7 Killer T-Shirt Fundraiser Ideas

Discover fresh t-shirt fundraiser ideas from CharityAuctionsToday. Attract attention, price appropriately, and make the most of your t-shirt fundraiser.

T-shirt fundraisers are a creative and effective way to raise money for a cause while spreading awareness through wearable merchandise. Whether you’re fundraising for a nonprofit, school, sports team, or community project, selling custom-designed t-shirts allows supporters to contribute financially while also becoming ambassadors for your mission.

With the rise of online fundraising platforms and print-on-demand services, launching a t-shirt fundraiser has never been easier, requiring minimal upfront costs and offering a wide reach.

The success of a t-shirt fundraiser often depends on the design, messaging, and promotional strategy. A compelling design that resonates with your audience can turn a simple shirt into a statement piece that people are excited to wear.

Combining this with strategic marketing—such as leveraging social media, hosting pre-order campaigns, and partnering with local influencers—can maximize both sales and impact.

Take a look at our creative t-shirt fundraising ideas and tips and start planning a shirt fundraiser that will draw attention, donations, and make fun memories.

Leverage Online Platforms for T-Shirts

A successful t-shirt fundraiser starts with a good design. And online platforms have revolutionized t-shirt fundraising for nonprofits. They offer print-on-demand, where a t-shirt is printed only when ordered.

The print-on-demand companies offer a selection of merchandise you can add your design to and sell, along with t-shirts, like water bottles, coffee mugs, and ball caps, as an opportunity to raise even more money for your cause.

Risk-Free T-shirt Printing with No Upfront Costs

Taking a t-shirt fundraising idea and putting it in motion can be scary for nonprofits, especially smaller ones. But with online t-shirt fundraising platforms that print-on-demand, you can eliminate the risk of investment concerns.

Platforms like CustomInk, InkToThePeople, and BonfireFunds.com offer a no upfront cost model. They handle production and shipping once a t-shirt is purchased from your online auction or sales page—the print-on-demand model.

Selecting a suitable online platform is crucial for a successful fundraiser. Look for one that offers design tools and excellent customer support. Read the reviews and consider asking your social network if anyone has used them successfully.

The alternative to print-on-demand is using a traditional t-shirt printer where you give your design to them, and they print t-shirts in the quantity and sizes you request. You have to pay upfront for the t-shirts. You can also expect a hefty set-up charge to get the design ready to print on their press.

How Many T-shirts Should You Order?

If you’re going to order t-shirts from a printer instead of using print-on-demand, you’ll need to order the correct amount, so you don’t lose money by having too many leftover sizes. Unless you can see the future or have a crystal ball, you’ll undoubtedly have a few leftover to sell later.

TheAdairGroup.com is an online printer with a handy formula to use when ordering t-shirts to be printed. Below is a typical size breakdown in terms of size popularity.

Here’s the ratio of sizes to use as a handy guide for ordering t-shirts:

1-2-3-3-1

Or,

1 Small • 2 Medium • 3 Large • 3 Extra Large • 1 Extra Extra Large

How the ratio breaks down when ordering 100 shirts: Multiply each number by 10 to determine how many t-shirts to order for each size.

For example:
If you need 100 shirts total, multiply each number by 10.

If you need 200 shirts, multiply each number by 20.

If you need 1,000 shirts total, multiply each number by 100.

And so on.

Maximizing Profits on T-shirt Fundraising Ideas

To maximize profits, set reasonable prices, manage campaign duration, and leverage social media channels effectively. Consider complementary fundraising efforts like raffles to encourage participation.

Take advantage of no upfront cost models to generate substantial funds for your cause without the usual risks. It’s democratization at its best in the world of nonprofit fundraising.

Effective Promotion Strategies for T-shirt Fundraisers

Want to make your t-shirt fundraiser a success? Promote it like a boss. Here are some tips to help you get the word out:

Craft Unique Promotional Emails for Maximum Impact

Don’t settle for boring emails that get lost in the crowd. Make your emails stand out with eye-catching photos and compelling stories. Tell people why your cause matters and how their purchase can make a difference. Check out these examples for inspiration.

Use Social Media to Spread the Word

Social media is your friend when it comes to promoting your fundraiser. Use Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms to reach a wider audience and create buzz around your campaign. Here are some tips:

Facebook: Create an event page and post regular updates on your progress.
Instagram: Use relevant hashtags and showcase your designs with engaging visuals.
Bluesky: Engage your followers with polls and gain valuable feedback.

Remember to tailor your content to each platform and maximize its unique strengths.

Partner with Influencers to Boost Visibility of T-shirt Fundraiser

Bolstering your brand’s visibility by teaming up with influencers can help you expand your reach and increase trust in your fundraiser. Seek out influencers who possess similar ideals and have a fan base that mirrors your intended demographic. Connect with influencers, offering a complimentary t-shirt in exchange for spreading the word about your fundraiser.

If reaching out to big influencers feels out of reach, consider partnering with local businesses. Both chains and small businesses are often happy to consider promoting or sponsoring good causes.

Success is within reach with these tips—start your t-shirt fundraiser off right. Happy promoting.

Creativity and Community Involvement in Campaign Execution

Get creative and involve the community. It generates excitement and a sense of ownership among supporters. Depending upon the nature of your nonprofit, why not send the governor a t-shirt? If you’re promoting a walk or run, send a t-shirt to a local coach who can help promote it.

Engage with Stories Around Your Cause

If you’re going to get others to help spread the word about your t-shirt fundraiser, you need to polish your story or pitch. Make your campaign relatable and engaging by incorporating storytelling, consider a catchy slogan to go on the front or back of your t-shirts. Create a unique narrative that resonates with your audience and inspires action.

Involve the Community in Your Fundraising Strategy

Partner with friends, family, or local businesses who share your passion. Recruit volunteers, leverage local companies, and create partnerships to expand your reach. Don’t hesitate to reach out to radio stations that align with your audience or movie theaters showing movies related to your sport, cause, or club. Consider your cause and who or what would be a national companion to promote it.

Creativity sets you apart, but building strong community relationships ensures sustainability over time. Both are equally important for successful t-shirt fundraisers.

"Boost your T-shirt fundraiser's success with creativity and community involvement. Engage supporters, tell stories, and partner up for sustainability.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid on T-Shirt Fundraisers

Don’t let common mistakes ruin your t-shirt fundraising campaign. Avoid pitfalls like choosing the wrong platform or misjudging pricing strategy.

Vet your printer and touch a t-shirt sample to ensure it doesn’t look or feel cheap—you want to save money, but not at the t-shirt’s expense.

For the design contest, be sure not to select a winning design that might have a copyrighted image on it. For example, don’t use a design that has “Just Do It” on it.

Planning and executing properly can help you reach success.

Set the Right Price Point for Your Shirts

Don’t scare off donors with high prices but cover production costs and leave room for profit. Find a balance that’s affordable for most people while still allowing you to raise significant funds for your cause.

Integrate Complementary Fundraising Efforts

Consider adding raffles, silent auctions, or crowdfunding campaigns to your overall strategy. These provide additional opportunities for supporters to contribute towards your cause.

Raffles: Offer prizes like gift baskets, experiences like dinner at a popular restaurant, or event tickets.
Silent Auctions: Combine with live events where attendees bid on items without knowing what others have bid until the auction ends.
Crowdfunding Campaigns: Use online platforms to raise money from large numbers of people via social media channels.

Remember, success in t-shirt fundraising requires creativity in design, meticulous planning, strategic decision-making, community involvement, and effective promotional strategies. By avoiding common mistakes, aligning yourself with the right partners, and leveraging multiple forms of fundraisers, achieving your desired results becomes much more manageable.

Now that you know how to create a t-shirt fundraiser, the next step is to select what type of event you’ll create. We’ve identified seven types of t-shirt fundraisers where you can raise a lot of money and have fun while you’re doing it.

Look at these, share them with your team, and select the one that resonates with your mission and cause.

7 FUN T-shirt Fundraiser Ideas

1. 5k Walk or Run Charity T-shirt Fundraiser

A charity 5k run (or walkathon or bike-a-thon) is a great way to raise money. You can make custom t-shirts to include in the registration package. Create other events of interest for your group or organization to unite people for a good cause.

2. Commemorative event shirts

Capture the essence of special events like festivals, conferences, or gatherings by designing and selling custom t-shirts as fashionable souvenirs. These t-shirts can sell on-site or online, providing a stylish memento supporting the event or a chosen charity.

3. Corporate sponsorship tees

Encourage local businesses or corporations to sponsor custom t-shirts featuring their logos, which can be sold to raise funds for your nonprofit or cause. This partnership provides a valuable marketing opportunity for the sponsoring company while supporting a good cause.

4. Social media challenge T-shirts

Ask influencers and social media users to support your nonprofit event by designing custom t-shirts. Make it a social media challenge to raise awareness, engage followers, and generate funds through t-shirt sales. Consider offering a prize for the winning submission.

5. Ugly T-shirt Fundraiser

This is a super fun t-shirt fundraising idea for a nonprofit. Riff on the ugly sweater contests seen during the winter holidays. Turn it into an ugly t-shirt contest to get a dozen or so designs and promote the sale of the winners.

All you have to do is promote a call for ugly t-shirts, pick a dozen or more winners, and put them online for people to buy. This memorable shirt fundraiser might be particularly apt for environmental causes (“Reduce, reuse, recycle the worst shirt!”) or for crafting clubs who need little excuse to break out the ribbons and bows.

6. T-shirt Fundraising Idea: Subscription Memory Box

This is a terrific idea for an elementary school classroom fundraiser where students share what they learn and accomplish in class with their families and friends. The idea is to send a paid subscription box to each subscriber (parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends) twice a school year. The recipients get a t-shirt designed by a student with each box.

Set up the T-shirt design contest
The first step is to set up a t-shirt design contest among the students. You can name your program anything you’d like, but make it something related to feedback or learning with my fam, etc. The emphasis should be on the relationship between the students learning and the parent’s listening. Once you determine a name for your program, you can launch the t-shirt design contest so kids can get to work.

Sell the subscription memory box program
Start your campaign at the beginning of the year to sell subscription boxes to parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends.

The contents should promote and improve communication among teachers, students, parents, family, and friends. Additionally, this innovative project will turn heads in school administration offices, and focus on communication with parents regarding student development, while raising money for the classroom.

Create a flyer for the students to take home to explain to their parents.

To set a price for the subscription, consider the costs related to the items in the box. The t-shirt should be the only cost. Double the cost of the t-shirt to get the resale price. If you paid $15 for the shirt, sell it for $30, and have 30 students in your class whose parents buy the subscription box, that’s $450 for your classroom. (Do the same thing for the second half of the school year.)

What to include in the subscription box
We recommend the following but add/subtract anything you’d like.
• T-shirt
• Drawings and bookmarks made by the kids
• Homework, school papers, spelling tests, other tests, quizzes, etc.
• Teachers can create their own “Special Student Award” and be sure every student has one of these in their boxes. Describe what makes them special—let parents see what you see!
• Box or bag to put everything in (you might partner with a local box company or local store to provide the boxes for you in exchange for having their name and logo information on promotional materials and website, auction site, or page)
• Consider putting stickers on the outside of the box as decoration to make it look appealing, school-ish, and fun. Or have the kids decorate it
• Kids can make cards for their parents to include
• It’s possible that the contents will fit in a large envelope rather than a box
• A letter from the student thanking the person for subscribing and telling them what they hope to achieve this school year, their favorite subjects, what they want to be when they grow up, and a picture they drew of the recipient and family. This will give the recipient a look at their handwriting, thoughts, and imagination to save and compare at the end of the school year’s next subscription box.

• If you have a syllabus, include it in the box so the recipients and the students can discuss it during the year.
• Any important instructions or guides the teacher would like the parents or other family to see.

7. Community-wide T-shirt Design Fundraiser

Engage your community with a t-shirt design contest. Whether you’re a nonprofit helping homeless families or a third-grade classroom, you can host a t-shirt design contest for the designers to create a t-shirt design related to an event you’re having or as a design to represent your nonprofit.

Buttoning Up Your T-Shirt Fundraiser Strategy

T-shirt fundraisers provide a unique and engaging way to generate funds while building a sense of community around your cause. Whether you opt for a one-time campaign, a seasonal release, or an ongoing store, the key to success is creating designs that supporters love and promoting them effectively. Offering different styles, colors, or limited-edition designs can also boost engagement and encourage repeat purchases.

Beyond fundraising, t-shirt campaigns serve as a long-term branding tool, keeping your mission visible as people wear your shirts in their daily lives. By combining creativity, strategic planning, and a strong promotional effort, you can turn a simple t-shirt into a powerful fundraising tool that not only raises money but also strengthens awareness and support for your cause.

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly, CEO, is an entrepreneur and consultant with more than 20 years experience helping nonprofits lower costs and increase profits. As the founder of CharityAuctionsToday, Tom has helped raise over $500 million for nonprofits and charitable causes. Whether through coaching, speaking, or his bestselling book and podcast, Tom is dedicated to transforming the nonprofit landscape one organization at a time.

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