Fitting Charities to a T

Saving the planet, cleaning up after a disaster and fixing a child’s smile all of a sudden have become as easy as getting dressed in the morning.

Nonprofits can spread the word about their missions and raise a few dollars by partnering with Iowa-based Greater Than Goods, which allows donors to buy an organization-specific T-shirt and other apparel, with part of the cost going to the charity.

And it costs nothing for nonprofits to partner with the site, says Hanna Peterson, marketing and public relations coordinator for Greater Than Goods.

The Web site — which has been up and running since July — is looking for organizations interested in a partnership.

“The only thing we ask from them is that they promote our efforts,” Peterson says, adding that partnerships can be tailored to nonprofits’ communication channels and opportunities. Tailoring the channels might be as simple as reciprocal Web site links or distribution of customized content.

Site visitors can select an organization, corresponding design and item to buy. Purchases result in a contribution to the nonprofit partner — a $20 shirt nets a $5 donation for the participating charity, for example. The price of the T-shirt and the amount of the donation could differ for each organization, Peterson says.

Currently, Greater Than Goods partners with the Embrace Iowa — 2008 Iowa Disaster Fund; Special Olympics Iowa; and Dylan’s Smile, an organization that works with families of children with facial birth defects.

Peterson says Embrace Iowa’s “Greater Than Any Storm” T-shirt has raised about $1,000 for the disaster fund, adding, “It’s really been an amazing effort in such a short period of time.”

“We have sold several hundred T-shirts in 22 states across the U.S., donating approximately $1,000 to Embrace Iowa [to aid] in disaster relief and recovery statewide,” she says. “In addition, we have connected many [potential donors] with Embrace Iowa [who are] interested in giving directly to the effort.”

Peterson says the company wants to branch out to include organizations across the United States. Nonprofits interested in a partnership should send an e-mail to info@greaterthangoods.com.

Greater Than Goods is a new business unit of Sigler Co., an Iowa-based commercial printing, marketing and creative services, and apparel and promotions company.

Peterson says Greater Than Goods was created to boost the apparel company’s sales and to help charities in the state and across the country.

“Our employees are very charitable and look for ways to give to their community and those communities at a national level,” she says. FS