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DECEMBER 2016
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41
GROW
Investing In
Our Future
In the U.S. alone, nearly 37,000
nonprofit organizations and
charities exist to serve the nation’s
youth. Many are local chapters
of nationwide groups such as
100 Black Men of America, a
mentoring organization founded
in 1963 in New York that now
boasts 110 chapters and more
than 10,000 total members.
Boys and Girls Clubs of
America is comprised of 1,140
independent organizations in
addition to the national entity.
BGCA is the largest youth
development provider to Native
American youth, with 170 clubs
on Native lands. In 2015, nearly
four million teens and children
were served—36 percent are
between six and nine years old.
The Y (formerly the YMCA),
was founded in London in 1844
and today continues as a nonprofit
dedicated to serving families and
young children, with a focus on
health and fitness, community
service and youth development.
The Y serves more than 45 million
people in 119 nations. In the U.S.,
a team of nearly 20,000 full‑time
employees and 600,000 volunteers
serves nine million youth and 13
million adults each year.
“Our most important product is t-shirts,” says
Helmig. “We print thousands of shirts each
year, including those that we give out to all
youth who volunteer with our summer service-
learning programs. At the national level, we
offer our 40-plus YVC Affiliates (located in
communities throughout the U.S. and Canada)
the opportunity to buy t-shirts through us
twice a year. Many local programs also print
their ownmaterials locally so that they can
accommodate their host organization’s brand
in addition to the YVC brand.”
YVC also seizes opportunities to promote
its brand and mission through pop-up
stores and giveaways at trade shows and
conferences. “We hold an annual summit
each fall where we gather youth and staff
representatives from throughout the U.S.
and Canada for a weekend of learning
and sharing ideas,” says Helmig. “We set
up a YVC Store at this event where we
offer attendees the chance to purchase
t-shirts, hoodies, polos and other products
like mugs, water bottles, bumper stickers,
temporary tattoos, etc. This is a great way for
us to get the YVC logo out there while also
bringing in a little income.”
Additionally, when YVC exhibits at trade
conferences, staff bring along items such
as pens, stickers and notepads to draw
attendees to the group’s booth.
Michael Kogutt, MAS, has worked with
Boy Scouts of America and other youth
organizations, and says many of the
promotional items purchased are for use
by the organization itself as well as gifts for
donors. “They like anything that can be used
for the outdoors,” says Kogutt, director of
sales-promotional products for Outdoor Cap
Co. “Watertight storage cases to wear, water
bottles, sportswear—caps, too, are huge with
the youth market.”
Kogutt says youth organizations that
sell branded merchandise to participants
and supporters want a good value for their
money. He cites National Football League
branded knit caps, which cost roughly $8 to
produce but sell for as much as $29.95, as
an example. “For fundraising efforts that’s a
good value,” he says. “Those are the kind of
margins you want to have.”
To help groups select the right products,
Kogutt says consultants need to understand
what they’re trying to accomplish. “Find
out what a big win would look like with
promotional products.”