The holiday season is almost upon us, so it’s time to start thinking about how to boost year-end donations by selling branded holiday gifts to support your nonprofit. If this is often the most profitable time of the year for many retail businesses, why should it be different for charities selling merchandise?
This holiday season, encourage your supporters to use their purchasing power to promote social good. Whether they buy an ‘ugly’ Christmas sweatshirt or a custom-hoddie for a loved one, it’s the perfect opportunity to inspire people to give back to those in need, spread awareness about your nonprofit’s cause, and increase revenue at the same time.
This article will take you through everything that goes into creating and selling branded holiday gifts for your nonprofit. Plus, we’ll throw in some pro tips on the best-selling products to offer, as well as how to get the word out.
How Can Nonprofits Benefit from Creating and Selling Branded Holiday Gifts?
There are countless benefits of selling custom nonprofit holiday gifts. Let’s take a look at some of the best ones:
- This is the time of year when people want to give back and share. Most traditions, whether it’s Hanukkah, Christmas Day, or Kwanzaa, include gift-giving, and many also emphasize kindness and charity.
- Many people are looking for customized holiday gifts. What do you give to the person that has everything? How about a gift that benefits someone else?
- The person receiving your present will appreciate that you consciously choose something ethical, manufactured using fair procedures, and supports a worthy cause.
- It’s the perfect opportunity to increase your nonprofit’s revenue while spreading awareness of your mission.
- Maximize the outreach and visibility of your nonprofit brand.
- Attract new supporters that might not have heard of your organization before.
Sell Nonprofit Holiday Gifts Online
Organizations can now maximize donations by hosting a merchandise sales fundraiser with their eCommerce store to showcase a variety of print-on-demand merchandise. Use DoJiggy’s easy-to-use software to set up your bespoke eCommerce store and produce incredible customized holiday gifts to sell anywhere and anytime with Printful.
We have two store options:
- Our donor-friendly Simple Stores® are a great option to get your organization set up and selling branded holiday gifts quickly, with little effort. Nonprofits can set up the store for free and add items within minutes. Peer to peer pages can be used for schools and organizations that want to track sales by participants.
- Our Pro Stores offer another option for a year-round store with print on demand and automated fulfillment from Printful.
Spread the Word
The more people know about your branded holiday gifts, the more you’ll sell. So, don’t waste any time and start promoting your online store early for successful year-end campaigns. Generating hype and awareness is a crucial step in getting people excited about your store and custom holiday gifts. Here are a few tips to help you achieve this:
- Post fun videos, engaging stories, and interactive polls on social media channels to get people talking about your nonprofit’s branded holiday gifts.
- Advertise your holiday online store on your nonprofit’s website.
- Consider offering discounts or vouchers for multiple purchases, nonprofit members, and major donors – everyone loves a good deal!
- Show off your nonprofit holiday gifts on Instagram and Facebook Stories to create interest and awareness around your cause. Ask volunteers and brand ambassadors to wear and endorse your custom holiday gifts while sharing your nonprofit’s mission.
- Why not set up a hashtag challenge or viral video to get people participating and familiar with your cause – #uglychristmassweatshirt? This has been a popular social media trend with many charities recently, and the global attention that can be reached is staggering.
Best-Selling Branded Holiday Gift Ideas for Nonprofits
Set up your online store with customizable holiday gifts now and beat the holiday rush! We’ve even created a list of best-selling products with the greatest chance of attracting holiday shoppers. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get creative, sell as much custom merchandise as possible, and give back to those in need this holiday season.
Custom Coffee Mugs
There’s nothing cozier than snuggling up with a hot drink during the holiday season. Whether you’re a tea, coffee, or hot chocolate fan, a customized mug will make your drink of choice taste even better!
Branded Throw Blankets
Staying on the subject of getting snug this holiday season, how about wrapping up on the sofa with a customized warm blanket after a long day? Design your branded holiday blanket with the theme of your nonprofit’s next fundraiser, impactful photos, or one of your favorite furry friends.
Unique Phone Cases
Revamp your phone over the holiday season with a customizable phone case. Technology is more popular than ever, so it’s a great time for your nonprofit to raise funds and awareness by creating stand-out custom phone cases. It’s also an opportunity to make donating more attractive from their new stylish phones with mobile giving options.
All-Over Print Sweatshirts
What better way to celebrate the holidays than by showing off your customized ugly Christmas sweatshirt? Make a statement by creating a unique hoodie or sweater with bold designs and eye-catching images and phrases. You could even have a best-seller on your hands with the right design.
Fun Custom Socks
Get into the holiday spirit with a fun pair of customized socks. Add a touch of holiday flair to your feet with gingerbread designs, Santa holding your organization’s logo, or elf prints. Whatever design you choose, you’re guaranteed to make someone happy with this thoughtful and practical custom gift.
Custom Wall Art
Brighten up your walls this holiday season with some unique customized art. Whether you opt for photos of your organization’s beneficiaries, a favorite drawing from a child that has been helped, or a preferred quote or song lyrics, make sure it’s something that people can’t wait to share, gift, and get their hands on.
Reusable Shopping Bags
More and more people are looking to buy sustainable and ethical products. Don’t disappoint your green supporters this holiday by encouraging them to buy custom reusable shopping bags with your nonprofit branding. This is a highly practical holiday gift, as it’s something that everyone can use. Whether you’re doing the weekly shop or taking the kids to the park, it’s a great way to maximize your nonprofit’s visibility while helping to save the planet.
Custom Christmas Cards
Raise people’s spirits over the holiday season with fantastic and meaningful custom Christmas card designs. Without a doubt, charity Christmas cards are incredibly popular. They’re a great way to raise funds for your nonprofit and awareness of its mission. Here are a few tips that will have them flying off the online shelves:
- Show your Christmas cards to your board of directors for approval and feedback before finalizing the designs. You want to ensure everyone at your nonprofit supports the message being sent. The design and wording must match your cause and brand.
- Make the design attractive, thoughtful, and something relatable. Don’t try to be overtly funny or use inappropriate imagery – it could be taken the wrong way and negatively affect your nonprofit and cause.
- Animals, religious imagery, environmentally friendly themes, and local scenes are all popular design ideas.
- Consider holding a custom Christmas card contest in your local school or community center and selling the winning designs. This creates a great boost in community spirit and spreads awareness of your nonprofit’s worthy cause.
- Use sustainable materials to promote eco-friendliness.
Unique Advent Calendars
Advent calendars are a Christmas staple. They’re full of fun and surprise, the perfect build-up to Christmas day. Create an unforgettable holiday gift with a nonprofit custom advent calendar. Behind each door, you could display a photo of who has benefitted from your generosity. It’s the perfect opportunity to add a personal touch, thank your donors creatively, and highlight the positive impact your nonprofit is making.
Charity Calendars
Bespoke charity calendars are a great way to create a year-round reminder of your nonprofit and its mission. Hanging from a wall in a family kitchen or standing on a worker’s desk in the office, your nonprofit calendar will be on display for everyone to see and attract new supporters. You could even design it to highlight specific days important to your organization.
Nonprofit Holiday Gift Cards
Nonprofit gift cards are an ideal way for supporters to give back to those in need over the holiday season. Nonprofits create a list of virtual benefits or gifts for supporters to purchase, for example, a $25 or $50 gift card, which supports something important about the charity’s mission.
These donations offer immediate and effective assistance while giving supporters insight and power into how their money is spent. The upside of nonprofit holiday gift cards being virtual means that they’re convenient to purchase, providing instant gratification for the buyer.
Promoting Memberships as Gifts
Nonprofit memberships make great gifts for the holidays. While every donation helps achieve your nonprofit’s goals, increasing the number of members who give regularly is crucial. Nonprofit memberships are a great way to close the year and start a new year by providing an opportunity for people to get involved with their favorite organization and make a difference in the community.
One of the essential foundations for a strong monthly giving program is communicating a clear purpose for the monthly giving campaign. Pinpoint a specific and ongoing service, effort, or another aspect of your organization that needs consistent financial support. These will vary by organization and could include providing school supplies, community programs, food to feed the homeless, or other efforts.
Learn the steps to launching a monthly program for your nonprofit here.
Wrapping Up Custom Gifts for Nonprofits
There are many ways to give back and help the less fortunate over the holiday season, but one guaranteed to put a smile on many faces is through customized and branded holiday gifts. Whether you opt for a fun and ugly Christmas sweatshirt or start building strong relationships with new members, your nonprofit will reap the benefits from your holiday fundraising efforts. Remember that your nonprofit’s sales success will highly depend on the quality and popularity of the gift items in your catalog – so make them good!
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