chat log 052907
[2007.05.29 18:50:09] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2007.05.29 18:50:09] shopaholicchick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 18:50:09] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2007.05.29 18:56:51] Gandalf_Parker has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 18:56:57] Danhere has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 18:58:35] Shannon (hazeleyes7) has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 18:58:54] spiritstore has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:01:58] BrittaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:01:58] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Evening Britta!
[2007.05.29 19:01:58] spiritstore: Hello! Did I make it to the NonProfits chat?
[2007.05.29 19:02:03] SDDogRescue has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:02:03] Mila has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:02:26] Aaron has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:04:33] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:04:38] ppix1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:05:00] BrittaCP: Hey everyone, we'll be ready in a few minutes. Leslie is currently trapped in a meeting
[2007.05.29 19:05:33] eutstars has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:05:33] BrittaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:05:33] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Yes Spirit - you dod
[2007.05.29 19:05:33] Shannon (hazeleyes7): You did even ;)
[2007.05.29 19:06:04] Dooni Designs Goofkins has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:06:34] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:06:58] LeslieCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:07:04] LeslieCP: hey folks
[2007.05.29 19:07:11] LeslieCP: sorry i'm late!
[2007.05.29 19:07:21] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:07:31] LeslieCP: hello?
[2007.05.29 19:07:43] Gandalf_Parker: hi
[2007.05.29 19:07:45] LeslieCP: ok, i guess this chat is moderated
[2007.05.29 19:07:47] SDDogRescue: *waves hello*
[2007.05.29 19:07:49] spiritstore: Hello Leslie! Thank you for hosting!
[2007.05.29 19:07:50] LeslieCP: so i'm going to go ahead
[2007.05.29 19:07:54] LeslieCP: no problem spiritstore
[2007.05.29 19:08:03] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:08:07] LeslieCP: mm k, so some of you know me as the girl with the crazy hair in charge of the top shopkeeper program
[2007.05.29 19:08:12] LeslieCP: some of you don't know me at all
[2007.05.29 19:08:18] SDDogRescue: looking forward to this one!
[2007.05.29 19:08:26] LeslieCP: for those who don't, i am in fact the girl with the crazy hair in charge of the top shopkeeper program
[2007.05.29 19:08:34] LeslieCP: i am also however an officer of a pit bull rescue
[2007.05.29 19:08:40] Shannon (hazeleyes7): I was thinking more along "dog lady" then crazy hair ;)
[2007.05.29 19:08:43] LeslieCP: which i did before my job here at CP
[2007.05.29 19:08:53] LeslieCP: LOL - yes, crazy dog lady for sure
[2007.05.29 19:09:05] LeslieCP: so my rescue uses CP (and did before i worked here)
[2007.05.29 19:09:16] LeslieCP: and i've worked with a lot of big nonprofits as well
[2007.05.29 19:09:20] LeslieCP: PETA, NORML, etc
[2007.05.29 19:09:21] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:09:35] LeslieCP: so: overall, there's a few ways to use your shop if you're a nonprofit
[2007.05.29 19:09:40] LeslieCP: 1) fundraising
[2007.05.29 19:09:46] LeslieCP: 2) donor gifting
[2007.05.29 19:09:49] LeslieCP: 3) marketing
[2007.05.29 19:09:56] LeslieCP: 4) all of the above!
[2007.05.29 19:09:58] LeslieCP: :)
[2007.05.29 19:10:07] LeslieCP: one thing to remember on #2
[2007.05.29 19:10:14] LeslieCP: donors overall love to be recognized
[2007.05.29 19:10:26] SDDogRescue: raising awareness (is that marketing?)
[2007.05.29 19:10:26] LeslieCP: yes, sddog
[2007.05.29 19:10:34] spiritstore: Yes they do!
[2007.05.29 19:10:37] LeslieCP: raising awareness as to your orgor as to an issue
[2007.05.29 19:10:42] LeslieCP: but i'm going to start with donors
[2007.05.29 19:10:47] LeslieCP: because it's the simplest
[2007.05.29 19:10:51] LeslieCP: donors give us money
[2007.05.29 19:10:52] LeslieCP: we like them
[2007.05.29 19:11:00] SDDogRescue: YAY!
[2007.05.29 19:11:03] LeslieCP: they like to be recognized and to feel good about their contributions
[2007.05.29 19:11:16] LeslieCP: what i like to do is send occasional gifts from our shop to our bigger donors
[2007.05.29 19:11:28] LeslieCP: because of the flexibility of the model, you can in fact send one-offs
[2007.05.29 19:11:35] LeslieCP: i.e. for a dog rescue
[2007.05.29 19:11:37] SFFriar has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:11:39] LeslieCP: you can do the whole sally struthers thing
[2007.05.29 19:11:46] Shannon (hazeleyes7): I know I feel great when I give 10% of my profits from all my shops to non-profits :D
[2007.05.29 19:11:47] LeslieCP: i.e. start a "sponsor a dog" program
[2007.05.29 19:11:52] michigal has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:12:06] LeslieCP: and then send donors that sponsor a specific dog for $x a present with a pic of that particular dog on it
[2007.05.29 19:12:30] LeslieCP: this is a nice underpinning to a fundraising program and a nice thing for your donors in general
[2007.05.29 19:12:42] Karma Nova has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:12:53] LeslieCP: plus, when you hand out your own stuff, your supporters will raise awareness by wearing/using the stuff
[2007.05.29 19:13:05] LeslieCP: remember that we have bulk discounts
[2007.05.29 19:13:16] LeslieCP: so 35% off and you can batch-reward donors
[2007.05.29 19:13:20] LeslieCP: same goes for volunteers
[2007.05.29 19:13:25] LeslieCP: my volunteers LOVE our stuff
[2007.05.29 19:13:33] LeslieCP: and they all work for free (so do i, harumph)
[2007.05.29 19:13:46] LeslieCP: so when folks are going above and beyond, sometimes i'll go ahead and send them a shirt as a thank-you
[2007.05.29 19:13:55] LeslieCP: it's a pretty cheap way to make someone feel really special and singled out
[2007.05.29 19:14:12] LeslieCP: the other thing some people like to do is clone a shop and make up an esoteric shop ID
[2007.05.29 19:14:15] LeslieCP: keeping things at base price
[2007.05.29 19:14:24] LeslieCP: to allow their volunteers to shop for free
[2007.05.29 19:14:38] LeslieCP: i personally don't do that, because our shop is a fundraiser first and a marketing vehicle second
[2007.05.29 19:14:46] LeslieCP: but it depends on what your shop purpose is
[2007.05.29 19:14:50] kippy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:14:55] LeslieCP: BTW, for the purpose of this chat "we" means "me and my rescue"
[2007.05.29 19:15:04] LeslieCP: i'm going to speak as a nonprofit person running a CP shop today
[2007.05.29 19:15:12] LeslieCP: so no questions about black t-shirts or whatever! lol
[2007.05.29 19:15:25] LeslieCP: (that used to be the most popular ?, we don't have a standout anymore)
[2007.05.29 19:15:30] Gandalf_Parker: 5) recognition
[2007.05.29 19:15:30] LeslieCP: yes
[2007.05.29 19:15:46] Shannon (hazeleyes7): So what you are describing is working directly through the non-profit in order to contact these donors, correct?
[2007.05.29 19:15:46] LeslieCP: nope
[2007.05.29 19:15:54] LeslieCP: and yes
[2007.05.29 19:15:57] LeslieCP: it depends LOL
[2007.05.29 19:16:02] LeslieCP: in my case, i have my own donor list
[2007.05.29 19:16:21] LeslieCP: if you're working with a nonprofit, you can suggest this kind of gifting and work with them to get personalized gifst
[2007.05.29 19:16:22] RP2008 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:16:31] LeslieCP: and/or get a bulk/batch order of donor or volunteer gifts
[2007.05.29 19:16:37] Aaron: I had difficulty doing something for a Cub Scout troop I'm involved with. Image got flagged, even though the design was specific to our troop.
[2007.05.29 19:16:37] LeslieCP: that is very strange
[2007.05.29 19:16:53] LeslieCP: it may have been a boy scout infringement or some such - that's a cup question
[2007.05.29 19:17:00] Shannon (hazeleyes7): So how do you get their contact information in order to send donors information?
[2007.05.29 19:17:00] LeslieCP: you need to get that from the nonprofit
[2007.05.29 19:17:07] BrittaCP: cup@cafepress.com
[2007.05.29 19:17:14] LeslieCP: or you can compare your sales reports to a donor list you might have
[2007.05.29 19:17:30] LeslieCP: now: in general, let's talk about best practices for a nonprofit shop
[2007.05.29 19:17:36] LeslieCP: 1) let people know what the purpose of the shop is
[2007.05.29 19:17:43] LeslieCP: if it's for charity, say so - prominently
[2007.05.29 19:17:57] LeslieCP: here's my rescue's shop: http://www.cafepress.com/badrapstore
[2007.05.29 19:17:59] SDDogRescue: we hand our CP goodies at our yearly volunteer appreciation dinner AND at our yearly fundraiser dinner
[2007.05.29 19:18:12] LeslieCP: that's a great idea SD DOG
[2007.05.29 19:18:18] LeslieCP: my rescue has an annual conference
[2007.05.29 19:18:34] LeslieCP: we make a special design for that conference and sell limited edition shirts at the event itself
[2007.05.29 19:18:45] LeslieCP: we also sell our swag at any other animal care conferences we attend
[2007.05.29 19:18:57] LeslieCP: i.e. we order a bunch of stuff in bulk
[2007.05.29 19:18:59] LeslieCP: bring it, sell it
[2007.05.29 19:19:08] LeslieCP: then we usually gift the volunteers with any leftovers
[2007.05.29 19:19:12] LeslieCP: anyway, back to the shop...
[2007.05.29 19:19:16] LeslieCP: identify the shop
[2007.05.29 19:19:20] LeslieCP: s mission )
[2007.05.29 19:19:24] LeslieCP: ARGH hard return!
[2007.05.29 19:19:33] SDDogRescue: is the paypa on badrap considered a leak to affiliates?
[2007.05.29 19:19:33] LeslieCP: not as far as i know
[2007.05.29 19:19:42] LeslieCP: no shop should get in the way of donations
[2007.05.29 19:20:01] Danhere has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:20:04] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.05.29 19:20:05] LeslieCP: but i will say that the profile of someone who wants your stuff and the profile of someone who wants to give you money is really different
[2007.05.29 19:20:12] LeslieCP: i wouldn't worry about sales interfering with donations
[2007.05.29 19:20:17] LeslieCP: i just haven't seen it happen
[2007.05.29 19:20:21] SDDogRescue: very true!
[2007.05.29 19:20:24] SFFriar: Leslie, what's your break even point?
[2007.05.29 19:20:24] LeslieCP: what do you mean sffriar?
[2007.05.29 19:20:34] Gandalf_Parker: "protest kits" can be created quickly with bumperstickers, pins, tshirts, aprons, and using posters for distributing made slogans that can be turned into poster signs
[2007.05.29 19:20:34] LeslieCP: that's a great idea gandalf
[2007.05.29 19:20:42] shopaholicchick: affiliate leaks no longer matter since we are no longer CP affiliate - we are CJ affiliates....
[2007.05.29 19:20:42] LeslieCP: ok then
[2007.05.29 19:20:59] LeslieCP: ok, so the second thing about your fundraiser shop is: THINK BEYOND THE LOGO
[2007.05.29 19:21:05] LeslieCP: i will say it again
[2007.05.29 19:21:10] LeslieCP: THINK BEYOND THE LOGO, PEOPLE!
[2007.05.29 19:21:16] LeslieCP: i know you love your logo
[2007.05.29 19:21:17] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2007.05.29 19:21:29] LeslieCP: but other people don't love it as much as they love what the logo represents
[2007.05.29 19:21:43] SDDogRescue: but other designs will have wider appeal = more sales!
[2007.05.29 19:21:46] LeslieCP: which is to say that no matter how sexy and wonderful your logo is, at the end of the day people are buying gifts and things to wear
[2007.05.29 19:21:50] LeslieCP: they want cool designs
[2007.05.29 19:21:59] LeslieCP: the bad rap shop took off when i started making generalized rad pit bull designs
[2007.05.29 19:22:16] LeslieCP: it's still the same buyers, but now we're picking up more sales and people are making an actual fashion statement
[2007.05.29 19:22:44] LeslieCP: and, since it's a pit bull rescue, the topic has wide appeal
[2007.05.29 19:22:44] karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:22:55] michigal has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:22:57] LeslieCP: so we figured that we could pick up some extra sales from people who may not care whether or not we're a rescue
[2007.05.29 19:23:03] LeslieCP: but just want a rad pit bull shirt
[2007.05.29 19:23:24] LeslieCP: and i saw a hole in that market - lots of snarling dogs on chains, not a lot of cute, natural-eared dogs with positive messaging
[2007.05.29 19:23:37] LeslieCP: if your nonprofit has the same opportunity
[2007.05.29 19:23:47] LeslieCP: i.e. to leverage a generalized market interest
[2007.05.29 19:23:49] LeslieCP: go for it!
[2007.05.29 19:23:59] SFFriar: How many Shirts do you have to sell, at a discount to break even with the amount you purchased?
[2007.05.29 19:23:59] LeslieCP: it depends on the shirt and your pricing
[2007.05.29 19:24:04] LeslieCP: i just make sure to price things well
[2007.05.29 19:24:16] LeslieCP: last year at our conference i think i was doing 1 shirt for $20 and 2 for $35
[2007.05.29 19:24:25] LeslieCP: and since we'd gotten a 35% discount people were really going for this
[2007.05.29 19:24:33] LeslieCP: MANY people bought 2
[2007.05.29 19:24:49] LeslieCP: i think i may have even done 5 for 65 or something, and people were doing it
[2007.05.29 19:24:59] shopaholicchick: explain?
[2007.05.29 19:24:59] LeslieCP: explain what?
[2007.05.29 19:25:08] SDDogRescue: pretty much just our volunteers buy our logo wear (for adoption events, etc)
[2007.05.29 19:25:08] LeslieCP: exactly
[2007.05.29 19:25:15] LeslieCP: our volunteers actually don't really buy our logo
[2007.05.29 19:25:23] LeslieCP: what we do is put our URL on all our shirts
[2007.05.29 19:25:47] Aaron: what % is typical markup for a charity site?
[2007.05.29 19:25:47] LeslieCP: it depends, i mark up around 30%
[2007.05.29 19:25:52] LeslieCP: some people make "donation shirts"
[2007.05.29 19:26:00] LeslieCP: so they sell a shirt for like $100\
[2007.05.29 19:26:05] LeslieCP: i did this for hurricane katrina
[2007.05.29 19:26:17] LeslieCP: it worked, but i think those things only seem to work when there is a legitimate crisis
[2007.05.29 19:26:31] Aaron: A small URL would be cool... on a sleeve. Otherwise, I've hidden a URL in designs.
[2007.05.29 19:26:34] LeslieCP: i.e. "Boscoe needs knee surgery, please support us, buy this $100 shirt with a picture of sad sad Boscoe on it"
[2007.05.29 19:26:46] Shannon (hazeleyes7): how do you fit your URL on the shirt and keep it from interferring with the design?
[2007.05.29 19:26:46] LeslieCP: good design... lol
[2007.05.29 19:26:53] LeslieCP: sometimes we put it on the back
[2007.05.29 19:26:59] LeslieCP: other times we just get it below the design
[2007.05.29 19:27:10] spiritstore has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:27:12] RP2008: not sure if this was covered but I missed muich of this chat... Is there something in place now or will there possibly be something in place in the future to allow shop owners to dirrectly forwards cleared funds from stores to a charity?
[2007.05.29 19:27:12] LeslieCP: that is on my wish list
[2007.05.29 19:27:21] Gandalf_Parker: Ive seen shops add as much as $20 to a shirt for a non-profit and call it a "charitable donation with automatic gift"
[2007.05.29 19:27:21] LeslieCP: right
[2007.05.29 19:27:26] spiritstore: Thank you Shannon
[2007.05.29 19:27:32] spiritstore has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:27:36] SDDogRescue: http://www.cafepress.com/sdspanielrescue.64026904
[2007.05.29 19:27:42] Aaron: I had a design for an organization based here in Los Angeles and I put the URL in the base of the L
[2007.05.29 19:27:43] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Thanks - I have been trying to figure out a way to keep it from interferring with the "rescue" message
[2007.05.29 19:27:49] SDDogRescue: (opps, CR - example of URL with design)
[2007.05.29 19:27:51] LeslieCP: so in general, you want to use the same kinds of principles in a nonprofit shop as in a regular shop
[2007.05.29 19:28:01] LeslieCP: launch 5-10 good designs
[2007.05.29 19:28:05] LeslieCP: consider your audience
[2007.05.29 19:28:08] LeslieCP: tag and keyword well
[2007.05.29 19:28:12] LeslieCP: then market away
[2007.05.29 19:28:18] LeslieCP: think about your key messaging
[2007.05.29 19:28:27] LeslieCP: make different designs that appeal to different supporters
[2007.05.29 19:28:37] dreamup has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:28:45] LeslieCP: if you look at the bad rap shop, you'll see REALLY different designs in "urban chic" than you will in "bully love"
[2007.05.29 19:29:02] LeslieCP: we have the hipster hearts and flowers crowd, and we have the macho guys who just want a cool shirt
[2007.05.29 19:29:21] LeslieCP: since this shop pays our vet bills, we appeal to everyone as long as we're not sacrificing our core message
[2007.05.29 19:29:26] SDDogRescue: we also have a "donate to rescue" section - people can choose their level of "donation" and get a rescue bumber sticker (only available with donation) - from $10 to $100 ...
[2007.05.29 19:29:27] LeslieCP: that's a good ide
[2007.05.29 19:29:28] BrittaCP: yes... we'll have one up shortly after
[2007.05.29 19:29:34] spiritstore: Will a transcript of this chat be available after it is over? The chat window was just interrupted when I went to look at one of the Bad Rap shirts so I lost the history.
[2007.05.29 19:29:34] LeslieCP: i dunno - angela?
[2007.05.29 19:29:45] BrittaCP: yes
[2007.05.29 19:29:46] LeslieCP: i do btw have a really important link for you all
[2007.05.29 19:29:50] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:30:00] LeslieCP: bookmark it - it's a hidden page that i wrote specifically for nonprofits
[2007.05.29 19:30:08] RP2008 has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:30:26] LeslieCP: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/services/nonprofit_tips
[2007.05.29 19:30:29] spiritstore: Wonderful! Hit me!
[2007.05.29 19:30:39] Karma Nova: w00t
[2007.05.29 19:30:42] LeslieCP: And here's one for groups and clubs:
[2007.05.29 19:30:50] LeslieCP: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/services/groups_tips
[2007.05.29 19:30:57] LeslieCP: The difference between the two is:
[2007.05.29 19:31:03] LeslieCP: open community vs. closed community
[2007.05.29 19:31:10] Gandalf_Parker: trhanks for that. I will need for it a semi-serious rescue coming up
[2007.05.29 19:31:16] Aaron: hipster, hearts and macho... how about a t-shirt with a pocket for us geeks who NEVER go anywhere without a pen?
[2007.05.29 19:31:17] LeslieCP: aaron, i feel your pain
[2007.05.29 19:31:28] LeslieCP: i could carry dog treats in it
[2007.05.29 19:31:39] Aaron: and for the "protest kit", if there was a feature to size all the identically-sized buttons and round magnets in one step instead of doing the solo item, then the 10's then the 100's.
[2007.05.29 19:31:39] LeslieCP: yes
[2007.05.29 19:31:43] Aaron: URL would go GREAT on a pocket.
[2007.05.29 19:31:52] SDDogRescue: great links, thankx!
[2007.05.29 19:31:56] LeslieCP: ok, so also remember to keep your shop fresh
[2007.05.29 19:32:04] LeslieCP: if you create a good retail experience
[2007.05.29 19:32:08] LeslieCP: your supporters will come back
[2007.05.29 19:32:19] LeslieCP: i know a crazy lady who loves us and she has more bad rap shirts than i do
[2007.05.29 19:32:21] LeslieCP: so does her dog
[2007.05.29 19:32:30] LeslieCP: she checks the shop every month to see what's new
[2007.05.29 19:32:33] LeslieCP: use your newsletter
[2007.05.29 19:32:34] SDDogRescue: feature it in your regular nonprofit newsletters!
[2007.05.29 19:32:36] LeslieCP: build a newsletter
[2007.05.29 19:32:37] LeslieCP: yes!
[2007.05.29 19:32:41] spiritstore: Thank you for the links! I'm also hoping for information about tax regulations on non-profits and online stores, any information there?
[2007.05.29 19:32:54] LeslieCP: spiritstore, that's up to your accountant
[2007.05.29 19:33:02] LeslieCP: i can't advise on how to report the earnings
[2007.05.29 19:33:13] LeslieCP: i'd talk to your accountant though.
[2007.05.29 19:33:22] Aaron: it'd be sweet if the buyer got a TAX ID of the non-profit for his tax statement
[2007.05.29 19:33:22] LeslieCP: you can put this in your product descriptions
[2007.05.29 19:33:25] SDDogRescue: hand it all over to your treasurer : )- that's what I do!
[2007.05.29 19:33:28] spiritstore: Thank you, I figured that was the route I needed to go next.
[2007.05.29 19:33:41] LeslieCP: the other thing you can do is just put it prominently on your shop
[2007.05.29 19:33:48] Gandalf_Parker: letting a page get "old" will lower your SEO ratings. updating descriptions, or having something like "our latest newsletter" on your site will give search engines new material and raise your ratings
[2007.05.29 19:33:48] LeslieCP: yes
[2007.05.29 19:33:52] Aaron: and a value of the item to be deducted
[2007.05.29 19:34:02] LeslieCP: back to newsletters
[2007.05.29 19:34:04] LeslieCP: if you don't have one
[2007.05.29 19:34:10] LeslieCP: you can utilize your shop newsletter
[2007.05.29 19:34:16] SDDogRescue: bring it on!
[2007.05.29 19:34:19] LeslieCP: if you do have one, be sure to feature new products
[2007.05.29 19:34:34] LeslieCP: i personally like to do product newsletters and mention a dog or 2
[2007.05.29 19:34:43] spiritstore: Great pointers so far and thank you for the links, unfortunately I'll have to get the rest from the transcript information.
[2007.05.29 19:34:43] LeslieCP: but that's becaues we had a product newsletter before a regular one
[2007.05.29 19:35:01] LeslieCP: and since all these people want to know about new products, well, i'm going to tell thm
[2007.05.29 19:35:08] SDDogRescue: we do the opposite - a rescue newsletter and feature a special item (and an affiliate item)
[2007.05.29 19:35:08] LeslieCP: in fact, i'll tell them once a month or so
[2007.05.29 19:35:21] LeslieCP: if you have trouble keeping your shop fresh, have a design contest
[2007.05.29 19:35:29] LeslieCP: right now i have a volunteer doing designs for me
[2007.05.29 19:35:39] LeslieCP: she feels very special and we're getting great designs
[2007.05.29 19:35:43] LeslieCP: bribe, beg, borrow
[2007.05.29 19:35:45] LeslieCP: LOL
[2007.05.29 19:35:48] spiritstore has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:35:50] LeslieCP: nonprofits have to be scrappy
[2007.05.29 19:36:09] LeslieCP: the other thing you can do is get creative with traditional fundraising
[2007.05.29 19:36:15] LeslieCP: i.e. why sell candy bars?
[2007.05.29 19:36:19] LeslieCP: you can sell cool mugs or something
[2007.05.29 19:36:27] LeslieCP: you can also do a cookbook
[2007.05.29 19:36:29] LeslieCP: or a calendar
[2007.05.29 19:36:38] LeslieCP: those are mainstays of grassroots fundraising
[2007.05.29 19:36:45] LeslieCP: people are used to it
[2007.05.29 19:36:47] LeslieCP: so do one!
[2007.05.29 19:36:58] LeslieCP: you can also do some sort of event
[2007.05.29 19:37:02] LeslieCP: like a concert or whatever
[2007.05.29 19:37:06] LeslieCP: and tie in merchandise with the event
[2007.05.29 19:37:18] LeslieCP: sell it, raffle it, whatever - people love free t-shirts
[2007.05.29 19:37:26] LeslieCP: i mean, seriously - people LOVE FREE T-SHIRTS
[2007.05.29 19:37:32] LeslieCP: you can buy the world with a free t-shirt
[2007.05.29 19:37:43] LeslieCP: mm k... any questions?
[2007.05.29 19:37:49] garyoa1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:37:53] SDDogRescue: we add CP merchanide to our silent auction table (featuring that year's special event artwork)
[2007.05.29 19:37:56] LeslieCP: i may have exhausted all my great ideas kind of early
[2007.05.29 19:37:59] LeslieCP: LOL
[2007.05.29 19:38:11] LeslieCP: oh, selling on eBay
[2007.05.29 19:38:17] LeslieCP: i'm going to experiment with that
[2007.05.29 19:38:32] LeslieCP: there's an onramp program to teach people how to sell better
[2007.05.29 19:38:44] LeslieCP: and there's an API that i'm hoping will make this fairly painless
[2007.05.29 19:38:46] LeslieCP: stay tuned...
[2007.05.29 19:39:05] Gandalf_Parker: If you want a batch of stickers, bumper stickers can be made into 100 little stickers to cut apart and use
[2007.05.29 19:39:05] LeslieCP: that's a good idea
[2007.05.29 19:39:12] LeslieCP: i dunno about 100
[2007.05.29 19:39:17] LeslieCP: you'd have to have bifocals to read it
[2007.05.29 19:39:28] LeslieCP: but certainly you can segment out a bumper sticker
[2007.05.29 19:39:35] LeslieCP: i like selling cheapies at events
[2007.05.29 19:39:40] LeslieCP: i.e. minibuttons for $1 and such
[2007.05.29 19:39:49] Aaron: Would love rolls of stickers.
[2007.05.29 19:39:49] LeslieCP: note to self: sticker rolls
[2007.05.29 19:39:51] karen has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:40:02] LeslieCP: you can also make posters to be segmented
[2007.05.29 19:40:07] LeslieCP: and cut into smaller signs or posters
[2007.05.29 19:40:09] garyoa1: I get 36 to a bumper sticker. I'd love to see perforated stickers
[2007.05.29 19:40:28] LeslieCP: garyoa, i'll pass that along
[2007.05.29 19:40:38] LeslieCP: is anyone here using their CP stuff as a fundraiser?
[2007.05.29 19:40:41] Mila has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:41:08] BrittaCP: anyone?
[2007.05.29 19:41:20] LeslieCP: ok... so i guess we'll end the chat, unless folks have questions for me
[2007.05.29 19:41:28] LeslieCP: (you can ask about anything CP related now)
[2007.05.29 19:41:36] Gandalf_Parker has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:41:38] Aaron: I'd like to do more
[2007.05.29 19:41:40] SDDogRescue: I run the Cocker store and the Springer store
[2007.05.29 19:41:40] SDDogRescue: both for fundraising
[2007.05.29 19:41:42] SDDogRescue: more effort into the Cocker store, tho
[2007.05.29 19:41:48] LeslieCP: SDDog, how is it working?
[2007.05.29 19:41:57] Gandalf_Parker: I have 2 non-profit shops
[2007.05.29 19:42:01] SDDogRescue: great for us!
[2007.05.29 19:42:06] LeslieCP: that's good
[2007.05.29 19:42:17] LeslieCP: if you read the cheat sheet you might get some ideas
[2007.05.29 19:42:23] garyoa1: I sell to groups for their fundraising.
[2007.05.29 19:42:25] LeslieCP: Cockers are pretty good business - take it over!
[2007.05.29 19:42:43] SDDogRescue: last year we used tshirts to help promote our big fundraiser dinner at adoption events - volunteers loved the special edition shirts
[2007.05.29 19:42:48] ppix1 has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:43:08] LeslieCP: yes, anything "special" or "limited edition" will make volunteers and donors happy
[2007.05.29 19:43:22] ppix1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2007.05.29 19:43:24] Aaron: I'd like a quick guide to CP/eBay optimizing w/o getting clobbered on shipping issues.
[2007.05.29 19:43:24] LeslieCP: yeah, me too. i'm about to start learning
[2007.05.29 19:43:46] LeslieCP: http://www.cafepressdn.com/
[2007.05.29 19:43:59] LeslieCP: the ebay API should be in here somewhere
[2007.05.29 19:44:34] LeslieCP: i don't see it
[2007.05.29 19:44:37] LeslieCP: *sigh*
[2007.05.29 19:44:47] SDDogRescue: I mark them up only $1.00 for volunteers
[2007.05.29 19:44:49] SFFriar: SD..Did you make any money doing it?
[2007.05.29 19:45:38] AngelaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2007.05.29 19:46:22] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Evening Leslie!
[2007.05.29 19:46:23] Dooni Designs Goofkins: hi
[2007.05.29 19:46:34] RP2008: howdey
[2007.05.29 19:46:35] Aaron: speaking of tags, it'd be insanely great to be able to get a report that had thumbnails of all the images in my basket with their tags
[2007.05.29 19:46:40] garyoa1: Or square stickers since all the shirt designs will just pop on them
[2007.05.29 19:46:41] SDDogRescue: In the Springer Store we have two types of pricing - premium for non-URL items and high for the same with our URL "tastefully placed" on the back/shoulder area
[2007.05.29 19:46:42] SDDogRescue: I also have a special feature on the Cocker homepage, but that area is only accessible to newsletter subscribers
[2007.05.29 19:46:44] SDDogRescue: The special edition Ts were primarily to promote the event. The volunteers bought the $1.00 markup ts directly from CP, so no upfront money for us, so in that respect, yes it made money (a little, but a positive number)
[2007.05.29 19:46:46] Karma Nova: Leslie, would you recommend Clark's Success with CafePress?
[2007.05.29 19:47:07] LeslieCP: Hey Karma - I haven't read the book, but there's a picture of me in it!
[2007.05.29 19:47:17] LeslieCP: Other shopkeepers seem to find it helpful
[2007.05.29 19:47:35] Karma Nova: Score! I think I'll check it out
[2007.05.29 19:47:49] LeslieCP: Let me know what you think
[2007.05.29 19:48:03] BrittaCP: ok... gang.... seems there are no more questions coming in.... we're gonna wrap this ne up a few minutes early so we can catch our carpools
[2007.05.29 19:48:32] BrittaCP: Thanks everyone for joining... and thank you Leslie for sharing your wisdom
[2007.05.29 19:48:35] Karma Nova: Thanks for your help, I enjoyed sitting in
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[2007.05.29 19:49:00] Aaron: Would it be possible to have non-profit orders aggregated into a single shipment to save on shipping. Let's say my org is in Los Angeles and I've got 100 separate orders, each with their own size and pre-paid. ADD TO BATCH SHIPMENT would be great
[2007.05.29 19:49:02] BrittaCP: The lobby is still open for anyone who would like to continue chatting
[2007.05.29 19:49:05] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Thank you Leslie!
[2007.05.29 19:49:09] LeslieCP: Sure
[2007.05.29 19:49:10] SDDogRescue: thanks!
[2007.05.29 19:49:13] LeslieCP: Aaron, that's a good idea
[2007.05.29 19:49:33] LeslieCP: I'd like to overall make the service more accessible to nonprofits
[2007.05.29 19:49:41] BrittaCP: Have a good evening!
[2007.05.29 19:49:44] Aaron: thx
[2007.05.29 19:49:48] LeslieCP: Have a great evening everyone
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[2007.05.29 19:50:02] SDDogRescue: *waves bye*
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