Fundraising is an activity that is common amongst most organizations like educational institutions, charity organizations, NGOs, and even community organizations. A significant number may find it difficult to come up with a fundraising idea that is different from the billion ideas today. A simple solution that is gaining traction is the use of stylish custom keychains in fundraising. This is indeed an extremely innovative option because it will not only raise money but also engages the audience to look forward to join in. This essential guide is going to help you with specific ideas on how custom keychains can become the holy grails of fundraising for your organization.
Why Choose Custom Keychains for Fundraising?
Custom key chains can be a great fundraising idea due to many of the following reasons:
Cost Effective: Custom key chains can be produced in bulk and at a very inexpensive cost. This is the reason why a majority of the population prefer custom key chains because, although production costs are relatively cheap, sizeable margins can be obtained. More often than not, promotional products such as key chains are relatively cheaper than most other items.
Universal Use: These keychains are small in size thus easy to carry and they are used by many people on a day to day basis.
Due to these reasons, such products can be enjoyed by everyone from a school going child to a fully grown adult.
Customization: Different colors and materials make various styles and designs of neck straps for key chains. This allows the organizations to make a product which is marketing the same which makes supporters even more interested.
Promotional Value: Key chains do not only assist in fundraising but also serve as advertising instruments. Whenever the key chain is use or someone around it, that very person always gets reminded about your organization’s existence and therefore it sells.
Ease of Distribution: Given the fact that key chains are very small in size, they can be easily handed out whether they are sold at events, via the internet or even through targeted mailings. Their size is also an advantage when implementing fundraising activities.
Steps to Implement a Custom Keychain Fundraiser
1. Determine Your Purpose
In the case of embarking on a fundraising venture such as this, it is advisable to make sure that there are set clearly defined goals. For example the funds that are being targeted, the duration of the campaign the amount towards which the funds will be directed. The existence of such operations ensures that the campaigns are more efficient and provides guidelines against which work can be appraised.
2. Develop Engaging Keychains
Every success, be it big or small, has operations or background that made it possible; the same situation is applicable in your organization. There are however some points that must be considered.
Thematic and Informative Message: It is important the design of your key chains resonates with the interests of the organization or a particular cause that you are addressing. Consider how you can utilize your logo, slogan, or a quote.
Material & Style: This project should be based on financial resources as well as the target audience. The most common ones are acrylic, metal, rubber, or wood. Different materials look different and so think about bonding with your supporters.
The shape and size: Also consider the shape and size of the keychain which may also influence the people in the target market. Make unusual shapes to extend their use in a such discipline as engineering, for instance. For instance, a keychain with a graduation hat may be preferred in a school while a keyring in an animal’s shape may be used in a wildlife charity.
Scheme of colors: Use colors that make people feel proud of their cause or organization. Key chains can easily be made infusing bright colors as engaging strategies for outreach.
3. Search for a Supplier
After completing the design, the next step is to look for a supplier who can make your custom keychains. Follow these tips to help you in choosing the best partner for your needs.
Investigate Suppliers: Find trustworthy suppliers marketing promotional products with a great degree of customization. Look at their ranking and make orders for samples to assess the quality of their work.
Request for Quotations: In order to analyze their prices, contact a few suppliers and ask for quotes. Check whether they offer varying rates or percentage reductions for bulk orders and the amount of time and cost to ship the order.
Customization or Personalization: Find out what types of customization your supplier offers and if they can meet your design specifications.
4. Determine Pricing
Your custom keychains will be priced at a reasonable level, and even more importantly, a price that is encouraged. Some of the factors that you should consider are:
Cost of Production: Calculate the average cost incurred on a single keychain which consists of costs like production, shipping, miscellaneous costs etc.
Market Strategy: Consider a range of prices which will be attractive to your potential customers.
Go through competing products in order to learn the price range to use.
Profit Margin: Identify the level of profit you will be comfortable earning per keychain. The generalized approach is that costs are targeted to be 1.5 – 2.0 times the value of the production costs.
5. Do not forget to let people know about your fundraiser
What else do you do to appeal to your target audience for your custom keychain fundraiser besides offering a good price? The answer is simply sponsorship. It includes but is not limited to the following options:
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter and other related social networks where pages about your fundraising for beauty products should be created. These sites would allow providing photo sections of the keychain in question that one is advocating for.
Email Marketing: Request your supporters to help promote the fundraiser through emails. Attach pictures of the keychains and their suggested selling price in the mail.
Events: Create publicity of the beauty product keychain while it is still in stock and advise that the product is on sale during milestone events such as community fairs, school events, charitable events, etc.
Partnerships: Reach out to nearby businesses or celebrities and have them assist you in your advertising campaign. Such people will be able to promote the key chain to their acquaintances.
6. The Key Chains Should Be Given Out
If the campaigning succeeds, then this is the ordering process for the key chains:
Internet Orders: This would be helpful especially if the distributor is located overseas. A clear procedure for each order placed will be in place.
Direct sales: In this instance, set up an exhibition stand where the customers can buy goods directly. People attending the exhibition may be able to buy items and pay cheaper prices if they are bulk purchasers.
Acknowledgements of Donations: Additionally, you should acknowledge individuals that you feel expended a lot of effort and time trying to assist you during the campaigning phase. This can be done by sending emails, thanking them on social networking sites, or even through personalized postcards.
Success Stories: Examples of Custom Keychain Fundraisers
Custom keychain fundraisers have shown to be very effective fund-raising strategies by divergent organizations that have put them into practice:
School Spirit Keychains: Many schools have embraced the idea of custom keychains for the purpose of enhancing school spirit. With so many schools offering keychains imprinted with their school color or mascot, they are able to foster unity and in the process raise funds towards their teams and activities such as sports.
Charity events: Non profit organizations have used the custom key chains in raising funds for a number of charity events. For example, the local animal shelter can sell paw print key chains with a portion of the proceeds going to fund the care and adoption of the furesponsible pets: retrievers, kangaroo beans and stolgatti/ shonen rescue operations.
Awareness campaigns: Custom keychains allow for the different causes to sponsor campaigns where for example keychains can be designed with quotes that would support mental health projects or any other organization’s endeavors.
Boosting Your Fundraising Efforts
In order to enhance the chances of your custom key chains fundraising project being successful it would be useful to consider the following:
Release Few Keychains On A Certain Day: It would be a good idea to start launching limited keychains on a certain day as this will create excitement for fans to try to purchase the keychains.
Encourage your fans to share pictures: Engage your fans by encouraging them to use different social media and post images of them with the keychains and other promotional items. This can help in spreading the word and also unify the supporters.
Encourage Supporters To Buy More: Put in place a bundle offer where supporters can buy a number of keychains for a reduced price. This can help in increasing your general sales as well as receive more large donations.
Learn From Your Mistakes: Analyze sales and adjust strategy accordingly. Recording what works well in the quest will in future minimize the time required in fundraising.
Conclusion
Traditional keychains are now custom made and are therefore unique in every sense. Custom keychains are not only creatively appealing and distinct but are also one of the most effective fundraising tools. That’s why people are always looking for new ways to promote their products and provide services. It makes its target audience money because of the range of options available. It is hopefully allowing readers to take away from the steps provided in this guide how to conduct simple and exciting custom keychain fundraising campaigns. Custom keyring keychains are effective for everyone whether be a school, a charity or a community group. Go try designing one custom keychain for yourself and get ready for all the excitement that comes with fundraising.
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