Kids, like all of us, have been massively impacted by the pandemic.
With schools shut down, friends, classmates, and teammates far away, and no sense of normalcy to hold onto, they’ve been forced to adjust. Quickly.
Their usual sources of activity, like organized sports leagues and after-school programs — and even just playdates with friends — have been paused. And it’s hard to know if they will come back later this year. So, we’ve been thinking about ways to bring some new, fresh, exciting fun to them.
That’s where today’s tip is headed.
A campaign suggestion that doesn’t just raise money for local businesses and organizations, but also delivers some joy and excitement right into kids’ homes.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Design contests offer something new
For many apparel decorators, orders from schools, sports teams and leagues, and summer camps represent a large share of annual revenue and total selling opportunity.
But, with COVID-19, all of those activities and leagues have been put on pause. Spring activities and in-class learning have been canceled, and as we step into summer, many are left wondering if summer activities and camps will have no choice but to follow suit.
So, how do apparel decorators serve these schools, businesses, and organizations? How can they help the kids stay connected to their favorite activities and programs?
By getting creative.
We’re talking specifically about t-shirt design contests.
Contests that invite all of the kids at any given school, on any given sports team, or in any given after-school program, to partake. Then, the winning design is printed onto t-shirts that can be purchased online.
Not only will the kids be excited about the competition, but the initiative will also give the local schools, businesses, and organizations a solid way to fundraise while they can’t operate as usual.
Oh, yeah, and it will also get the entire community involved and showing support. Talk about a win-win-win.
The easy breakdown
Any t-shirt design contest, whether it’s for a sports team or a dance studio, a school or a summer camp, should be simple.
First, the screen printer connects with the school or sport (or activity, or camp) administrators to organize the specifics. Then, once those are in place, they launch the contest — telling all of the parents what’s going on, and getting the kids drawing.
As soon as all the designs are in, they’ll be showcased online for the community to vote on. And then, once the winning design (or designs) are chosen, the screen printer gets to work, printing the spirit t-shirts.
The t-shirts can be purchased online, through a custom store created using the InkSoft Stores feature, and then the community can easily buy in.
The funds raised can go to support the local screen printer and the local business, team, or organization they’re working with, and the kids end up with t-shirts that remind them of how fun the contest was.
Even more than that, they end up with t-shirts that remind them of the community they still have, that they’re still a part of, outside of their house. The community with their friends, their classmates, and their teammates.
An exciting contest that works
Design contests like this, which require hands-on involvement in order to function, generate more engagement and excitement than other campaigns.
Take apparel decorator DesignAShirt, for example. They’re selling $12 t-shirts with kids’ custom artwork printed on them. So, all a parent needs to do is email in a picture of the art, and it’ll be printed onto a t-shirt, giving the kids something exciting to look forward to coming in the mail.
Why do these interactive tactics work?
Because — especially in times of boredom — people (and kids especially) are looking for new activities. This campaign, a design contest, gives them that.
But it doesn’t just involve the kids — it involves the staff and the parents, and the whole community, too. By turning the voting process to everyone, the contest becomes a shared community event that can be participated in from the living room.
And we definitely need more of those right about now.
In the past couple of months, it’s become very clear that digital fundraising campaigns aren’t just creative — they’re also effective. People are looking for ways to support those affected by the pandemic, and these fundraising stores offer them just that.
T-shirt design contests specifically offer more than other online fundraising stores — especially for kids. They’re interactive, they’re innovative, and they offer a level of bonding that’s been pretty hard to achieve as of late.
We can’t be physically together, but we can join into the same activity together.
We can come together to support the schools and organizations we love, and we can wear our awesome new t-shirts proudly.
This notion of building community in a time of physical distancing is so popular, in fact, that the team at Custom Ink have been promoting their services to schools and teams specifically.
“Discover what we’re doing to help your group continue to feel like a team,” their post says. And they’re right.
Apparel decorators should be doing everything they can to help unify schools and teams, camps and organizations, because they have the tools needed to make a difference. Custom t-shirts are more than just clothing, they’re markers of community.
And now they matter more than ever.
Having InkSoft technology in your toolkit — from capabilities that allow you to design products digitally to features that efficiently get an online fundraising store up and running — allows you to focus on the things you do best.
The “˜apparel decorating’ and “˜impacting your community’ things.
So, get to work starting a t-shirt design contest — or contests — of your own. We bet there are a whole bunch of local schools, teams, and organizations that would appreciate the community bonding — and support — it comes with.
If there’s anything we can help you with your design contest, don’t hesitate to reach out.
We’re rooting for you — and we know you have the power to make an incredible difference.
Stay safe,
The InkSoft Team
