It’s officially the giving season—a critical fundraising period for charities of all sizes. In fact, estimates suggest that a quarter of all giving occurs at the end of the year! Many donors are motivated by a festive, feel-good sense of generosity and goodwill. Other donors may be spurred to action by high-profile, year-end fundraising campaigns. No matter the motivation, now is an ideal (and important) time to engage your supporters, old and new.
Incorporating fundraising merchandise into your year-end fundraising campaigns is a creative and effective way to boost your donations and increase engagement. Creating bespoke merchandise is also quick and affordable—meaning it’s doable no matter your charity’s timeline or budget.
In this post, we explain why charity merchandise is an effective tool for year-end fundraising. We also share tips for integrating merchandise into your campaigns and documenting its impact. Please read on to make the most of the giving season.
Why Charity Merchandise Works for Year-End Fundraising
Simply put, charity merchandise works. Whether your merchandise is practical and functional (think reusable shoppers or drinkware), fun and creative (think branded clothing and accessories), or highly visual (think magnets and stickers), thoughtfully designed items can boost your donations, especially when it comes to emotionally driven year-end giving.
Here are a few examples of why merchandise is such a powerful tool:
- It creates a tangible connection with your supporters. You might already send thank you cards at the end of the year. It’s a thoughtful gesture, but think about the lifecycle of that card. A supporter may feel a connection when they first receive it, but it’s likely to end up in the rubbish bin at some point. Fundraising merchandise, on the other hand, has a much longer shelf life, which means it can serve as a daily reminder of your cause and foster a connection with your charity.
- It has emotional value. During the holiday season, people are imbued with a festive sense of generosity and community. It’s a time to come together and show our appreciation for the people and causes we care about. Well-designed merchandise is powerful because it gives your supporters a sense of belonging to a movement or cause that is larger than the individual themselves—and it feels good to be a part of a positive community.
- It inspires further advocacy. High-quality merchandise will march on, long past the new year. Think of your merchandise as a walking, talking billboard. The most popular merchandise—including t-shirts, badges, and tote bags—are all highly functional, eye-catching beacons that broadcast important messages about your charity, build recognition, and inspire donor loyalty.
For more, see this previous article on How Charity Merchandise Can Strengthen Donor Loyalty.
Integrating Merchandise into Year-End Giving Campaigns
Make your merchandise work for you! Here are a few strategic ideas to integrate merchandise into your year-end giving campaigns:
- Bundle merchandise with donation levels: Consider designing a range of branded charity merchandise that is attuned to your various donor levels or tiers. For example, you might gift a branded sticker to first-tier donors, a creative badge for second-tier donors, or a high-quality reusable shopper filled with both items to your top-tier donors. This way, you can make all donors feel recognised and appreciated, no matter their income or ability to give. You will also incentivise people to donate more.
- Use merchandise to spur recurring donations or matching gifts: Similarly, you can position a special item as an incentive for donors who set-up recurring donations or as part of a time-bound, matching gift campaign. For example, you might have a corporate partner that offers to match all donations received in December (up to a certain amount). Encourage supporters to take advantage of this period by gifting an item to all donors who make a contribution within that window.
- Incorporate fundraising merchandise in holiday gift guides: Does your charity have an established online charity shop? Consider creating a holiday gift guide to encourage your supporters to shop for meaningful holiday gifts for their friends and family.
Tracking Success and Engaging Donors Post-Purchase
At Rocket Charities, we know firsthand how effective charity merchandise is in meeting your fundraising goals. But don’t just take it from us! When you integrate merchandise into your year-end campaigns, set up a tracking system to measure the performance of your products. For example, you might track key metrics like revenue generated from merchandise sales, increases in social media engagement, and donor acquisition and retention. This data will also help you optimise future merchandise decisions, including what types of items resonate with your unique supporters.
Another creative idea for the giving season is to encourage your donors to get involved on social media. You might ask people to post photos with their merchandise and a chosen hashtag as part of a creative holiday gratitude activity. Remember, the more you and your supporters share, the larger and stronger the community you can build.
Lastly, in the new year, be sure to send a follow-up email to thank your donors and share updates on how their contributions are making a difference!
We hope this article clarifies the many ways that fundraising merchandise can make a difference during the giving season. How else will you engage your supporters? Please get in touch with us anytime to brainstorm the best products for your end-of-year campaigns. We wish you a happy, healthy, and festive holiday season—and a strong end to the calendar year!