BONFIRE

Marketing Proposal

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Bethany Bradley, Dana Carskadden, Daria Gemmell, Ethan Calveric, TJ Burkom

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Project Objectives

• Giving creators an outlet to support nonprofit organizations through fundraising
• Inspiring enthusiasm for creators to partner with nonprofits
• Facilitating the bond between nonprofits and creators in order to develop long-term partnerships

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Direct Competitors

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Indirect Competitors

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Context

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(Rose, 2022)

Context

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(Rose, 2022)

Context - The Printing Industry Trends

The fashion industry wants…

1. Custom, handmade designs
2. Designs using sustainable materials
• Ink
• Recycled paper
3. Fast and High quality digital printing

(Anna D., 2023)

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SWOT Analysis

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HOW CAN BONFIRE EXPAND THEIR MARKET?

SWOT Analysis

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Secondary Research

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• College Students/Young Consumers are more likely to align their purchases with their values.
• “2/3 of college students would like to see their back to school purchases support a cause or charity” (Macke, 2017)
• Gen Z and Millennials “take a more passive approach to philanthropy”. (Macke, 2017)
• They are much more motivated to support a brand/movement than perform boots on the ground labor.
• Online giving grew by 12.1%

(Hill, 2022)

Primary Research

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Objective is to identify:

1. Students’ reaction to incentives implemented by brands
2. Their interest in nonprofit organizations
3. Their willingness to donate to the nonprofit of their choice

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Sample: 30-40 University of Richmond students

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Distribution: via email and GroupMe

Primary Research Findings

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(1 = least likely, 5 = most likely)

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Primary Research Findings

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Primary Research Findings

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(1 = least important, 5 = most important)

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Recommendations

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BONFIRE �EXPANSION

PROJECT

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College Integration

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Collaborate with on campus organizations…

• Greek life, sports teams, etc…
• Gives bonfire the chance to expand its network
• Boost volunteer recruiting, and students seeking employment at Bonfire

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Creator Survey

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Connecting Creators to Causes…

Create Incentives

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Rewards program → retains creators by rewarding them for…

1. repeatedly creating and selling designs
2. continuously promoting a variety nonprofit(s)

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Why implement a Rewards program?

• Creators receive special discounts for working with nonprofits
• A rewards program helps…
• Increase engagement and productivity
• Creates a positive environment

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Tactical Execution - College Integration

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How to connect with college organizations?

Start local with University of Richmond and VCU students

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• Connect with University of Richmond athletic department
• Call John Hardt (Director of Athletics) to discuss potential partnership
• Reach out on social media to Sororities and Fraternities
• Call or email their philanthropic chairs to collaborate with their Greek Organizations by creating merchandise promoting their philanthropy
• Stop by campus events to meet with members of these organizations in person

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Tactical Execution - Creator Survey

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Questions about the creator’s audience and social media platforms

More specific questions about creator’s philanthropic interests

Nonprofit match #1

Nonprofit match #2

Nonprofit match #3

Nonprofit match #4

Does the creator have a nonprofit already in mind?

What causes are important to that creator?

Creator should partner with that nonprofit

Tactical Execution - Create Incentives

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Rewards Program:

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The Bronze Level

• Sells 100 items
• Bonfire increases the amount given to the creator’s nonprofit organization by 3% of all their sales

The Silver Level

• Sells 500 items
• Bonfire increases the amount given to the creator’s nonprofit organization by 6% of all their sales

The Gold Level

• Sells 1,000 items or more
• Bonfire increases the amount given to the creator’s nonprofit organization by 12% of all their sales

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Costs - College Integration

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Estimated Total Cost: $0

• Repurposing an existing employee that can reach out to college organizations
• No additional cost

Or

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Estimated Total Cost: $40,000/yr (avg.)

• Hiring a Communication Coordinator to reach out to college organizations
• Pay new employee $40,000 a year

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Costs - Creator Survey

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Estimated Total Cost:

First Year: $320

2 Year and Beyond: $300 per year

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• Getting survey software
• Ex. SurveyMonkey: $25 a month for the basic plan or $75 for premium plan
• Hiring someone to create the survey
• Can outsource to a third party platform to make it cheaper
• Fivver.com: “Creating Survey” services range from $5-$20

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Costs - Create Incentives

Rewards Program Costs

• The extra costs that will be donated to the organization based off of how many shirts are sold
• In The Bronze Level (Sold 100 shirts): T-shirt cost: $25 → Profit for creator:$916→ Bonfire donates an additional $27.48 to nonprofit
• In The Silver Level (Sold 500 shirts): T-shirt cost: $25 → Profit for creator:$5850→ Bonfire donates an additional $351 to nonprofit

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Costs - Summary

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Conclusion

We suggest that Bonfire capitalize on the philanthropy of college students, integrate a creator survey to facilitate more efficient match with nonprofits, and introduce creator incentives to motivate more selling.

We believe that by following our recommendations, Bonfire will experience a higher coherence with creators and an influx of young, inspired individuals; all while maintaining low execution costs.

These recommendations are beneficial to Bonfire and to the nonprofit community.

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Thank You!�

Thank you for taking the time to listen to our presentation. We believe these recommendations will be beneficial for Bonfire and we hope that you choose to implement them within your company.

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• Bethany Bradley, Dana Carskadden, Daria Gemmell, Ethan Calveric, TJ Burkom

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References

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Authors, Authors, & Sarah Smith University of Bristol View Profile. (2022, August 15). What happens to charitable giving in a recession? Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.economicsobservatory.com/what-happens-to-charitable-giving-in-a-recession#:~:text=One%20explanation%20is%20that%20the,and%20intensifying%20their%20fundraising%20activity.

B. of L. S. (2022). Consumer price index: 2022 in Review. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/consumer-price-index-2022-in-review.htm#:~:text=Consumer%20prices%20for%20all%20items,for%20food%20away%20from%20home.

Best 7 T-shirt fundraising sites for unbelievable results. (2022, June 15). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://doublethedonation.com/t-shirt-fundraising-platforms/

Bonfire. (2023). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.bonfire.com/

Bonfire is rated "average" with 3.2 / 5 on Trustpilot. (1969, December 27). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.trustpilot.com/review/bonfire.com

Clayton, Tom. (2022, February 21). Teespring vs bonfire - which is better? Rigorous Themes. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/teespring-vs-bonfire/

D, Anna. (2023, February 13). 2023 print industry trends & their relevance to consumers. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://blog.gotprint.com/tips-inspirations/2023-print-industry-trends/?persist=true&vendorId=1030&gclid=CjwKCAjwiOCgBhAgEiwAjv5whEWmE1bZpSLdDU1w7UfqOKWq50_pyIbY-fN4HvNzBluFI5n1_FgElxoCBQAQAvD_BwE

Dudek, F. (2023). Bonfire Review: Is it worth paying extra? Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.clickleaders.com/bonfire-review/

Haritonenko, A. (2022, December 15). Teespring vs. Bonfire (+ dealbreakers) – decide in 7 minutes. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://blog.sellfy.com/teespring-spring-vs-bonfire/

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References (cont.)

Hill, C. (2023, January 26). How often to post on social media. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-often-to-post-on-social-media/

How payouts work. Bonfire Help Center. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://help.bonfire.com/en/articles/1614157-how-payouts-work

Macke, D. (2017, May). Marketing to the iGeneration - US - May 2017. Mintel Portal | Log in. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://reports.mintel.com/display/832647/?fromSearch=%3Ffreetext%3Dcollege%2520philanthropy%26resultPosition%3D1

Moore, K. (2022, July 19). The rise of restaurant merchandise and its Cultural Cache. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaleighmoore/2022/07/18/the-rise-of-restaurant-merchandise-its-cultural-cache/?sh=26447a0465b2

Nonprofit fundraising statistics [updated for 2023]. (2023, February 21). Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://doublethedonation.com/nonprofit-fundraising-statistics/

O'Donnell, F. (2022). Digital Advertising - US - 2022. Mintel Portal | Log in. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://reports.mintel.com/display/1156231/?fromSearch=%3Ffreetext%3Dsocial%2520media%2520advertising%26view%3Dgrid%26resultPosition%3D2&highlight#hit1

Paynter, B. (2023). Bonfire T-shirts is a booming business for fundraising - fast company. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90294665/this-custom-t-shirts-company-has-become-the-go-to-for-fundraising-apparel

Redjebov, E. (2022, July 22). Council post: Surviving to thriving: The post-pandemic future of nonprofits. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/07/21/surviving-to-thriving-the-post-pandemic-future-of-nonprofits/?sh=3dccfebf1381

Rodgers, D. (2021, June 23). How cultural merch has taken over fashion. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/cultural-merch-not-in-paris/

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References (cont.)

Van Steenburg, E., Anaza, N., Ashhar, A., Barrios, A., Deutsch, A., Gardner, M., . . . Taylor, K. (2022, June 28). The New World of Philanthropy: How Changing Financial Behavior, public policies, and covid-19 affect nonprofit fundraising and marketing. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9350177/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%2075%25%20of%20NPOs,Nonprofit%20Leadership%20Center%2C%202020).

Wong-Li, C. (2022). Attitudes toward Nonprofits - US - 2022. Mintel Portal | Log in. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://reports.mintel.com/display/1169365/?fromSearch=%3FcontentType%3DReport%26freetext%3Dfundraiser%2520success%26resultPosition%3D2

Rose, A. (2022, October). Online Original Design T-Shirt Sales in the US. Error. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://my.ibisworld.com/us/en/industry-specialized/od5439/industry-at-a-glance

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