You can consider a fundraiser successful if it gets a lot of donations. But for people to donate to your cause, the fundraiser campaign should engage them in a way that there’s an actual impact. This can’t be achieved with just custom keychains and hats every time. Sometimes you need to offer them something that has a higher perceived value as an item. And one of those items is hooded sweatshirts or hoodies.
They are practical. They offer comfort. And they can advertise your cause even after they are sold, generating revenue and visibility. As much as your organization needs profits for a cause, your supporters deserve apparel they’ll actually wear. This blog will walk you through selecting affordable wholesale hooded sweatshirts that deliver the perfect trifecta: reasonable price, genuine comfort, and excellent customization potential.
Budget Basics Is Enough
Fundraising success hinges on markup potential. Ideally, your organization should be aiming for between 40% and 60% profit margin on selling custom hoodies. If you can get good quality hoodies at low prices, you can sell them at a higher markup to yield more profit.
For example if your purchase of custom hoodies wholesale cost $15 per piece, you can sell them for $30 per piece (or more) earning $15 per hoodie in profit. Sell around a hundred hoodies and it will be huge. But $30 for a custom hoodie isn’t how it goes now. Even small retailers charge $40-$50 for a customized hoodie these days. So you don’t have to settle for too less. Just don’t make it too high either.
By budget basics, I don’t mean cheap hoodies. The cheapest hoodies aren’t always the best bet. Super-budget options might save $2-3 per piece but they may have low quality or thin fabric, fit poorly or even fade after a few washes. This in turn could impact sales and even affect the fundraising organization’s reputation.
A great strategy is to buy budget-friendly and mid-range hoodies, then price each category differently. This gives options for supporters to choose something within their budget while also maximizing the campaign’s revenue.
Don’t Go for Hoodies Made of a Single Fabric
The fabric quality of the hoodies or sweatshirts should surprise and delight supporters. Additionally, the fabric must also be chosen based on the fundraiser campaign budget.
Hoodies made of cotton-poly blends are the most preferred and popular fabric choice for fundraisers. These blends offer good durability, reduced shrinkage, and moderate softness at wallet-friendly prices. Most fundraiser-friendly hoodies fall into the 7.5-9.5oz weight range. Heavier doesn’t always mean better. Midweight options (7.5-8oz) often sell better because they work in more seasons and situations, earning more value than the heavier variants. Remember that the physical feel of a hoodie is what truly matters, as supporters will be getting a feel of the merchandise before buying them.
Inclusive Sizing Always Boosts The Bottom Line
A common mistake that quite a lot of fundraising organizations make is neglecting the importance of sizing options. Supporters come in all shapes and sizes. Limited size ranges limit the sales potential considerably.
- For adult campaigns, stock S through 2XL at minimum
- For youth/school campaigns, include youth sizes plus adult options for parents/teachers
- For community-wide fundraisers, stock 3XL-5XL options (though these typically cost more)
Size proportions vary by community and cause. A high school sports team will need different size distributions than a community-wide initiative.
Great Designs Make the Hoodies More Buyable
You can’t expect the sales to not fall flat even when offering the coziest blank hoodies. The hoodies’ value goes up with decorations. Decorations are also how you grab attention to the merchandise. They serve as a promotion of the campaign, potentially encouraging more people to check out the fundraiser. The cost of a custom hoodie may vary depending on the placement of the design.
Generally,
- Standard center chest placements are more affordable than the rest
- Left chest placements are great for small designs, and use less ink
- Full back placements costs more but you get maximum visibility in return
- Sleeve prints are add-ons. If creative enough, they increase the perceived value
If you plan to use a simple design but expect to sell a sizable quantity of hoodies, go for screen printing as they are the most cost-effective for bulk customization. Embroidery offers a premium look and typically costs more depending on the thread count and colors. Puff embroidery takes the value of a hoodie really high. If you plan to sell just a couple dozen hoodies, you may want to go for DTG. The complexity of the design also plays a role in profit margins.
Top Hoodie Recommendations For Fundraising
These are just my recommendations based on pricing, quality, and perceived value.
- Hanes P170 – Eco-friendly cotton-poly hoodie that’s available in around four dozen color varieties. The P170 is an iconic style from Hanes, and is quite popular among American apparel decorators. It’s high stitch density fabric delivers the best print results.
- Gildan G185 – Despite being a heavy blend, the G185 is made of 8 oz. cotton-poly blend fabric with 60% cotton. The pill-resistant air jet yarn used in Starlette Worsted Yarn ensures superb comfort and lasting softness. Available in almost all colors the P170 is available in. Great value for money if you plan to buy hoodies in bulk.
- Gildan G125 – A top-quality offering from Gildan, the G125 features the brand’s popular DryBlend fabric technology which gives it enhanced moisture-wicking.
- Jerzees 996 – Available in over 50 colors and made of sustainably-sourced USA-grown high quality cotton, the Jerzees 996 has been gaining a lot of momentum in the wholesale hooded sweatshirts market.
Special Features That Sell
- Full Length Zipper: Slightly pricier but preferred by many. The Gildan 18600 (G186) offers good value in the blank full-zip hoodies category.
- Performance Hoodies: Athletic-minded communities love these. They typically cost $3-5 more per unit but can command higher selling prices.
- Sustainable Hoodies: For environmentally-conscious causes, recycled-content hoodies make your message consistent with your merchandise.
Purchase Tips
These tips can help with ordering blank hoodies for fundraisers.
- Rush orders kill profits. Plan for 2-3 weeks for delivery plus 1-2 weeks for decoration.
- Spend $30-50 on samples of different brands/styles. This small investment prevents expensive mistakes.
- Some performance fabrics require special inks or processes. Confirm with your decorator before ordering.
- Avoid backorders. Verify that your chosen style has adequate stock before promoting.
- Pre-ordering before purchasing inventory reduces risk but extends your timeline. Weigh these tradeoffs carefully.
- See if you can get the blank hoodies decorated from the supplier as this can lower the overall cost of customizing hoodies in bulk. But check their past work first.
Endnote
The hooded sweatshirts you select should reflect both your financial goals and your supporters’ expectations. The idea is to leverage hoodies to establish a connection between supporters and your cause. The hoodies should remind supporters that they are representing something meaningful with a positive impact on the society. Choose thoughtfully, price strategically, and market your campaign carefully to maximize the value of the hoodie’s remarkable selling power.
