Merchandise Sales & Promotion Strategies – Overview & Instructions

Society Merchandise

This page shows you how to use merchandise to grow your society’s brand, raise funds, and build community pride—while keeping everything aligned with your sovereign, non-taxable structure.

Why Have Merchandise?

Merchandise is powerful because it:

• Promotes your society symbol, ideals, and branding

• Raises awareness of your society and programs

• Gives members and supporters a way to show pride in your cause

• Acts as a fundraising tool to bring in ongoing gifts

Your merchandise is an extension of your branding:

• Use your society colors and symbol consistently

• Keep the design cool, meaningful, and recognizable

• Aim to make 50%–100%+ profit per item you offer

Merchandise Line Suggestions

Once you have some support, merchandise can become a strong income stream.

You can:

• Source wholesalers online

• Partner with local printers or suppliers

• Put your branding on selected items

Good merchandise ideas include:

• Buttons (consider getting your own button machine)

• T‑shirts and hoodies

• Cigar boxes or specialty boxes

• Membership cards

• Posters and art prints

• Stuffed animals

• Program-related items (food, advocacy, education, etc.)

• Poker sets

• Lighters

The possibilities are endless—anything that fits your message and your members’ lifestyle.

In your marketing, these are defined as “gifts for a minimum gift” from the public, so they remain non-taxable gifts between independents.

How To Set Up and Run Merchandise Sales

1. Create Your Offer List

   • Choose a small starter line (e.g., shirts + buttons + membership cards).

   • Make sure each item:

     • Fits your brand

     • Has at least 50%–100% margin

2. Get Samples First

   • Order at least one sample of each item.

   • Check quality, colors, logo placement, and overall feel.

   • Only then decide what to stock or offer on-demand.

3. Decide How You’ll Fulfill Orders

   • Know:

     • How you will take orders (website, social media, events, phone).

     • Delivery times (production + shipping).

   • You can:

     • Keep small stock on hand, or

     • Use print-on-demand or just-in-time ordering.

4. Build Your Sales Channels

   • Use:

     • Your website

     • Social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)

     • Events and gatherings

     • Email lists and newsletters

   • As you grow your membership, sales teams, and online presence, sales will naturally increase.

5. Hire or Build Sales Teams (Optional)

   • You can:

     • Hire commission-based salespeople

     • Offer hourly pay if you have the budget

   • Promote using:

     • Posters

     • Events

     • Social media campaigns

   • Commission-only teams cost no upfront money, aside from marketing materials.

Promotion & Sales Psychology

To sell effectively:

• Make your merchandise cool, meaningful, and emotionally resonant

• Study what other organizations are doing:

  • What designs work?

  • What items are popular?

  • What stories do they tell?

Remember:

• All buying is emotional.

• The more you connect to people’s hearts, values, and identity, the more they will want to support you.

We recommend studying Brian Tracy’s “Psychology of Selling” to deepen your understanding of:

• How to present value

• How to ask for the sale

• How to be an effective salesman or saleswoman for your society

Summary – What To Do

1. Decide why you want merchandise (branding, pride, fundraising).

2. Choose a starter line of items that match your symbol and colors.

3. Source suppliers, get samples, and ensure 50%–100%+ margins.

4. Set up simple systems to take and fulfill orders.

5. Promote via website, social media, events, and email.

6. Consider sales teams and commission structures as you grow.

7. Use emotional, value-driven messaging to inspire people to give and receive your merchandise as gifts.

Done right, your merchandise becomes a walking billboard for your society—and a steady stream of energy, funding, and community pride.

10 Test Questions — Merchandise Sales & Promotional Strategy

1. What are the main purposes of having society merchandise?
   a) Only to give items away for free
   b) To promote your symbol/ideals, raise awareness, build pride, and bring in ongoing gifts
   c) To replace all other fundraising
   d) To pay corporate taxes

2. How should your merchandise relate to your branding?
   a) Use random colors and symbols
   b) Use your society colors and symbol consistently with cool, meaningful, recognizable designs
   c) Avoid using your logo
   d) Change designs constantly with no theme

3. What profit margin should you aim for on each merchandise item?
   a) 5%–10%
   b) 20%–30%
   c) 50%–100%+
   d) No profit at all

4. Which of the following is listed as a good merchandise idea?
   a) Legal contracts
   b) T‑shirts, hoodies, buttons, membership cards, posters, stuffed animals
   c) Only digital files
   d) Real estate

5. How are merchandise transactions described to keep them non‑taxable in this framework?
   a) As wages
   b) As loans
   c) As “gifts for a minimum gift” between independents
   d) As corporate income

6. What is the recommended first step before fully stocking a merchandise item?
   a) Order large quantities immediately
   b) Skip testing and start selling
   c) Order at least one sample to check quality, colors, and logo placement
   d) Ask friends if they like the idea

7. Which are examples of sales channels you should use for your merchandise?
   a) Only door‑to‑door
   b) Website, social media, events, and email lists/newsletters
   c) Only printed catalogs
   d) Only telephone sales

8. Why might commission‑only sales teams be attractive for a growing society?
   a) They require high salaries
   b) They cost no upfront money aside from marketing materials
   c) They work for free forever
   d) They guarantee sales without effort

9. What is a key principle of effective merchandise promotion mentioned on this page?
   a) Focus only on product features
   b) All buying is emotional; connect to people’s hearts, values, and identity
   c) Avoid telling stories
   d) Never study other organizations

10. What resource is recommended to improve your selling skills?
    a) A random blog
    b) Brian Tracy’s “Psychology of Selling”
    c) A cooking show
    d) A movie about business

Answer Key

1. b

2. b

3. c

4. b

5. c

6. c

7. b

8. b

9. b

10. b