Booster clubs ask us the same question in different words: "If we run a spirit-wear store, how much actually comes back to the program?" Here's the plain-English answer, with the math, and the decisions that change the number.
How a team store works
We build a private online store for your program — a handful of items in your colors and logo, sized youth through adult. You share the link. Families order and pay online. When the store closes, we print everything, sort it by athlete or family, and deliver. The club never buys inventory, collects checks, or guesses sizes.
Where the fundraising comes from
A team store can run as a straight store (families pay your quoted pricing, nothing added) or as a fundraiser store, where every item carries the same program contribution — one set dollar amount, store-wide, that goes to your booster club, team fund or PTO when the store closes. The standard is $5 from every eligible paid item. Want lower prices for families, or a bigger payout? Tell us and we set the store's contribution where you want it; item prices move with it.
Two things to know:
- It's one fixed amount for every item, not a percentage — so you can tell parents exactly what their purchase does: "$5 of every item goes to the program."
- A higher contribution raises every price. $5 is invisible to most families; $15 gets noticed and lowers the order rate. Most programs stay at the standard.
The math, worked
Say a wrestling club with 40 athletes runs a four-item store at the standard $5 contribution:
| Item | Contribution | Units sold | Raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice tee | $5 | 80 (2 per athlete) | $400 |
| Warm-up hoodie | $5 | 45 | $225 |
| Parent tee | $5 | 50 | $250 |
| Parent hoodie | $5 | 35 | $175 |
| Total | 210 | $1,050 |
A thousand dollars the club didn't have to sell candy bars for, with zero inventory risk. Programs with a big parent following — cheer, youth wrestling, travel basketball — usually do better because parents and grandparents buy too. Item prices aren't published here; your quote sets them, and they include the contribution.
Five decisions that move the number
- Keep it to 4–6 items. More choices don't raise more money; they lower the order rate. One athlete item, one athlete layer, one parent item, one parent layer, maybe a hat.
- Add parent gear. Athletes' practice gear is a required expense; parents and grandparents buying for themselves are the extra units. Same $5 on every item — more items is how the total grows.
- Open for two weeks, not four. Deadlines drive orders. Send the link at the parent meeting, remind once at the midpoint, remind again three days before close.
- Run it at the start of the season. Enthusiasm is highest before the first event. A mid-season store does about half.
- Grandparents count. Say so in the email. A "Grandpa" tee is the easiest sale in the store.
What the club has to do
- Approve artwork and item list (one email).
- Confirm the store's contribution — standard $5, or tell us a different amount (one email).
- Share the link twice.
- Tell us where to deliver.
That's it. No spreadsheet, no cash box, no garage full of boxes.
Timing for winter programs
Winter stores should be open by mid-October so gear lands before the first event. Read the winter sports ordering timeline for the sport-by-sport dates.
Launch a fundraising team store → — tell us the program, the sport and roughly how many families, and we'll send back an item list and a mockup.