Fundraising Through Branded Merchandise

Fundraising Through Branded Merchandise Best Practices

  • Strategic Branding: Schools should carefully design and choose merchandise that aligns with their brand image. The merchandise should reflect the schools values, mission, and overall identity. This ensures that supporters are not just buying a product but also expressing their association with the organization.
  • Quality Products: Offering high-quality merchandise is crucial for customer satisfaction and repeat business. Durable and well-made items not only enhance the schools reputation but also encourage repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
  • Rokkitwear features brands such as North Face, Nike, New Era, Carhartt, Tommy Bahama, TravisMathew, Comfort Colors, Russell Athletic, Bella + Canvas, Ogio, Champion and more.

    Online Presence and E-commerce Platforms: Establishing a strong online presence through a dedicated website or e-commerce platforms enables schools to reach a wider audience. It also provides a convenient way for supporters to browse and purchase merchandise from the comfort of their homes. Sign up for a Free Online Store: https://form.jotform.com/Rokkitwear/Commission-Registration

  • Creative Marketing Campaigns: Develop creative and engaging marketing campaigns to promote the branded merchandise. Utilize social media, email newsletters, and other digital channels to showcase the products, highlight their unique features, and emphasize the impact of the funds raised on the schools mission.
  • Limited Editions and Exclusivity: Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity by offering limited-edition merchandise. This can drive higher demand as supporters may be more motivated to make a purchase knowing that the item is unique and only available for a limited time.
  • Partnerships and Collaborations: Explore partnerships with influencers, other organizations, or artists to create special merchandise collaborations. This not only expands the potential customer base but also brings in fresh and creative perspectives, attracting a broader audience.
  • Transparency and Communication: Clearly communicate how the funds generated from merchandise sales will be utilized to support the schools goals. Transparency builds trust with supporters and reinforces the idea that their purchases are making a meaningful impact.
  • Incentives and Rewards: Implement loyalty programs or provide incentives such as discounts or exclusive access to events for repeat customers. This encourages ongoing support and creates a community around the schools merchandise.

By following these best practices, schools can establish a successful and sustainable strategy for raising funds through the sale and marketing of branded merchandise.

 

Plymouth South High School launches online store

Plymouth South High School Marketing students launch online fundraising store.

PLYMOUTH – The old school store has joined the 21st century.

Starting last month, the store at Plymouth South High School has moved to an online platform for marketing clothing and accessories with Panther school logos.

Marketing students Andrew Wagner and Austin Budrow led the store’s charge into the modern market, shifting the store’s limited clothing line to an online presence with hundreds of products and a choice of logos approved by administrators.

Plymouth South Marketing Students have taken merchandise in the school online with Rokkitwear

Link to Full Article https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/old-colony-memorial/2018/05/09/panther-pride-on-shelf/12275887007/

The clothing is offered through RokkitWear, an online platform that allows parents, students and staff to customize purchases on 350 different products 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Customers can pay with credit or debit cards and buy single items or in bulk. Purchases will be delivered to their home within five days.

The shift in platform will mean added revenue for the school. Fifteen percent of the purchase price will go to the school’s technical studies revolving fund. That same 15 percent can be discounted from group purchases for school clubs.

Wagner and Budrow decided not to market gear for athletic teams, opting not to interfere with money that teams generate through annual fundraisers.

But groups can coordinate purchases and arrange to have individual names attached to gear if they like.

The online platform only went active two weeks ago, so sales are just starting to come in. The school store will eventually stock a limited line of samples, and the vast majority of goods will be online offerings only.

Shoppers can choose from familiar brands like North Face, New Era and Holloway, and virtually any club or department in the school – from the chess club to the plumbing department – can be featured with a Panther logo on gear.

Wagner and Budrow said the online merchandise will save the school store money on inventory that suffers from shrinkage or goes out of style.

The store had been losing money on some merchandise, marketing teacher Doris Grant acknowledged, and could never display all of the online offerings. “This is cutting edge. This is what technical studies is all about right? The future,” Grant said.

The online store offers a full line of T-shirts, warm-ups, outerwear, sweatshirt, polos and oxfords for men, women and children, as well as hats, scarves, stadium seat and blankets, all of which can be custom embroidered.

They range in price from a classic heavyweight T-shirt for $17.99 to the North Face Thermoball Trekker Jacket for $244.99.

“The days of brick and mortar are over,” Wagner said. “Nowadays everyone has a phone in their hands and can do this in less than five minutes.”

To view the offerings, visit https://www.rokkitwear.com/school/8359-plymouth-south-high-school.