How to Sell Back to School Shirts to Kick-Off Your School Year

Back to school time comes with lots of excitement and energy from both parents and students alike. School spirit is at an all time high, and so is the demand for custom school gear. This makes the beginning of the year a unique opportunity to design and sell limited edition back to school shirts.

Read on to learn more about why the start of school is a great time to start a gear fundraiser! You’ll see some creative back to school shirt ideas—plus score some tips on how to make sure your sale is a big success! 

In this blog you will learn:

• Why hosting a sale at the beginning of the year is beneficial.
• Ideas for creative back to school shirts.
• Tips to make your next custom gear sale a success.

Benefits to Hosting a Sale at the Beginning of the Year 

Building out a fundraising calendar that encompasses the entire year can help you get organized and ensure you raise enough funds to reach your goals. Fundraisers that take a lot of time and effort work great a little further into the school year, but a custom gear sale can be up and running quickly and easily. That makes this type of fundraiser ideal for the beginning of the year! 

Hosting a custom gear fundraiser at the beginning of the year also gives new families the opportunity to stock up on school gear and show their school spirit at upcoming events. For families that are already part of the school system, a beginning of the year sale allows them to purchase custom tees, sweatshirts and more that the kids have outgrown or misplaced. 

Plus—your school can plan a spirit day after the sale! Not only will this get families excited to purchase new gear, but it’s also an excellent way to set a positive tone of community and inclusion for the year!

Ideas for Back to School Shirts

Selling custom gear such as tumblers, hats and more is always a great way to raise funds and school spirit. 

Adding back to school shirts provides families with an additional option and increases the chances they will purchase more than one product. That means even more funds raised! 

Here are some creative ways you can design and celebrate back to school with custom gear. 

• Grade-Specific Back to School Shirts: Design a shirt for each grade in your school. You can do a different color per grade or stick to school colors and just change the numbers such as grade or graduation year! 

This idea provides families with a new back to school shirt they can purchase each year as they progress through school. It makes each shirt a special moment of the year. These shirts are also a great way to group students on field trips or school wide events and assemblies. 

Bonus: Give families some creative ways to turn these shirts into keepsakes such as making a graduation blanket! 

• Graduating Class Shirts: Whatever range of grades your school encompasses, there is a class embarking on their last year before moving on to the next school in your community. Celebrate this big milestone with graduation shirts they can proudly rock all year! 

Bonus: Host a special session on school picture day for students to snap some graduation pictures in their special tees. 

• Teacher Shirts: Many teachers love showing off their school spirit just as much as the students, so why not design a shirt just for them! Use your school colors and give your teachers a shout out with text such as #1 Teacher or Teachers Rock.

Bonus: These back to school shirts make great gifts! Classes can organize together to purchase a shirt for each teacher or the school can work as a whole to purchase them for teacher appreciation week! 

• Team and Extra Curricular Activity Shirts: Back to school also means back to the hustle of extra curricular activities. Give your sports teams their own special shirts by adding a soccer ball, musical instrument or ballet slippers to a shirt design with your school colors and logo. 

Bonus: These shirts can offer another opportunity for a dress up day at school. Designate a day for your students to wear something that shows what they love doing! 

• Customize Sweatshirts: While obviously not a t-shirt, with fall weather rolling in, sweatshirts are a perfect item to include in your sale! You can use all of the same ideas such as graduation or grade specific sweatshirts or keep it more generic. 

Bonus: Parents are already shopping for warmer fall clothes so this is a win-win opportunity for them! 

Tips to Make Your Sale a Success

• If you order in bulk, set up your sale at high traffic times. For example, if there is an orientation before school actually starts where students and families can visit the school, set up a table to greet them! Other great options include drop off and pick up, school tours and meet the teacher events. 
• When getting the word out about your back to school shirt sale, remind families about all the fun events coming up that will be perfect to rock their spirit gear! You can also remind them it's a great opportunity to purchase gifts and get ahead on holiday shopping. 
• Because back to school time is a busy time for families, you should use social media and email blasts often to remind parents about your fundraiser.

The back to school season is one of the most exciting times of the year, filled with enthusiasm and school spirit. It's also the perfect opportunity to launch a custom gear fundraiser, particularly with the introduction of limited edition back to school shirts. 

By hosting this fundraiser at the beginning of the academic year, you not only kickstart your fundraising efforts, but also allow families to embrace their school spirit right from the start.

Booster’s in-house design team is standing by to help you create the perfect custom gear for your school. Get started today!