Selling t-shirts to fund an association: the real numbers

Selling t-shirts to fund an association: the real numbers

Selling t-shirts funds an association without any upfront cost: in a presale on the tknp.io Store, each t-shirt raises the difference between the price paid and our price. In the real example on our Store page, a t-shirt sold at €19.90 raises €2.10 at 10 sales and €7.90 at 100.

In short:

• Volume builds the pot: in the example on our Store page, at the same price for buyers, each t-shirt raises almost four times more at 100 sales than at 10.
• A French non-profit association may sell t-shirts; on the tknp.io Store, TKNP sells, collects payment and invoices the buyers.
• A t-shirt around €20 is an easy purchase.
• At 50 units with a one-colour screen print, our organic 180 g/m² Creator 2.0 comes to €8.52 per unit excluding VAT, printed on one side, in the base colour (indicative price recorded on 19 October 2026).
• A sale runs as one 7 to 21-day campaign, then about three weeks until the t-shirts are handed out.

A custom t-shirt in the association's colours is both income and a poster: whoever buys it funds the cause, then wears it. You still need to know what a sale really raises, and from how many buyers it is worth the effort.

How much does a t-shirt sale raise for an association?

A t-shirt sale raises, for each t-shirt, the difference between the price the buyer pays and our price at the volume reached: on the tknp.io Store, that difference forms the association's pot, transferred to its bank account once the t-shirts are delivered. Because our price drops at each volume tier (25, 50, 100) while the buyers' price stays fixed, each t-shirt raises more with every tier reached.

The worked example on our Store page, a screen-printed Creator 2.0 t-shirt sold at €19.90, shows it tier by tier (calculated on 30 September 2026, after online payment fees):

The lesson fits in one line: a t-shirt sale is won on the number of buyers far more than on the price. Going from 25 to 100 reservations multiplies the pot by almost ten.

Is an association allowed to sell t-shirts?

In France, yes: a non-profit association registered under the 1901 law may sell t-shirts. As long as it is run on a disinterested basis (managed by volunteers, with no distribution of profits and no share of the assets for its members), it is in principle outside commercial taxes (VAT, corporate tax, local business tax), as the French government's website for associations points out.

If it sells regularly, its commercial income stays exempt as long as it remains secondary, under an annual ceiling revised every year, and the income from six fundraising events a year is exempt. Rules differ from country to country, so check your own. On the tknp.io Store, TKNP sells, collects payment and invoices the buyers, VAT included, and handles refunds; the association receives its pot. Your treasurer remains the right person to record it in your accounts.

What price should you set for an association t-shirt?

An association t-shirt sells well at around €20: that is the price in the example on our Store page, and a purchase people make without hesitating to support a cause. Above that, each t-shirt raises more, provided the buyer understands why: a supporter price is announced clearly, saying what goes to the association.

Which t-shirt should you choose for an association sale?

The t-shirt of an association sale should make people want to wear it after the event: it is what makes the cause visible in the street. Two benchmarks from our catalogue, as unit prices for 50 or 100 units printed on one side with a one-colour screen print, excluding shipping, in the base colour:

The Creator 2.0, thicker and certified GOTS, OEKO-TEX and Fair Wear Foundation, is the t-shirt people keep. The lighter #E150 leaves more margin for an event t-shirt worn on the day; what thickness changes over time is covered in our heavyweight t-shirt guide. These catalogue prices are indicative, recorded on 19 October 2026 and subject to change; on the Store, the screen shows you, tier by tier, our price and your gain as you set yours.

Which print technique for association t-shirts?

On the Creator 2.0, our prices show where the switch happens: below 50 units, an A6 DTF transfer costs less than a one-colour screen print; at 50, both come to €8.52 per unit excluding VAT (one side, base colour, recorded on 19 October 2026); at 100, screen printing pulls ahead (€7.36 against €7.89). For a small sale, go for DTF; from 100 t-shirts, screen printing. Why screen printing wins with volume is explained in our t-shirt screen printing guide.

Nothing to order in advance: the tknp.io Store presale

With the tknp.io Store, the association orders nothing in advance: the campaign stays open for 7 to 21 days, everyone reserves and pays for their t-shirt, and the run goes into production at closing, for delivery about three weeks later. How it all works, thresholds and refunds included, is explained in our guide to running a presale without a spreadsheet.

The approved t-shirt joins the wardrobe in the association's account: from one campaign to the next, the collection grows, a back-to-school t-shirt then a winter sweatshirt, and each new campaign starts from a design that is already ready. Parents' associations use the same mechanism to fund school trips, and our page for associations gathers the garments that suit them.

How do you make people want to buy the t-shirt?

An association's merch sells first through its design: the cause or the group's identity, readable in a second, rather than a logo alone. To keep that design the same from one campaign to the next, the association's brand guidelines set its logo and colours. Show the designer preview in the launch message, or photos from a previous campaign, announce the closing date from day one, and share the campaign wherever your members are: link, WhatsApp message, QR code displayed at an event's entrance.

Once delivered, the t-shirt worn by the organisers at every event prepares the next campaign: seen on their shoulders, it sells better than any poster.