Build T-Shirt Order Forms into Crowdfunding: 3 Steps

Crowdfunding and t-shirt fundraising often go hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to Fundly’s platform. Adding incentives like t-shirts can help you raise more money. Think about it: a donor may be willing to give more if they receive an item in return.

Not to mention, a branded t-shirt can be a great promotional tool for your organization. Every time a supporter wears your t-shirt, they’re actively promoting your campaign and getting other people interested in supporting your cause. 

With all those benefits in mind, it’s no surprise that t-shirt fundraising can be valuable to your fundraising campaign. But you’re probably wondering, how you can connect your t-shirt order form with your crowdfunding campaign.

Luckily for you, we’ve broken down the process of combining these two powerful fundraisers into 3 easy steps:

1. Design the merchandise for your t-shirt order form.
2. Organize your t-shirt order form.
3. Promote your t-shirt order form and your merchandise.

If you’re ready to learn more about working t-shirt order forms into crowdfunding, let’s get started!

1. Design the merchandise for your t-shirt order form.

The first step to building your t-shirt order form is to create your giving levels and design your t-shirts. Luckily, Fundly makes this process quick and easy. All you have to do is follow these steps:

• Navigate to your crowdfunding page settings. Once you’ve logged in to your account, click on “Your Page” in the top navigation bar.
• Click on “Choose A Giving Level” on the right side of the screen. This is where you’ll be able to edit the details of your incentive, including picking your donation amount, naming your giving level or perk, and writing a description.
• Add and design a perk from our list of merchandise. Fundly has a whole catalog full of different products you can offer, including t-shirts, mugs, hats, and so much more. Design your shirt by choosing from a selection of our artwork or upload your own design.

Your giving level will instantly be available for donors when they land on your crowdfunding page. All they have to do is select their desired giving level and fill out the form with their payment information.

What’s more? Designing a t-shirt is simple with our tool. Using our drag-and-drop feature, organizations can position their anywhere they want. We also place the price of each product so that organizations know how large of a donation they need to receive a profit. 

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When it comes to the design of your t-shirt, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Your supporters and campaign theme. If your crowdfunding event is a 5K walk or run, you’ll probably want to invest in t-shirts and tank tops. This way, your donors can wear their gear at your fundraising event, and your community will be presented as a unified force.
• The color of the merchandise you choose. What’s your organization’s color scheme? If your colors are purple and blue, for example, choose a shirt that closely matches those colors. No matter what products you choose, they should represent your organization and its brand.

Thanks to your nonprofit CRM, you know your supporters well so you can estimate which styles will be most popular. Your nonprofit can offer anything from XXS to 3X, so take your donors into consideration here as well. You don’t want to skip over anyone’s size and leave them feeling excluded!

Bonus! Need a t-shirt provider for your campaign? Check out Double the Donation’s Top T-Shirt Crowdfunding Platforms to find the perfect solution for your organization.

The bottom line: Be sure to think about your organization’s branding, campaign, and donor base when designing your merchandise. Selling products will only be a successful fundraising tactic if you provide options your supporters can’t say no to!

2. Organize your t-shirt order form.

Structuring your t-shirt order form is a crucial step in selling merchandise online. If your t-shirt order form is too complicated, you can easily lose a sale, which means losing funds and losing a donor sporting your branded t-shirt around town.

There are a few things you’ll need to include on your form:

1. Visuals of your merchandise. You’ll want to include high-resolution photos of your merchandise from multiple angles. Your donors need to know what they’re buying and offering them a closer look at the product can encourage sales! Plus, if you’re selling more than one type of t-shirt, you should display all the options your supporters can choose from.
2. Size options and guide. Your t-shirt order form must include your different size options. As previously mentioned, you want to be inclusive. Offer sizes from XXS through 3X. You should also include a size guide for donor use. While products like t-shirts are easy to guess sizes on, tank tops might fit more snug than what your supporters are used to. A size guide will help avoid order errors.
3. Product colors. If you’re offering your t-shirt in more than one color, be sure to include all available options on your t-shirt order form so your supporters can find exactly what they like. And if they can’t decide on just one color, maybe they’ll purchase two!
4. Progress bar. While it’s not a necessity, a fundraising progress bar will be really helpful for propelling your campaign. Adding a progress bar onto your t-shirt order form will help encourage your donors to invest in your branded merchandise. When they see how close you are to reaching your goal, purchasing a t-shirt will be an easy next step to help your organization.

Here is an example of how Fundly’s t-shirt order form looks on a crowdfunding page:

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Include your t-shirt order form right on your crowdfunding campaign page so it’s always readily accessible for constituents looking to unite your community and support your cause.

The bottom line: There’s a lot to include on your t-shirt order form, but the most important detail to remember is that you make the form intuitive and easy to use so you don’t lose out on any sales.

3. Promote your t-shirt order form and your merchandise.

In order to make merchandise sales, you’ll need to promote your campaign! There are plenty of avenues you can use to spread the word.

Consider the following communication channels to help boost your merchandise sales:

• Phone. This old-fashioned method will feel personal to supporters, especially because they’ll be able to engage with a real person. This communication channel can help spark interest and create conversations.
• Direct mail. This intimate channel will inform donors about your upcoming t-shirt crowdfunding campaign. You can even print a QR code onto your materials so supporters can be immediately connected to your online campaign.
• Email. Email is often the most comfortable avenue to engage with donors. Your email about your t-shirt crowdfunding campaign should be loaded with links to your t-shirt order form and photos of your merchandise. These visuals will get supporters excited about purchasing merchandise.
• Social media. Social media opens up a world of opportunity when it comes to spreading the word because when you share information about your t-shirt crowdfunder, your supporters can share, retweet, and like that content, which allows their networks to see your content too, more than doubling your exposure.
• Campaign website. Your campaign website should provide supporters will all the background information they need about your nonprofit, your cause, and your campaign. Don’t forget to promote your t-shirts here too! As previously mentioned, make sure your t-shirt order form is never hard to find so every constituent can support your organization by purchasing merchandise.

By combining both traditional and innovative methods of communication, there are an endless amount of opportunities to get the word out about your crowdfunding campaign and your t-shirt sales.

The bottom line: Use the platforms most of your supporters are already on so you open your organization up to the biggest amount of potential success. Spreading the word will be a breeze from there!

Now that you know how to build your t-shirt order forms into your campaign, there’s nothing holding you back from hosting your best crowdfunder yet! All that’s left to do is create your t-shirt order forms and start fundraising!

If you’re interested in learning more about crowdfunding, check out these additional resources:

• Fundly’s Ultimate Crowdfunding Guide. Need a refresher on crowdfunding? Check out our ultimate guide for all the tips and tricks you’ll need for your own campaign.
• Fundly’s Fundraising Letter Examples. Looking for other ways to raise money? Try out fundraising letters and check out our guide for helpful pointers.
• Bonfire’s Church Crowdfunding Strategies. Check out Bonfire’s church fundraising strategies for some inspiration for your next crowdfunding campaign.

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