Choosing between Bear Grips Pro Shops and Bonfire comes down to one question: does the group need a single fundraiser campaign or an ongoing shop. Bonfire's model centers on an organizer building a design, setting a fundraising goal, and running a countdown window before the shirts print. Bear Grips Pro Shops is a single system where a branded shop stays open, priced on a fixed catalog, with free shipping and no campaign window. Neither approach is wrong, they solve different problems. Here is what a group actually gets with each in 2026.
| Category | Bonfire | Bear Grips Pro Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Campaign page, open for a countdown window, then closes | Included, branded shop URL that stays live from day one |
| Design tool | Online design tool for building a shirt from a template | Upload your own design or logo, applied to the catalog |
| Base pricing | Organizer sets retail above a base cost the platform sets per campaign | Fixed catalog price, tees from $19.88 VIP base, hoodies from $36.88 |
| Order minimum | Campaign needs enough orders in the window before printing | 1 piece, any time |
| Shipping to supporters | Ships after the campaign window closes | Free, included in the item price, ships in about a week |
| Monthly platform cost | No subscription, tied to each campaign | Free, $59/mo, or $105/mo (Done-For-You) |
With Bonfire's campaign model, the organizer builds and shares one campaign page, and supporters buy through that page during the open window. There is no ongoing storefront tied to the organizer's own brand once the campaign closes and a new one has to be built for the next push. With Bear Grips Pro Shops, the group's branded shop is the checkout, the product catalog, and the sales history in one place under the group's own name, open for as long as the group keeps it running. That matters for an organization trying to build a repeat supporter list under its own name rather than a fresh campaign page each time.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Bear Grips Pro Shops builds an affiliate program into every signup, free or paid. Every vendor gets a unique referral code alongside their shop. Referring another vendor pays 10% of that vendor's subscription, for as long as they stay subscribed, plus $1 for every unit the referred vendor sells. Payouts run bi-weekly. This is a feature of the Bear Grips Pro Shops platform itself, separate from whatever a group raises through its own shop.
Bonfire's campaign model fits a genuinely one time push, a single mission trip shirt, a homecoming run, or an awareness month drive that will not repeat. Bear Grips Pro Shops fits a church, school, booster club, or nonprofit that wants an ongoing shop (pricing, printing, and payouts) that stays open rather than a page that closes once. See the full Bonfire alternative overview for the fuller picture, or the fees teardown for how the cost of each model adds up.
Bear Grips Pro Shops publishes a fixed price list across the full catalog. A few reference points at the VIP base tier: Airlume Cotton Tee $19.88, Comfort Soft Hoodie $36.88, Champion Performance Hoodie $45.88, Classic Zip-Up Hoodie (Gildan) $41.88, and printed or embroidered hats from $25.86 to $29.86. Because a Bonfire campaign sets its own retail price above whatever base cost the platform applies for that specific run, a direct line item comparison depends on the campaign being built first, which is one of the clearest structural differences between the two models.
One branded shop, one price list, free shipping included, and a built in affiliate program. Free to start.
Start FreeNo. Bear Grips Pro Shops is an independent apparel platform with its own printing process, separate from Bonfire in every respect.
It depends on the campaign size and design a Bonfire run is built around. Bear Grips Pro Shops publishes one fixed price with free shipping included, which makes the true per piece cost easier to calculate up front.
Yes. There is no exclusivity requirement. Many groups use a campaign for a single event and a Pro Shop for the ongoing fundraiser store.
No. There is no goal, deadline, or minimum order required. A shop can sell its first piece the same day a design is uploaded.
Bear Grips Pro Shops