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News June 26, 2020

‘Here for Good’ a Success for Screen Printers

Nationwide, the T-shirt fundraising initiative started during the pandemic has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for apparel decorators and the small businesses they serve.

By  Eloisa Gutierrez

If apparel decorators don’t know Sloan Coleman’s name, they should. In the early days of the pandemic, the owner of St. Louis-based shop Tiny Little Monster started a nationwide movement to help screen printers and their communities deal with economic fallout from COVID-19. Three months later, the “Here for Good” initiative has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for printers and the local businesses they serve across the country – all thanks to what Coleman calls “the power of T-shirts.”

Coleman’s business model involved creating branded tees for small businesses and splitting the proceeds of the $20 shirts with them. Screen printers across the country partnered with anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred businesses in their community. Here for Good was one of many creative fundraising efforts launched throughout the decorated apparel and promotional products industry during the pandemic.

With the help of software company Inksoft, Coleman was able to quickly spread the word about Here for Good, through an instructional video, social media and marketing kits. Printers who used Inksoft’s online store platform actually created 5% more revenue during the pandemic than during the same period last year, according to JP Hunt, partner and cofounder of Inksoft.

In just a few weeks, Tiny Little Monster raised about $170,000 to be split and shared with more than 250 St. Louis businesses. Other printers partnered with more than 400 local businesses, and Coleman speculates that over $1 million was raised nationwide.

Not every company had instant success with the model. Zome Design (asi/366115) of Spokane, WA, had trouble getting its campaign off the ground, as the phrase “here for good” was already trademarked in Washington state. But, after some negotiating with the trademark’s owner, Zome Design was able to call its campaign “Here For Good” and business improved from there.

Many Spokane businesses were on board. Zome Design received calls, instant messages and emails every day at the start of the fundraiser, said owner Brayden Jessen. People in the area began sharing Zome’s social media posts, including businesses as far away as Portland, OR.

“PPE funds and the Here for Good campaign literally saved my business,” said Jessen. “We are now in our best month ever.”

Zome Design’s campaign is scheduled to end by July. So far it has raised over $40,000 for Zome and local businesses. After trial and error in the beginning, the biggest takeaway, said Jessen, is to keep it simple. Companies can give better customer service and better products when everyone comes together for one cause, he added.

Embroidery and Screen Works in Yankton, SD, was able to raise over $37,000 for its community, gaining attention through local news sources and social media for Here for Good 605. What started as a two-week project lasted for about a month, said Andy Holst, shop founder and CEO. It generated enough funds to employ his staff for an additional month this past spring.

Early in the campaign, Holst and his business partner, Jen Holst, reached out to their relative, Eric Johnson, CEO of Los Angeles-based marketing consultancy, Ignited, to figured out a way to extend the idea of cause-based fundraising well beyond the pandemic. The result is Threads4Good, which operates to bring financial relief and social media marketing to U.S. businesses. Though still being fine-tuned, the three entrepreneurs are working to find a place for their young marketing company in the screen-printing industry.

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A post shared by Threads4Good (@threads4goodinitiative) on Jun 5, 2020 at 7:03am PDT

“I believe that [the Here for Good movement] gave screen printers a way to shine and to bring positivity to the country during the COVID pandemic,” said Andy Holst. “Just seeing those shirts for years to come I think will be pretty cool."

Despite the success of Here for Good, many screen printers aren’t out of the woods yet. Shirt sales have slowed again for Tiny Little Monster, but Coleman and her team are enduring it the best way they can – with a fighting spirit and grateful heart.

“We figured out something pretty powerful and we should be proud of that,” said Coleman. “People should give themselves a pat on the back for trying something new and for connecting and taking this leap.”