[Membership] [Comcom] WES, can you help me out? Fwd: T-shirt report

[Merelice]

Mike, please.

I understand your passion. But we don't yet have confirmation that we can
get what we want for $5 (especially if we want two colors on the front and
one color on the back). And if most people think we are paying $7 or $8
(not an unreasonable assumption), then charging $10 is almost a give-away.

At least consider a compromise. Meanwhile, we have heard you (repeatedly).
And, of course, the GRP will give consideration to those who cannot afford
full price. That also doesn't need repetition. The policy was reaffirmed as
recently as Saturday.

As a fundraising item, the T-shirt will sell primarily among GRP members.
It might be somewhat unrealistic to think a non-member would snap up a
T-shirt simply because it costs $10. If you are interested in shipping them
(by making them available online), then perhaps you (or the Membership
Committee) could research the cost and work out who would do the storing
and shipping. The Green Party doesn't seem to charge for shipping and
handling; maybe they assume most orders will be mail-orders and they build
the cost into the price.

Speaking of selling things, most organizations also use buttons as a
fundraising item. The GRP used to send a button to new members and
supporters as a welcome gift, but otherwise buttons were sold. It would
help if some items for distribution could pay for themselves. Perhaps the
Membership Committee could also give this some thought. (I've added the
Membership Committee to this particular email.)

Merelice


On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 10:05 AM, Mike Heichman <mikeheichman at verizon.net>wrote:

>
> We have over 5,000 members across the state. How many can we reach for
> free or inexpensively? I don't think many.
>
> Even if we could inexpensively reach all of them, how many do we think
> would have a strong enough loyalty and the funds to buy a t-shirt for $15?
>
> I believe that very few people in the public, who are not GRP members,
> would be willing to spend that amount. After all, it is primarily a party
> t-shirt not a theme, issue or an organization that is working on a popular
> issue.
>
> On the other hand, I believe that a $10 price would sell a lot more
> t-shirts to our members and to the public, and would raise at least as much
> $ and possibly more. (We would have to sell twice as many t-shirts at $10
> (profit of $5) than if we were to sell them for $15 (profit for $10) to
> break even.)
>
> I'm imagining myself at a GRP table attempting to sell our t-shirts along
> with having other materials. I do not believe that this would be a
> marketable commodity for the public if the cost would be $15 or more.
> However, if the cost would be $10, I think that we could sell some. And
> even when we wouldn't, we would show an attractive face to the public (a
> beautiful t-shirt and an inexpensive one).
>
> Also, we need to have a pricing policy for our ACTIVE low-income members.
> No active member, who wants a t-shirt, should be denied one because of the
> price. We should ask our low-income members for a contribution and be
> grateful for any $ contribution.
>
> We need to also find out how much $ it would cost us to send out the
> t-shirts by mail (boxes and postage). My guess is that $2 would be
> sufficient. If correct, that would be a total of $12 (still an excellent
> deal) or $17 (even more expensive).
>
> From a financial perspective, I believe that we have the potential to
> raise more $ with a $10 price. From a Membership perspective, selling as
> many t-shirts as possible adds to our visibility and to our power.
>
> Mike Heichman
>
>
>
>
-- 
Merelice
617-277-1757

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't
have any.
—Alice Walker
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