If you or your kids are in any kind of non-profit group, you know that “fundraising” is not always “fun.” In fact, a lot of times involves trying to convince people to buy things they don’t need or just paying money out of your own pocket because you don’t want to participate. I’m always looking for creative ways for groups to make money–especially by using the Internet. This week I was introduced to a new concept that I totally love and think could be great for so many different groups.
Get Sponsored: How Does Pear Work?
Pear is a Chicago-based company that helps “pair up” (get it??) sponsors with teams, clubs, and other groups looking for funding. It’s a pretty simple concept. The brand names want exposure and are willing to pay for it. Your group needs money or t-shirts or sports equipment. I compare it to my softball team when I was a kid. I will never forget that my team was “ENS” because we were sponsored by Evansville Neurological Services. They paid a certain amount of money for exposure and we gladly accepted it to help pay for the uniforms.
You can search Pear for sponsorships that are applicable to your group both geographically and based on what type of group you have and what they need.
You’ll be asked what type of group you are: Sports, School, Charity, Friends & Family, Military, Professional, or Religious. Pretty much every group fits into one of those! Groups can be Youth, Teen, College, Adult, or All Ages.
You’ll recognize many of the name brands that are currently or have previously sponsored groups through Pear, including Ritz, Stouffers, Verizon, EA Sports, SitterCity, and Shutterfly. Each sponsor is looking for specific group criteria so it is important to check the site regularly as the sponsors do change.
What Does Your Group Get?
Depending upon who is sponsoring you, you might get custom apparel or even cash donations up to $1,000. Right now CustomInk (Pear’s parent company) is offering up to $200 in custom apparel per group for any group type in any region. You can use that $200 for t-shirts, uniforms, warm-up gear, hats, and bags for your group.
I did a little searching on the CustomInk site and found that depending on how many shirts you order and what type and size, you can get 5, 10, or even 20 shirts for that $200 credit depending upon the type of shirt, number of colors, etc. Be smart about how you use the credit to maximize what you get! They offer a number of different shirt styles and manufacturers including Gildan, Hanes, and American Apparel.
So depending on the size of your group, you can decide if you want to spend only the $200 and get all the shirts for free or maybe order $400 worth and end up getting them half price with the credits. It’s totally up to you. The shirts WILL include a small CustomInk sponsorship logo on them as well.
What’s the Catch? Is Pear a Scam?
The whole thing seems too good to be true, right? I actually asked them that when I talked to them. What do you have to do to get these great sponsorships? The answer is the same as when I played softball–exposure for their brand. Except now it is 2015 and brand exposure revolves around social media rather than ball caps.
When you sign up for sponsorship through Pear, you are asked to help spread the word about the sponsor online. You can do this through your group’s Facebook page, Twitter account, blog, or even email list. Or send it out to all of the members of the group and have them spread the word through their own accounts. You get “credit” toward your sponsorship for things like watching videos, liking the sponsor on Facebook, and visiting the sponsor’s Facebook page. If you have 25 people who support your group, think how easy it would be to get 50 people to complete those tasks for you in 10 days. At the end of the 10 days, your campaign is done and you get the credits accrued through the tasks.
If you have spent any time in online marketing, it all makes sense. Brands are willing to spend money to get in front of people. You help them get in front of your group. You get sponsorship dollars. And you have to admit that your friends are probably a lot more likely to visit a Facebook page or watch a quick online video than to buy more wrapping paper or cookie dough from you.
Head over to Pear and see how you can raise money for your group today. And if you do, please come back and drop the link for your group’s fundraiser so we can all take a look!
(P.S. If you are on the site and can’t find the Custom Ink t-shirt sponsorship for your area, try clicking on this link: Custom Ink Sponsorship)
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