Ordering Custom Shirts for Nonprofits and Community Groups

Shirts for a church picnic, a charity walk, a youth group trip, or a fundraiser all have a few things in common. The budget is set. The volunteer in charge may be doing this for the first time. And the date on the calendar isn’t moving.

We’ve printed for nonprofits and community groups for a long time, and the orders that go smoothly tend to follow the same few steps. Here they are.

Start With Your Event Date

Before you pick a design or a shirt color, look at the calendar. Your event date is the one thing you can’t change, so plan backward from it.

Leave time to settle on a design, approve it, collect sizes, and print. Then add a little extra. Volunteer groups often need a few days to get answers back from everyone, and that time adds up.

Reaching out early also gives you more choices. When time is short, the options narrow down to whatever can be done quickly.

Share Your Budget Upfront

Some groups hesitate to mention a budget because they worry it will limit them. It works the other way. Once we know what you’re working with, we can help you spend it well.

A few things affect the price of a screen printed order. Each ink color in your design needs its own screen, so more colors cost more. Printing on the front and back costs more than one side. The shirt itself matters. And larger orders bring the price per shirt down, because the setup work is spread across more shirts.

A one-color design on a good basic shirt can look sharp and keep costs in check. If something in your design is pushing the price up, we’ll tell you and suggest options.

Let an Online Store Handle Sizes and Payments

Collecting sizes and money is where most volunteer-run orders get stuck. Someone ends up with a spreadsheet, a stack of envelopes, and a list of people who still haven’t answered.

An online store takes that job off your plate. We set up a page for your group, you share one link, and each person picks a size and pays on their own. Nobody has to collect cash or chase down the last few sizes.

Plan for Next Year’s Volunteer

Many community groups run the same event every year, but the person in charge of the shirts changes. That handoff is where details get lost, and this year’s shirts end up a different shade than last year’s.

We save your ink colors to your account, so they’re already on file when next year’s order comes in. On your end, keep a short note with your group’s records: who printed the shirts, which shirt style and color you chose, and where the artwork file is saved. The next volunteer will thank you.

Think About Who Will Wear It

A shirt for a 5K walk needs to be comfortable to move in. A shirt for a church family picnic has to fit everyone from small kids to grandparents. A shirt volunteers wear year after year has to hold up in the wash.

Tell us how and where the shirts will be worn, and we’ll help you choose one that fits the job. Screen printing holds up well through many washes, so a good shirt with a solid print can last for years of events.

First shirt order or twentieth, we’re glad to help your group plan it.

Call us at 856-848-3240 or email [email protected] to get started.