[Guest Post] Three Methods Nonprofits Can Use Promotional Merchandise Successfully by Elaine Fogel

I met Elaine Fogel just a few years in the past when she organized a convention in DC. I’ve been impressed together with her dedication to nonprofits and her data of promotional gadgets. (I name it schwag.) So I requested her if she’d write a submit on how nonprofits can use them successfully. When she’s not running a blog right here, she is knowledgeable speaker, author, advertising and marketing guide and president & CMO of Options Advertising and marketing & Consulting LLC, a boutique advertising and marketing company that serves nonprofits and smaller companies. The corporate additionally distributes promotional merchandise as a part of its product and repair combine. You possibly can attain her on Twitter @Elaine_Fogel

Three Methods Nonprofits Can Use Promotional Merchandise Successfully

by Elaine Fogel, President & CMO Options Advertising and marketing & Consulting, LLC
www.solutionsmc.internet

Most fundraisers and nonprofit entrepreneurs share one main goal – to boost extra money for the mission! And, with the hundreds of fundraising advertising and marketing choices accessible right this moment, the place do promotional merchandise match?

Known as by many names: promoting specialties, swag, promotional gadgets, branded items, chotchkes (Yiddish), giveaways, promotional items, promoting items, or promotional merchandise, promotional merchandise may help your group accomplish a lot of its objectives – some associated to exterior audiences, and a few inner.

Listed below are 3 ways to make use of promotional merchandise successfully:

1. Construct model consciousness

   Giving out acceptable promotional merchandise provides a easy and cheap solution to leverage your group’s model and hold its identify and repute in entrance of its goal markets. When donors and volunteers carry tote baggage, put on T-shirts, or use on a regular basis gadgets along with your nonprofit’s brand on them, they’re sending a message of help to your mission.

   As with most client merchandise, the extra seen your brand and identify are within the communities your group operates, the extra individuals will acknowledge the model. The extra they acknowledge it, the larger the chances in responding to “an ask” or occasion invitation or stimulating a dialog in regards to the mission.

   There are lots of alternatives to distribute promotional merchandise for model consciousness:

   • Advocacy occasions
   • Neighborhood festivals/commerce reveals
   • Contests prizes and promotions
   • Fundraising occasions
   • Public occasions

   One phrase of warning right here. For bigger crowds or portions, don’t purchase low cost gadgets which are more likely to break or collapse shortly. That may do nothing to your model. Know your viewers and what they’ll use and never throw away. Gadgets like stickers, pins, clips, wallet-sized calendars, pens, pencils, golf tees, and magnets are just a few of the cheaper giveaways. If kids are a part of the viewers, there are numerous kid-focused gadgets that folks will admire.

2. Exhibit appreciation and recognition

   Nonprofits can by no means say thanks sufficient and acknowledge the individuals who contribute to their success. Exhibiting common appreciation to your particular donors, volunteers, funders, company companions, and workers may help hold them motivated and dedicated to your trigger.

   Awards and plaques may be particularly precious to enterprise companions that show them of their places of work and to people who will place them proudly of their houses. Nonetheless, if the product is cheaply made or is unattractive, it would defeat the aim and the recipient will both give it away, toss it, or put it away.

   As with many issues, worth usually determines the merchandise’s high quality and enchantment. There are lots of beautiful merchandise accessible right this moment which are sure to impress, in addition to reasonably priced items which are pleasing and properly made.

   Award Examples:

   

   Multi-toned Moonstone end Stonecast plaque with real looking wooden grain end.

    

   

   This free-flowing award has cobalt blue-toned veining and rests on an ebony optical glass base with a mirrored reflector. Each bit is handcrafted and signed by the artist.

   Make sure you ship appreciation items to donors after they’ve made a present and never earlier than. Some newer analysis signifies that utilizing promo merchandise as up-front incentives may very well be counterproductive to donor retention.

   For main items donors, particular volunteers, and different worthy recipients, there are lots of high quality merchandise in a spread of costs. Use branded gadgets which are helpful, symbolize the model properly, and are priced to go well with the particular group.

   Within the accompanying thank-you be aware, remind recipients that at any time when they put on or use their appreciation items, they’re serving to to advance your group’s mission. That means, you possibly can cut back any misgivings about the fee.

   Along with appreciation and recognition, there are lots of comparable alternatives to make use of promotional merchandise:

   • Vacation items
   • Milestones
   • Retention
   • Rewards
   • Stewardship

3. Generate further income

   Some entrepreneurial nonprofits promote their branded items on-line and at occasions to generate further income in addition to construct model consciousness. There are firms that may handle on-line gross sales and success in your nonprofit’s behalf if workers can not. Typical gross sales merchandise embody mugs, T-shirts, hats, drinkware, baggage, and workplace equipment.

There are just a few statistics price noting when deciding on promotional merchandise.

• Almost 9 in ten (87%) recipients of promotional merchandise can establish the advertiser on the merchandise.
• Over one-half (52%) of the time, advert specialties depart a extra favorable impression of the advertiser.
• Promotional merchandise ship the identical or a greater ROI than different types of media.
• About eight in 10 (81%) of product recipients indicated that an merchandise’s usefulness is the first cause to maintain it.
• The merchandise that depart essentially the most optimistic impression and that recipients hold longer are: outerwear, shirts, recognition gadgets (awards, plaques), caps/headwear, flash drives, well being and security merchandise, desk/workplace equipment, and baggage.

Promotional merchandise give your nonprofit an reasonably priced solution to construct goodwill, reveal appreciation and recognition, make a couple of dollars, and achieve model identify recognition. In line with Professor Ian Bruce, founding director of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at London Metropolis College’s Cass Enterprise College, “The identify is so vital as a result of it’s a shorthand for all the things you do and stand for.”

©2012 Promoting Specialty Institute®