this as a good PR opportunity and a chance to help their community. Reach out to their team lead and make the proposition: You’ll set up an online store and handle all orders at no cost to them. At the end, you’ll give back a designated portion of the proceeds to the team to put toward the contribution to the fundraiser. And just like before, you’ll offer a discount and put your logo on the sleeve.
Why does this technique work? Not only will the teams enjoy an easy fundraising process, but the coordinators will likely be happy to make you official. After all, the participants are the fundraisers. If you make it easier for them to raise money, the organization will end up with more donations overall. It’s truly a win-win-win situation.
Get started with InkSoft fundraising stores
We’re out to solve print shops’ biggest business problems. That’s why we’ve made running fundraisers so easy. Want to see it for yourself? Contact an InkSoft Expert to see how InkSoft stores work behind-the-scenes.
