Merch & Partner Product Campaigns
Merch & Partner Product Campaigns — Turning Goods into Sustainable Funding Streams.
Why Merchandise & Profit-Share Matter
Selling mission-aligned products does three things at once: raises unrestricted cash, spreads the brand into daily life, and enlists value-aligned businesses as long-term allies. A single hoodie that sparks a table-conversation can recruit a new donor just as powerfully as a keynote speech.
Volunteer Roles in Product-Based Fundraising
Sourcing Scouts vet factories for ethical labor and environmental compliance before any logo is printed. Licensing Analysts negotiate royalty splits and ensure graphics honor copyright laws in every jurisdiction. E-commerce Wranglers build Shopify pages, integrate PCI-compliant gateways, and tag each SKU to a specific Globalgood program. Customer-Care Leads answer shipping queries, process returns, and convert satisfied buyers into recurring donors.
Planning Timeline & Milestones
Eight months out, volunteers submit product concepts; six months out, prototypes undergo quality and safety testing; three months out, partner contracts are signed and the online storefront’s QA is complete. Launch day includes social-media countdown, influencer unboxings, and pixel tracking for retargeting ads. Post-launch, a 30-day data review decides whether to scale, tweak, or sunset a product line.
Legal & Compliance Essentials
All products shipped to the U.S. or EU must meet CPSIA or CE standards. Volunteers uploading artwork must sign a Creative Commons release or provide proof of original creation. Profit-share vendors supply quarterly sales statements that reconcile to bank deposits; Globalgood files state sales-tax returns wherever physical nexus or economic thresholds are triggered. Every page of the store displays the legally required charitable-solicitation number.
Team Structures: Solo Projects, Volunteer Pods, Hybrid Teams
A single volunteer may manage a micro-line of digital downloads, but physical goods require pods: Sourcing, Content, and Logistics. Pods meet weekly, log actions in the Merchandise Trello board, and escalate budget or ethics questions to the Revenue Operations Manager (a staff post). This hybrid model ensures creative agility while protecting brand and legal integrity.
Revenue Mechanics
Products carry minimum 40 % net margin after cost of goods, fulfilment, and payment fees. Partner profit-share deals must yield at least 20 % of retail price to Globalgood, deposited monthly. Each SKU is tagged to a program—e.g., 10 % of every coffee bag supports the Kenya Switch-Over pilot—so buyers can see exactly where their dollars land.
Marketing & Storytelling
Volunteers script Instagram reels featuring behind-the-scenes footage of ethical manufacturers, write blog posts tying products to Treaty milestones, and run livestream “Ask Me Anything” sessions about asset-backed money. Every campaign uses UTM codes so Marketing can trace clicks to conversions, proving ROI for each story variant.
Fulfilment & Customer Experience
Globalgood contracts third-party logistics (3PL) centers in North America, Europe, and Africa. Volunteers upload daily order files; 3PLs ship within 48 hours. A branded returns portal automates exchanges, and personalized thank-you emails include links to reserve dashboards so buyers feel the mission impact instantly.
Post-Launch Duties & Transparency
Within seven days of month-end, partner vendors send remittance reports; volunteers verify SKU counts and margin splits before Finance posts revenue to the public “Merch Impact Ledger.” Quarterly, Marketing releases a blog summarizing units sold, dollars raised, and program milestones funded by merch profits.
Compensation & Commission Guidelines
Volunteer product managers may earn 10 % of net margin on lines they originate, capped at USD 20,000 per fiscal year and paid only after invoices clear and returns are accounted for. Travel or sample-development costs are reimbursed at budget rates with pre-approval. Commission agreements are executed in writing, disclosed in the Annual Report, and adhere to professional fundraising ethical codes.
Ethics & Conflict-of-Interest Controls
Volunteers cannot source from companies they own more than 5 % of. Any family relationships with vendors must be declared. Products may not feature political slogans or endorse candidates. Items must avoid exploitative imagery or wasteful packaging, aligning with Globalgood’s environmental and social criteria.
Skill Checklist & Training Resources
- Completed “Ethical Sourcing 101” micro-course
- Passed PCI-compliant storefront quiz
- Reviewed brand style-guide for merch
- Shadowed an experienced merch volunteer during one partner negotiation
- Joined #merch-ops Slack channel for real-time support
Launch Your Merch Idea
Email merch@globalgoodcorp.org with a one-page concept brief—including mock-ups, target retail price, and potential supplier. The Revenue Operations team will schedule a discovery call and, if approved, plug you into a volunteer pod.