Products, Swag Ideas

Swag Ideas for Nonprofit Organizations

With tight budgets, many nonprofit organizations often overlook swag as a potential tool in fulfilling their mission. However, we believe that these organizations are actually in a position to expect more of a return on their investment when they use swag than any other type of business! 

Especially when it comes to nonprofits with a strong mission to spread, swag is a fantastic way to develop a powerful internal culture as well as build excitement around the purpose of the organization.

Proudly share your mission with the world

Many nonprofits are tasked with working to solve a specific problem. Sometimes the greater public may not have a deep knowledge of that problem— maybe they have never even heard of it! Swag can be a great awareness-building tool for organizations in this position. 

Swag can be a secret sauce when it comes to building awareness around an issue, or creating cohesive messaging within your team. Highly-visible swag, whether stickers or apparel, can be an amazing way to make sure your message is getting out into the community. 

Here are a few ideas of how swag can be a powerful tool for nonprofits looking to make a difference:

Use custom apparel to build a sense of community and teamwork

Many nonprofits rely on volunteers or temporary staff to run events and accomplish the goals of their organizations. This means that organizers of these teams must find ways to create cohesion and dedication among diverse groups very quickly! One easy way to do this is use custom gear to ensure people look and feel like a team right off the bat.

Giving out t-shirts, hats, hoodies or other customized apparel to people working for your organization is not only helpful for logistic purposes; it also goes a long way towards making everyone that wears it feel pride in your mission! When you design these items, think of it as a chance to create a walking advertisement for the goals of your organization.

Bella Unisex Sponge Fleece Zip Hoodie

Bella Unisex Sponge Fleece Zip Hoodie shown in Team Purple on a male model


Swag.com Hat

Swag.com Hat shown in Pacific Blue with "your logo here" on the front

Swag.com Unisex Triblend Crew T-Shirt

Swag.com Unisex Triblend Crew T-Shirt shown on a male model


Read more: Great Ways to Boost Team Morale and Improve Company Culture in the Office

Offer thoughtful gifts to volunteers

Volunteers are the heart of many nonprofits. Whether they are temporary employees who help carry out events, or full-time members of the team that are essential to day-to-day operations, finding ways to thank volunteers is essential to a healthy organization. 

When thinking about ways to thank volunteers we think it’s important to find a gift that will reflect the spirit of the work they performed. For example, if your volunteers helped run a benefit concert, a cool t-shirt featuring the line up from that day would be a nice piece of memorabilia! If volunteers came together for a day of beach clean-up, maybe a pair of custom flip-flops would be better suited to the cause. In any case, we can help you find and customize gifts for your volunteers that will demonstrate appreciation and encourage reengagement at the same time.

The Sun Ray Sunglasses

The Sun Ray Sunglasses in Black

Casey 17 Oz. Mug

Casey 17 Oz. Mug shown in a kitchen setting


Recycled Drawstring Bag

Recycled Drawstring Bag shown with a "your logo here" space on the front


Read more: Are Employee Gifts Taxable? Everything You Need To Know

Give donors gifts they will treasure

Many nonprofits rely on donors and philanthropic giving to remain operational. It’s no secret to anyone in the nonprofit world that a large part of their internal structure is dedicated to maintaining and encouraging these donations.

To that end, offering donors gifts is a fantastic way to show appreciation, and hopefully encourage repeat giving in the future. These gifts don’t always have to be huge— and in fact we see lots of success for organizations sending small gifts for small donors, just to say thank you and make people feel more connected to the organization. While it’s nice to offer these gifts as a nice token of appreciation, explicitly offering them in return for a donation is one surefire way to pique people’s interest. You never know what might be the item that pushes people across the donation finish line in the end!

Foldable Picnic Blanket

Foldable Picnic Blanket in Navy shown folded


Bamboo Wine Gift Set

Bamboo Wine Gift Set shown open


Rock The Boat Zippered Tote Bag

Rock The Boat Zippered Tote Bag shown with "your logo here" on the front


Read more: Ideas For Sending Remote Customer Gifts

Use swag giveaways to reach people anywhere

With our swag giveaways tool, you can send swag directly to people’s doors around the world— all you need is their email! 

There are so many use cases for nonprofits to use this powerful tool in support of their mission. Whether you want to gather more email addresses, or simply find a way to send appreciation gifts easily, the giveaways feature adds tons of opportunities for creative marketing:

  • Encourage email newsletter signups
  • Easily connect with remote volunteer networks
  • Incentivize donations from around the globe
  • Build a sense of community among online teams

The best part about this feature? It’s completely free! Our giveaways tool is free to use with every purchase of custom swag.

PopSockets

PopSockets shown in Black from top and side views with "your logo here" on the top

Custom Vinyl Stickers

Custom Vinyl Stickers shown in an example design

Embroidered Patches

Embroidered Patch shown in an example design


Take our quiz for a personalized swag guide

Incorporate swag into social media campaigns 

Our social media landscape, combined with thoughtful custom gifts, offer creative nonprofits the chance to build campaigns around people showing off swag they’ve received. Incorporating swag into your marketing strategies can make a huge difference when it comes to engaging different targeted audiences. 

When you decide to create swag, keep in mind the potential power it has when it comes to social media. Make things that will stand out, capture attention, and most importantly reflect your mission in a way that encourages people to learn more! You’ll want to create a hashtag that can be identified with your campaign, of course— consider using it when designing the swag itself.

Swag 17 Oz. Water Bottle

Swag 17 Ounce Water Bottle in Matte Grey with an example logo on it

Silicone Wristband

Silicone Wristbands shown in an example design

Swag.com Face Mask

Swag.com Face Mask shown in the color Crush


Read more: 45 Conference Swag Ideas to Stand Out From The Crowd


One general tip to remember when it comes to using swag at nonprofits is that the quality of your products matter. That’s why everything we offer at Swag.com has been highly-curated to be the best of the best. Whether you’re looking for ways to encourage more donations or volunteers, or simply want some team-building gifts that make people excited, you can be sure everything you find on our site will get the job done. 

If you have specific questions, or just want to chat about how we can help bring your vision to life, fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in contact!