Raising money for charity has become even more challenging since the credit crunch, and fundraisers are having to be more creative than ever to keep their supporters donating. Customised clothing can be used to boost morale amongst your helpers, raise money and help with the running of events, it's just a matter of picking the right garment for customisation.
Personalised clothing for charities
If you run regular events, and have a pool of regular volunteers or staff, consider providing personalised clothing that is branded with the charity logo, website and even tagline - and has a specific colour or design that only helpers and staff can wear. There are multiple benefits:
Participants in fundraising events will be able to identify staff and helpers very quickly High-quality customised garments can boost morale amongst your staff and volunteers, and help to make them feel part of a team The logo and website will help to keep your charity and its cause visibleCharity t-shirts for event participants
If you are running an event with a fee to participate, you could offer a free t-shirt as part of the price. This works well for events with large numbers of people, as bulk orders of printed t-shirts lower the cost of each garment. Again, ensure that the logo and website for your charity are part of the design, and keep the design to as few colours as possible to keep the costs low.
Running shirts and technical vests for charity fun runs and marathons
If you are planning to organise a fun run, or perhaps organise a team to participate in a marathon, why not customise running shirts and technical vests for the event?
These can be a great giveaway with a signing up fee as the serious runners participating will be more likely to wear a technical vest than a cotton t-shirt, thereby increasing your charity's visibility.
Jackets and hoodies
If you hold charity events over the year, you're likely to have volunteers and participants out in all weathers. Don't forget to look into customised jackets and hoodies, again with your charity's details printed on them, for people to wear in bad weather.
The cost of customised clothing for charities
If your charity has no budget for personalised clothing, consider approaching local businesses for sponsorship. You could offer a banner display at the events, mentions in event programmes, buttons on your website and special mentions in newsletters. These are preferable to offering to put their company logo on the garments themselves, so the impact of your design isn't affected.
Summary
The choice of clothing available for personalisation is greater than ever. The best customised clothing for your charity event will take into account the time of year, the type of charity you have, whether the clothing is for one or several events and whether you intend to sell it or give it away as an incentive. Taking the time to consider the options can not only raise money for your charity, but also raise your charity's profile.
