The process of adopting is stressful. Although there are scholarships and grants that you can apply for, sometimes these don't help to cover the full cost of the adoption fee. One way to raise money for an adoption is to sell custom-designed t-shirts. These t-shirts can obviously promote your cause of adoption on the t-shirt, but it can also feature other various designs to attract the eye. Some of the essential steps in setting up a custom t-shirt sale are:
Design the t-shirts. You can easily design custom t-shirts on various websites online such as Graysen Design. This company has personal knowledge of design and selling t-shirts to raise funds for their adoption.- Set up shop online. In order to reach a larger audience and sell more shirts, setting up an online shop is strongly advised. One can easily open up an account on Etsy or Amazon. Just make sure to check with an accountant regarding sales tax.
- Advertise. First off, contact friends and family through texts, emails, and phone calls. Let them know of your plan. Many of them are sure to offer their support! Second, post about your t-shirts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. With the post, make sure to mention where the money made is going, a brief description of why you want to raise the money, and something about your family--you want to make sure to connect with the customers.
- Sell the shirts. In addition to the online shirts, try to set up a table at local events. This could be a farmer’s market, football game, or garage sale. Also make sure to talk to local businesses--some of them might be willing to feature your shirts in their stores!
- Create an Instagram/Facebook page just dedicated to the t-shirt sale. You can easily set up an additional page just dedicated to the t-shirts you’re selling. This way you can update customers about new designs, what locations you’re selling at, and feature customers modeling the shirts.
Now you can support other fundraisers you see, provide support to another family trying to fund-raise, and share about your fundraising experience with us! Email your story (and photos too!) to adoption@gladney.org.
If you have questions about fundraising or other financial aspects of adoption, please reach out to our Senior Vice President of Finance.
