Need ideas on cheap promotional items for my organization?

Question

I work for a non-profit and looking for some promotional items to purchase.

I don't put much stock in this ever bringing us back lots of money, but need some things to hand out at the various events we attend.

What are some of the affordable items in your opinion that will give me something to hand out and not kill my budget?

Thanks,

Answer 1

I can't say that I know prices for items, but I do see people give out items like buttons, t-shirts, stickers, and fliers at lots of events so I suspect that it won't cost too much for these items.  On the t-shirts I have seen some companies that will do t-shirts for like $5 each, and depending on how many you want you may get them for cheaper.

Answer 2

As a non profit you could take a number of tacts with this, however the main point is that you should be looking at what will give you the best return on your investment. If promotional products aren't going to provide you with some extra revenue either directly or indirectly then there is no point using them!

That said there are two ways I see promotional products working for non-profits. A good souce of fundraising is to sell branded promotional products directly. People are often willing to pay extra for a product if they know the money is going to a good cause. If you choose products that have a higher percieved value than their actual cost this will also help. As an example pens, badges & keyrings, small notebooks with pvc covers, or other small novelty items can work well.

The other way to work this is to give away products that will constantly remind people of your non-profit organisation and thus increase their chances of future giving. Given this needs to be low cost and also have longevity, I would suggest fridge magnets - they are low cost when done in volume, and they can stay on the fridge for years, giving a constant reminder to householders of your organisation.

For info on promotional pens & stationary see this page:

http://www.adproducts.com.au/stationery0...

For info on badges see this page:

http://www.adproducts.com.au/badges06.ht...

Info on keyrings:

http://www.adproducts.com.au/keyrings06....

Novelty Items:

http://www.adproducts.com.au/novelties06...

For some more info on fridge magnets see this page on our site:

http://www.adproducts.com.au/magnets06.h...

Good luck with your promotional products

Matthew Cummins

Global Advertising Products

http://www.adproducts.com.au

Answer 3

T-Shirts are too expensive for budget conscious organizations and less effective for making a marketing impact.  Pens are always a good choice, and you can get a lot of personalized pens for cheap.  Here is a link for some cheap personalized pens:  http://perfectimprints.com/pens.asp.

Halloween Trick or Treat Bags are great to give out for Halloween:  http://perfectimprints.com/halloween_tri...

Sports promotional products such as mini footballs and mini basketballs are great promotional items to giveaway when your budget is small:  http://perfectimprints.com/sports_catalo...