We Americans are a very charitable people. Give us a cause and a way to contribute, and we will do what we can. It is part of what makes us who we are. Having said that, it’s no surprise that a 14-year-old Sandwich, Illinois girl managed to raise $3,600 for COVID-19 relief by printing and selling T-shirts.
The MidWeek reports that eighth grader Liannah Considine came up with a T-shirt idea just about the time local schools were shutting down. She came up with a design, worked with a South Carolina company to create the shirts, and then sold them to both locally and in other states.
Everybody Loves T-Shirts
Printing and selling T-shirts was brilliant. Why? Because everybody loves tees. Just about all of us wear them, whether for work or play. We wear T-shirts as extra garments to keep us warm in the winter. We wear them to protect against the sun during the summer. Some people even where their T-shirts as high-end fashion accessories.
Considine was very smart in that she chose a product with universal appeal. Furthermore, by designing a slogan and color scheme that would appeal to people concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, she was able to get hundreds of people on board. Kudos to her.
How to Do It Yourself
Perhaps you know of a charitable cause you would like to raise money for. You can do just what Considine did. All you need is the willingness to put forth the effort and a good idea. Here is a step-by-step process to get you started:
1. Determine Your Cause
Raising money for charity begins by determining the cause. Be careful about what you choose, understanding that not every cause is a worthy one. It also helps to choose something you are passionate about. Raising money for a cause you believe in is a lot easier than working toward something you don’t really care about.
2. Determine Your Audience
The second step is to decide on the audience you want to target. Remember that raising money for charity is a lot like marketing. Not everyone you approach is going to go along with your efforts. Thus, it is up to you to figure out the kinds of people most likely to respond positively. They are your target audience. They are the ones you should be designing the T-shirt for.
3. Design the Shirt
Once you know who your target audience is, you can begin designing your T-shirt. You can go with a funny design or something more artsy. You can go for profound or simple. It’s really up to you. The key is to come up with an effective message you can get across with basic graphics and limited text.
4. Find a T-Shirt Printer
This next step might be the most difficult of all. There are plenty of T-shirt companies out there but, according to Five Dollar Tees, they will not all give you a low enough price to be worth your while. What you need is a printer capable of giving you a quality job at a reasonable cost.
The profit you make on each shirt is money you will donate to charity. Thus, you want the largest margin possible. It pays to shop around to find the best price at a level of quality your customers will be happy with.
All that’s left now is to order the first lot of shirts and start marketing them. With a little bit of luck and some hard work, you can sell enough T-shirts to make a sizable donation to your favorite charity.
Shop for stylish and comfortable T-shirts at Living Crafts. Our collection includes a variety of designs and colors to suit every preference.
