October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you need to be offering customers your services today.
Bottom Line Up Front: Breast Cancer Awareness Month runs from Oct. 1-Oct. 31, and it is an excellent opportunity for you to support local businesses raising funds for the cause. But you need to make sure you’re starting your efforts now, and you need to be able to fill the orders before the month is over.
October is here, which means (depending on where you live) cooler weather, falling leaves, and Halloween decorations all around. But on a more serious note, the start of October marks the kickoff of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The National Breast Cancer Foundation encourages people to participate in various campaigns that can help raise more awareness, including fundraising.
What Can My Business Do?
Think about all the hats, bags, shirts, and other products you print every day. With Breast Cancer Awareness month, you can turn your shop into a bustling machine for all types of Breast Cancer Awareness fundraising campaigns.
Here are just a few events groups typically organize for the month to raise funds:
Raffles and Auctions: Like other fundraising efforts, countless community groups hold raffles and auctions to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. Your shop can partner with local organizations like churches, schools, and Vets organizations to be the primary provider of customized prizes that people can bid on to win.
Races: You’ve probably seen at least one 5K or 10K in your city that’s a fundraiser for this cause. Well, think about all the opportunities this scenario provides for you and the client. One of the biggest complaints about race events is the lack of quality in the products you get at the finish line. Suppose you can provide your customers with high-quality products for the race registrants. In that case, you’re providing value and helping with a great cause.
Restaurant Partnerships: Restaurants often hold event nights where a portion of the proceeds from the sales goes towards Breast Cancer Awareness month. You can partner with these restaurants to provide premium products that diners can receive by contributing to the cause.
School Sports Partnerships: Since pink is the official color of Breast Cancer Awareness month, some school sports teams will change their uniforms and swag to represent their support of the cause. Consider all of the school teams and leagues you already work with. This provides both of you with an excellent opportunity to support the cause and make it easier for the school to source the goods they need. Make sure to check with your local schools, too, because there may be other teams or clubs outside of sports that need pink-colored swag for the month.
Corporate Partners: Many large corporations will match their employees’ donations to causes like Breast Cancer Awareness as part of their corporate giving program. Some of them also encourage employees to wear pink apparel and accessories during October to show their support. You can partner with these companies and provide them with related products, so everyone can show their support with a T-shirt, polo, hoodie, cap, or whatever other printable pink product they choose around the workplace.
What’s the Rush?
As a printer, you know printing an order takes longer than just getting the blank product and turning on the machines. Even if you’ve sped up the process with tools like InkSoft’s online art approvals, you still want to give yourself plenty of time to meet the demands of this season. There are also continuing global supply chain issues with all types of products, including apparel, so the sooner you know how much product you’ll need, the better.
And, you’re probably also already buried in school sports orders, so the sooner you get your Breast Cancer Awareness orders set up, the better.
How do I get started?
Start thinking about who you want to work with today, and let your customers know you’re ready to start helping with fundraising campaigns. Make sure you’re posting on your social media channels so people know they can turn to you for all their printing needs for their initiatives. You can use features like InkSoft’s Online Stores to set up campaigns for customers, so merchandise is easy to purchase and customize.
And, reach out to your existing customers– schools, restaurants, local rotary clubs, and any larger companies you may have printed for in the past. You can also ask your current customers if they’re involved in any campaigns for the cause. Since it’s a disease that affects so many women and their families, you’ll often find groups involved in Breast Cancer Awareness fundraisers you might not have even considered, like a construction company or an auto parts store.
Keep on Schedule
Since this is a fundraising effort and there’s a tiny window for most of these organizations to meet their goals, you need to fulfill any orders you agree on within the time frame. Breast Cancer Awareness month ends on October 31, so you must be able to finish any agreed-upon jobs so that it keeps with the timeliness theme.
Repeat Clients
The best part about showing customers that they can count on you for Breast Cancer Awareness month is that they’ll need your help next year. And, every year after for the foreseeable future. Start securing your orders now, and you’ll have a valuable set of long-term relationships. Plus, you’ll have a reputation as a business that supports important causes.
Curious about how InkSoft can help you be the go-to shop for fundraising printing? Book a personalized tour today and learn more.
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